Germany

ESA and Eurockot today signed contracts for launching two ESA satellites: Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-3A will fly in 2013 on Rockot vehicles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia for Europe’s GMES programme.

The contract signing by Matthias Oehm, Chief Executive Officer of Eurockot Launch Services GmbH, and Volker Liebig, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes, took place at the historic Chamber of Commerce of Bremen, Germany.
The Senator for Economics, Labour and Ports of the Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen, Martin Günthner, and the Chief Executive Officer of Astrium Space Transportation, Alain Charmeau, were also in attendance.

“With the launch of the first suite of Sentinels, a new era of Earth observation will start in Europe with the first worldwide operational monitoring system of environment and security,” noted Prof. Liebig.

Sentinel-2 and -3 are two of five Sentinel missions that ESA is…

After a year in service, the German Earth observation satellite TanDEM-X, together with its twin satellite, TerraSAR-X, have completely mapped the entire land surface of Earth for the first time. The data is being used to create the world’s first single-source, high-precision, 3D digital elevation model of Earth. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) controls both radar satellites, generates the elevation model and is responsible for the scientific use of TanDEM-X data. It is reminiscent of ballet on ice; throughout the last year, Germany’s radar satellites, TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X, have been moving through space in close formation, at times just a few hundred metres apart. Strip by strip, they have recorded Earth from different angles and transmitted high-resolution radar data from their orbit at an altitude of 514 kilometres down to the three ground stations – Kiruna (Sweden), Inuvik (Canada) and O’Higgins (Antarctica…

On June 14, RapidEye, a leader in wide area, repetitive coverage of Earth through its constellation of satellites announced that EyeFind, a tool that allows users to browse its entire archive, is now online. “We are very excited about rolling EyeFind out to our customers,” commented Frederik Jung-Rothenhausler, RapidEye’s Chief Technical Officer. “This is something we’ve developed internally, tested thoroughly and are quite confident in its ability and functionality. This is a major milestone which gives our distributors and direct customers an easy way to view every image we have.”

EyeFind allows customers to browse the entire RapidEye Library, its rapidly growing archive, based on date, cloud cover and product type. Advanced options allow for parameters to be entered on a map or for a shape file to be uploaded outlining an area of interest. Once the customer has located their needed images, an inquiry can be sent to RapidEye…

The contract signed between OHB System AG and Astrium Services is worth 7.4 million euros, or $10.7 million. The agreement gives OHB System authority to proceed with designing a satellite to fly in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth.The European Data Relay Satellite system will feature at least one dedicated spacecraft and a piggyback communications package to fly on a commercial broadcasting satellite.
OHB System will design and build the standalone EDRS platform in Bremen, Germany. Both spacecraft will use laser optical communications instruments to transmit up to 1.8 megabytes per second of data across distances of up to 25,000 miles, according to OHB System. The laser terminals will be built by Tesat-Spacecom, another German company.Germany is supplying the majority of the funding for the EDRS system. Astrium Services is overseeing its development.
The piggyback communications system should be launched in 2014 and the OHB System spacecraft will…

The Disaster Management Tool (DMT) is a mobile field system that allows field workers and control center officers to interactively enter and retrieve information about the areas of interest. It uses sensors (like GPS receivers) for automatic data collection. It also allows an easy and fast flow of the situation information, also across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. And finally, it provides dynamic and interactive situation maps and reliable data storage.

The basic idea of the DMT training, which was attended by one UN-SPIDER expert, was to explore opportunities for a follow-up pilot project together with the Institute for Communication and Navigation (IKN) at DLR and the Italian NGO: Cooperazione Internazionale – COOPI, UN-SPIDER’s partner within the Disaster Preparedness programme in the South East African and South West Indian Ocean (DIPECHO), funded by the European Commission - Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (ECHO). The envisaged…

This document contains the proposed UN-SPIDER workplan for the biennium 2012-2013 to be considered by the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its Forty-eighth session in Vienna, 7-18 February 2011. It includes the use of space-based solutions in disaster management plans and policies and in the implementation of risk reduction activities.

Published by: UNOOSA
For further information visit: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/limited/c1/AC105_C1_2011_CRP15E.pdf

The GMES User Forum was organized by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) together with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and in close cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It brought together about 120 participants from a large number of German institutions, national agencies, and leading private companies for discussions with high-level representatives from the European Commission and the German Government. The main intention of this meeting was to inform potential users about the already existing and upcoming GMES core- and downstream services and to better integrate national needs and networks into the further planning. After the opening session and the introductory presentations held by the head of the GMES office in Brussels, Ms. Christine BERG, and delegates from the organizing ministries, the group of participants was divided into four different thematic…

NSAU experts and specialists of space industry enterprises of Ukraine paid a working visit to German Aerospace Centre (DLR), leading research institutes and companies of the space spectrum of Germany in the framework of Twinning Space project within Feb.1 – Feb.6, 2010 in order to define further perspectives of bilateral cooperation. 
In course of the visit Ukrainian delegation became acquainted with activities of German leading space sector companies: OHB Technology, EADS Astrium, Kayser Threde GmbH, IABG.

The working meetings with representatives of the German Space Operations Center (GSOC), National Communication and Navigation Institute, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Institute of Space Systems. NSAU delegation was also invited to German Remote Sensing Data Center and Galileo Control Center (European Global Satellite Navigation System).

The main topic of all working meetings was discussion of the present state and determining of cooperation…

On October 14, 2009, the International Day for Disaster Reduction was used to illustrate the role of UN-SPIDER in a concrete case, namely the recent Tropical Cyclone on the Philippines. At the VIC Rotunda in Vienna, a presentation was given on the particular example. After a welcome address by Niklas Hedman (Chief Committee Services and Research Section, Office for Outer Space Affairs) and introductory remarks on space and disaster management by Juan Carlos Villagran (UN-SPIDER), Mr. Manangan, Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Philippines, presented his observations on the recent disaster and its management. Ms. Gerardo, Chair of the VIC Club Filipino, expressed her thanks for the contributions made for the people in the Philippines. Michael Leitgab (UN-SPIDER) then explained the role of UN-SPIDER in the case of the recent Tropical Cyclone, and Niklas Hedman gave the concluding remarks to close the event. In Bonn, the UN-SPIDER…

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) today signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) concerning Mutual cooperation for satellite disaster monitoring.

In this LOI, both parties acknowledged the necessity to promote satellite application, especially Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, as well as related applied research, and to pursue such activities in an international manner.

For further information, please check:
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/08/20090824_dlr_e.html

Note: The call for Submissions will close on 21th of March! You can submit a presentation, a scientific paper, a poster, a map or a workshop (see below and  conference website).

FOSS4G represents the global gathering of the Open Source Geospatial community with a deep focus on free and open source geospatial solutions under the auspices of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation - OSGeo. FOSS4G brings together developers, users, policy- and decision-makers, business representatives from a broad spectrum of organizations and professional geo-related fields.

This year’s FOSS4G theme, “Building bridges”, will bring together all geospatial users, developers and supporters, from professionals to absolute beginners, from business representatives to university teachers, from non-profit organizations to public institutions representatives. Furthermore, this year, FOSS4G will build bridges…

The event is planned as a marketplace that will enable knowledge transfer between technology experts, service providers and manufacturers as well as users from selected application fields. The goal is to stimulate the development and marketing of new “Copernicus”-related products, services and solutions. The event will build on findings and experience from the German technology network “CopServ” and aims to transfer valuable technological know-how to European level in the framework of the EEN.

Application fields at the focus of the event will be renewable energies/energy economy, maritime technologies, mining/post-mining, agriculture/forestry and urban monitoring/smart cities. The event addresses specialists and executives as well as development engineers from the application fields and defined technology branches along the entire value chain.

Request registration

The 2024 EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference will take place in Würzburg, Germany, from September 30 to October 4. The theme of this year’s annual EUMETSAT conference is “The Earth Observation value chains for weather, climate, and hydrosphere”.

EUMETSAT will be joined in the organization and hosting of the event by the Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD), the national provider for weather and climate services in Germany. This key annual event for the meteorological and scientific communities brings together participants from around the world to share their experiences and knowledge during plenary, poster, and workshop sessions.

Registration will be open at the end of May 2024.

2015 will be a decisive year for the international community paving the way for sustainable development worldwide. Three important processes led by the United Nations are underway leading to three agreements expected for 2015: the Post 2015 Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (March 2015), the Sustainable Development Goals (September 2015), and the new Climate Change Agreement (December 2015). Geoinformation and especially Earth Observation provide indispensable data to support informed decision making at local, national, regional and global level to reduce disaster risks, improve adaptation to climate change, prepare better for unavoidable losses and damages, and deliver on the promise of sustainable development.

The United Nations/Germany International Conference on Earth Observation – Global solutions for the challenges of…

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), conducted an International Expert Meeting on 12 November at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. “Towards Big (Space) Data in Support of Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Response in Africa” aimed at contributing to an increased use of big data approaches and satellite technologies in African countries to respond to challenges posed by natural hazards. It brought together around 45 experts from space agencies, civil protection authorities, development cooperation actors, international organizations, technical relief and humanitarian aid providers, national ministries and the private sector.

The meeting was organized together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces (…

The EnviroInfo 2021, titled "Environmental Informatics – A bogeyman or saviour to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals?", is the 35th edition of the long standing and established international and interdisciplinary conference series on leading environmental information and communication technologies. The conference is open for contributions covering innovative topics at the interface between informatics and environmental research. 

The conference will be organised in thematic sessions and special tracks. The event is taking place at the historic centre of Berlin at the School of Business and Economics, Humboldt-University, in parallel to the annual convention of the German Informatics Society ("Gesellschaft für Informatik") under the umbrella topic “Computer Science and Sustainability”. 

The conference is organized by the Technical Committee for Environmental…

The 36th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE), will take place on May 11-15, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. This 36th Symposium will represent a major event in the long series of internationally recognised ISRSE meetings.

The overall theme of the symposium is the use of Earth observation systems and related remote sensing techniques for understanding and managing the Earth environment and resources.

ISRSE-36 takes place at a significant moment: The process to define the UN global development agenda post 2015 with its Sustainability Development Goals will be finalised in 2015. The Future Earth initiative has been created as a global platform to deliver solution-orientated research for sustainability. Among its key challenges are innovative approaches to integrate knowledge systems (data, observation, modelling, etc.), including remote sensing of the environment.

Image credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)

In November 2000, several space agencies joined forces to establish the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters". The International Charter has been set up as a worldwide collaboration through which products generated from satellite imagery are made available free of charge to those responding to disasters in any region of the world. By combining Earth observation assets from different space agencies, the Charter allows resources and expertise to be coordinated. Since it was launched, the Charter has been activated more than 800 times to contribute to disaster response efforts.

During activations, the members of the International Charter provide access to satellite imagery that is processed by Project Managers and Value-Added Providers (PMs & VAs) to generate useful and timely space-based information to be used in disaster response efforts. In the year 2022, the Charter introduced a new tool: the ESA Charter Mapper, to support PMs & VAs in the processing of…

This international interdisciplinary CODATA workshop on Risk Information Management, Risk Models, and Applications will enable sharing of best practices as well as giving space for discussing methodological problems in risk modeling from the information systems point of view for all phases of the disaster cycle.

The following areas will be of central interest for the workshop:

risk information management, risk information models; risk databases, risk information interoperability,standards development; risk information processes modelling and applications, services and service composition; natural,technical, chemical risks from local to international level; risk information system structure, components; risk-related databases; risk and multi-risk cartographic issues; risk and risk-model change in time and space; risk modeling issues for infrastructure (e.g. factories, railways, highways, pipelines, maritime traffic etc.); disaster management and emergency preparedness,…

The Conference on Big Data from Space will be held on 19-21 February 2019. Big Data from Space refers to the massive spatio-temporal Earth and space observation data collected by a variety of sensors - ranging from ground based to space-borne - and the synergetic use of data coming from other sources and communities. These developments are empowering new approaches and applications in various and diverse domains influencing life on Earth and societal aspects, from sensing cities, monitoring human settlements and urban areas to climate change and security. 

The main objectives of the BiDS’19 Conference are:

• Focus on new paradigms of data intelligence addressing the entire value chain: data processing to extract information, the information analysis to gather knowledge, and knowledge transformation in value;
• Maximise the uptake and impact of multi-source space data;
• Promote the use of platforms and analytical methods to maximise the value…

The Applied Geoinformatics for Society and Environment (AGSE) Conference takes place on a yearly basis and is held in different places all over the world. The overall scope of this conferences is to offer an interdisciplinary, international forum for sharing knowledge about the science and application of geoinformatics with focus on developing countries.

Besides invited keynotes the conference invites presentations on a variety of topics. There will also be professional training and workshops about current topics in the fields of geoinformatics and photogrammetry.

AGSE 2019 will take place from 12 to 15 September 2019 at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Germany. The title of the event is: “Digital Landscapes: Chances for Development”.

The conference is organized by the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Germany, and co-organized by the Laboratory for interoperable, and open-source Geospatial Software, Data and Standards (…

The UN-SPIDER/ GloFAS / DLR / ZFL International Workshop: “Space technologies for flood management” aimed at contributing to an increased use of satellite technologies and novel processing techniques to respond to challenges posed by disasters. The International Training Workshop aimed:

• To raise awareness regarding novel techniques and tools developed by DLR, the Copernicus programme, and UN-SPIDER useful in flood management.
• Contribute to increase the skills of young professionals engaged in the use of Earth observation and novel geospatial information technologies to contribute to flood management efforts.
• Facilitate networking efforts among young professionals engaged in disaster management efforts.

The International Training Workshop included plenary presentations, a training on the use of novel techniques to process satellite imagery in case of floods, and a simulation of floods to familiarize participants with novel procedures…