IMAGING

3D Laser Mapping Provide the solution for monitoring coastal instability

Durham University purchased SiteMonitor4D to better understand the process of coastal erosion as part of a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) project, funded by Innovate UK. The project focussed on monitoring the rock faces on the North Yorkshire coast in the UK, near the historic town of Whitby and uses both airborne laser scanning and terrestrial laser scanning to collect the data.

For the airborne surveys, ‘StreetMapperIV’ was chosen, and was mounted onto a helicopter to perform the job. Terrestrial laser scanning is used with automated analytical software gave a continuous and frequent capture of data. www.3dlasermapping.com/streetmapper/

Jason 3 satellite begins surveying world’s oceans

Three months after its foggy blastoff from California on a Falcon 9 rocket, a $364 million oceanography satellite has returned the fi rst data from its radar altimeter mapping global sea levels, catching this year’s ongoing El Niño in the act.

Engineers are still calibrating the Jason 3 spacecraft’s altimeter instrument, but the satellite is already collecting information on the height and roughness of the world’s oceans after its Jan. 17 liftoff.

The Jason 3 mission, a joint project managed by U.S. and European weather agencies, will track rising sea levels caused by climate change, help predict the intensity of tropical cyclones, and aid in the forecasting of global weather patterns. https://spaceflightnow.com

Isro, Indian Railways to Sign MoU for Remote Sensing

An MoU has been signed between Railways and ISRO, under Department of Space, for developing applications in the field of remote sensing and GIS.

The MoU will enable use of space technology tools in providing passenger information for all trains, indicating next station/stoppage, real-time train-tracking, survey of new rail route alignments particularly in hilly and diffi cult terrains. It will also aid in conducting track vulnerability studies, mapping of assets, audio-visual warning to road users at unmanned level crossing gates and introduction of web-enabled rail usercentric services. http://gadgets.ndtv.com

ESA agrees to share Sentinel data with Geoscience Australia

ESA and Australia’s national geological survey, Geoscience Australia, have agreed to cooperate to ensure data from the EU’s Sentinel satellites are accessible in Southeast Asia and the South Pacifi c. The agreement supports the Australian government and European Commission’s partnership to ensure the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme benefi ts their citizens and the broader international community.

A key component of the cooperation will be the establishment of a regional data access and analysis hub managed by Geoscience Australia (GA). This hub will greatly improve access to Copernicus data in a region which is densely populated and experiencing high rates of economic growth, but which faces signifi cant challenges in areas where Earth observation can help. These challenges include the protection of environmental assets, promotion of sustainable natural resource development and risk reduction from natural disasters.

DigitalGlobe awards contracts worth millions of dollars to MDA

DigitalGlobe has awarded two contracts worth several million dollars to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates. The contract has been awarded to provide new ground station solutions to two international customers.

The ground stations will receive and process imagery and data from DigitalGlobe’s satellite constellation, and are also confi gurable to receive and process data from the RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, enabling future integration of electrooptical and radar imagery capabilities.