IMAGING

TCarta awarded NOAA grant

TCarta Marine has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The research focuses on enhancing Satellite Derived Bathymetry technology for application in the coastal waters of Alaska.

Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB) extracts water depth measurements from multispectral satellite imagery using advanced physics-based algorithms. Traditionally, this technology has yielded the most accurate results in clear, calm waters; however, TCarta has recently taken the lead in expanding SDB applications to more challenging marine environments worldwide. www.tcarta.com

China Aerospace launches remotesensing satellites into orbit

China launched a Long March 4C carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China to deploy Yaogan 31-03 remote-sensing satellites, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation’s leading space contractor.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, a China Aerospace subsidiary, the satellites are the third group in the Yaogan 31 family and are tasked with conducting electromagnetic environmental monitoring and related technology tests, the statement said. www.chinadaily.com.

Newcastle University pioneers hyper-resolution flood risk modelling

Newcastle University is developing advanced computer modelling to assess the flood risk of individual properties using LiDAR data and oblique aerial photography from Bluesky. The project will use Artificial Intelligence to extract information from other datasets, including old reports and flood asset registers, and bring this together with weather and traffic sensors, for example, to provide a dynamic online platform for hyper local, near real time flood risk assessments.

Providing real world context and accuracy, the Bluesky data enables visualisations of evolving events that will enable flood risk managers to employ just in time maintenance and alleviation methods, such as clearing blocked drains or setting up mobile defences. www.bluesky-world.com

Hiber launches second generation satellite

Hiber, the European satellite Internet-of- Things (IoT) company, has announced that its most recent satellite, Hiber Four, has been successfully launched in space, via SpaceX’s first rideshare mission of 2021 – Transporter-1.

Hiber Four is a second generation satellite developed and assembled by Hiber’s engineers in its Amsterdam office. Hiber Four, and its sister satellite Hiber Three, are half the volume (3U) of the previous generation, which reduces the mass and decreases the launch costs by up to 50%. The newest generation of satellites also have an on-board propulsion system allowing Hiber’s ground engineers to adjust the satellite’s orbit. This ensures that Hiber Four, and its future descendants, avoid collisions and, importantly, de-orbit themselves at the end-of-life, making Hiber one of the most responsible CubeSat constellation operators in the world. www.hiber.global

Teledyne CARIS releases Onboard360

Teledyne CARIS has released Onboard360 featuring CARIS Collect. The newly released software delivers a seamless flow of data into the Ping-to-ChartTM workflow. When combined with the Onboard360 Process module, logged data is imported and processed automatically allowing near real-time and remote quality monitoring of in-progress surveys. The CARIS Collect module provides simple and effective data collection for the most common sonar and lidar systems in the market.