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Earth resources and earth observation 1999 Earth Observing System Reference Handbook The purpose of this Reference Handbook is to provide a broad overview of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Program to the science community and those interested in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE). It includes a brief history of EOS from its inception, science objectives, mission elements, currently planned launch schedules, descriptions of each instrument and interdisciplinary investigation, background information on team members and investigators, international and interagency co-operative efforts and information on the EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS). A number of figures and tables are included to enhance the reader's understanding of the EOS Program. [Taken from the abstract]. This Handbook exists online in a PDF format, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it. A 3D Display System for Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) Data The site provides access to an Air University Air Force Institute of Technology MSc Thesis, by First Lieutenant Michael W. Darwin, USAF, AFIT/GM/ENP/00M-05, dated March 2000. This thesis uses modern three-dimensional graphics, object-oriented software design, and innovative visualization techniques to develop a 3D visualization application for Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) data. Citation details and an abstract are available in HTML format. The full text can be accessed in PDF format. The document is part of the Air University Research Database. Aerodyne Research, Inc. Aerodyne Research, Inc. (ARI) is involved in the design, building and utilisation of remote sensing, surveillance, image processing, tracking and recognition systems for commercial and environmental applications and national defence. The site contains a description of ARI research areas and products. This includes names of staff and details of a selection of their recent papers and patents. Background information to the company's six research centres is given, as are details of the company's products. Application of High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Platforms in Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management and Mitigation An executive summary and full text of this report are available from the Canadian Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness. The objective of this study has been to assess the potential application of High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE)- based remote sensing technologies to disaster management and mitigation. This study has investigated the utility of HALE - based remote sensing to support the key emergency management activities of risk, vulnerability and preparedness assessment; situational awareness of disasters and other emergency situations; disaster management and mitigation efforts and post-disaster evaluations & "lessons learned" processes. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation The company is a provider of imaging, communications, and information solutions to the government and commercial aerospace markets. The site contains information on the company's products and services including: antennas, cameras/video, remote sensing systems and components, commercial satellite buses, laser communications, and sensors. There are also descriptions of the various space programmes in which Ball is currently involved. Past programmes are also described. The profile section contains a fact sheet and a range of company information including, annual report, financials, executive biographies, as well as publications and an interactive historical timeline. Other sections of the site cover careers information and news media. C-MAP : Clean Air Mapping and Analysis Program Provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this project is a geographic information system (GIS) aimed at assessing the success of US pollution emission reduction programmes. The site provides two major resources - a gallery of maps which illustrate the spatial relationships between emissions and the environment, and a download facility. This allows you to download GIS datasets to be uploaded into GIS software, or a spreadsheet. Categories covered include air, water, land, deposition and emissions. The data covers the North American continent. Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) The Centre is responsible for the provision of a national service for the reception, processing, archiving and dissemination of remotely sensed data for Canada and, in conjunction with the private sector, for the development of remote sensing technology and applications. The information about CCRS which presented on the site includes an extensive history section. The main themes being addressed by the work of the CCRS are described, and these include: climate change; hyperspectral techniques; natural hazards; nothern development; and The Canadian Spatial Reference System. CCRS publications are made available via the GEOSCAN database, which comprises more than 50,000 records of publications released by CCRS or Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) authors. GEOSCAN is the repository for all Earth Sciences Sector (ESS)bibliographic information. There is also a large learning resources section containing a number of tutorials covering topics such as Digital Images and Digital Analysis Techniques, Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, Radar Polarimetry, and Radar Remote Sensing. Canadian Space Agency The site provides mainly descriptive information about the Agency, including performance reports and reports on planning and priorities, action plans and strategies. Expertise and areas of interest within the Agency are also provided, as are features on the Canadian space science programme and its contribution to the International Space Station. A slide presentation is included to give an overview of the activities of the CSA and the field in which it operates. In addition, there are links to Soyuz mission details and various space-science based articles. CAP 764: CAA Policy and Guidelines on Wind Turbines This provides access to a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) document CAP:764 Version 3 10 May 2010. The aim of this CAP is to provide assistance to aviation stakeholders when addressing wind energy related issues, thereby ensuring greater consistency across the whole aviation industry in the consideration of the potential impact of proposed wind turbine development. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the document is available in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it. Civilian Satellite Remote Sensing : A Strategic Approach This report produced was by the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-ISS-607, in September 1994. It is the final published report in the OTA's analysis of Earth Observation Systems. It examines the case for developing a long-term strategic plan for civilian satellite remote sensing. The full text is accessible online in PDF format (4658K). Alternatively, the front matter, table of contents and individual chapters are available as separate PDF files. Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) The Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in Boulder, Colorado, conducts research-related to atmospheric constituents that are capable of forcing change in the climate of the earth through modification of the atmospheric radiative environment, for example greenhouse gases and aerosols, and those that may cause depletion of the global ozone layer. Useful sources available from this site include access to relevant datasets, as well as bibliographic descriptions of CMDL publications. The information is grouped under the five main research areas of the Laboratory: aerosols and radiation, carbon cycle greenhouse gases, halocarbons and other atmospheric trace species, observatory operations, and ozone and water vapour. The research is based on three themes: Climate forcing; Ozone depletion; and Baseline air quality. Commercial Observation Satellites : At The Leading Edge Of Global Transparency This provides access to RAND publication MR-1229, edited by John C. Baker, Kevin M. O'Connell, and Ray A. Williamson, dated 2001. The book is co-published by RAND and the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. It focuses on the nexus of technology and politics in order to promote a better understanding of the broader political, security, and market implications of commercial observation satellites. The text is available in PDF format. Commercial Regional Space/Airborne Imaging This is the full text of a thesis by Birce Boga, Ali Durmus, Ugur Akyazi and Arif Arin which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT)in 2002. In most recent years, both high-resolution imagery systems and images were only available to military and national security organizations. Distinctive changes within the commercial image industry allowed space-borne pioneers to provide high-resolution images. Space-borne Image Company’s Ikonos satellite provides a 1-meter resolution for the past 3 years. Current development of 0.5-meter resolution will be offered in the near future. Access of these images is available in ground stations located worldwide in different regions. Studies have shown that these high quality images are eye-catching and may serve a purpose through its design; on contrary it’s high cost and accessibility does not meet all the requirements of a nation or a region. A nation certainly cannot rely on a foreign commercial company for reconnaissance needs in times of crisis. The best frequency of coverage for a single point on earth is available once every 2.9 days on an average with high resolution. This study seeks a commercial imaging solution for regional applications. Mission requirements are set well above the existing commercial imaging systems including: continuous coverage during daylight hours, daily re-visitation, service 5 to 25 ‘simultaneous’ customers, competitive resolution and cost. Alternatives considered include satellites, small satellites, UAVs and mixed systems. Inflatable technologies that permit higher orbit altitude and solar-powered UAVs with extended on-station times are also evaluated in this study. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site. Data Format Standards for Civilian Remote Sensing Satellites This U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment Background Paper, OTA-BP-ISC-114, was produced in May 1993. It presents the results of a investigation conducted by the OTA into the plethora of formats for remotely sensed Earth data. The report is made available as part of the OTA Online Archive. The full text is accessible online in PDF format (405K). Additionally, the front matter, and main body of the text are available as separate PDF files. Delphion Patent Search Form This site allows you to search for United States patents, European patents and patent applications, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application data from the World Intellectual Property Office, the Patent Abstracts of Japan and INPADOC data. The service can be searched in several different ways, including patent number, US classification and Boolean keyword search. It is possible to view to the bibliographic information of granted US patents free of charge, all other services are payable. You will need to register to use this service, which is free of charge. Dynamics and Control Issues for Future Multistatic Spaceborne Radars This paper was given at the 6th Dynamics and Control of Systems and Structures in Space (DCSSS) conference by Stephen Hobbs. The conference took place in July 2004 at Riomaggiore, Italy. Concepts for future spaceborne radar systems are being developed which rely on the transmitter and receiver(s) being carried on separate spacecraft. The potential advantages include lower cost than current spaceborne radars and improved measurement capability. This paper reviews two currently proposed systems: GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) and a geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar constellation (GeoSAR). GNSS-R uses reflections of signals from GPS (and Galileo when available) to measure the height and state of the ocean surface. The receiver is typically in a low Earth obit (LEO) and provides global coverage. GeoSAR uses a radar receiver in geosynchronous orbit (slightly displaced from geostationary but still with a period of 1 day). The radar sees a fixed region of the Earth and is able to integrate signals over long periods to obtain a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio. If several receiver spacecraft are used simultaneously the time to obtain an image can be reduced in proportion to the number of spacecraft used. The principles of these two systems are described and then requirements applying to the system dynamics and control are derived. For GNSS-R the requirements are relatively easy to achieve (coarse pointing and only basic orbit control). GeoSAR?s requirements are more demanding although the environmental disturbances at geosynchronous orbit height are significantly smaller than in LEO. For GeoSAR the most demanding requirement is the need for centimetre-level orbit measurements to allow aperture synthesis to be implemented. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it. EADS Astrium Astrium is a joint venture between EADS and BAE Systems. The company is involved in earth observation and science, telecommunications, ground systems, and military programmes, launch vehicles and orbital infrastructure. The site provides detailed information about the company's activities and projects that it is involved. The news section provides current and archived press releases, whilst a news feed on the home page provides company news. Earth Observation Satellite Launch Table Provided by a member of staff at the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences in the Netherlands, this table provides the following information on launches for 2002 onwards: date, spacecraft, launcher, country and any remarks, resolution and status. The table also provides links to relevant launch Web sites. Earth Science Enterprise 1999 Applications Factbook The 1999 Earth Science Enterprise Applications Fact Book provides details of eleven applications that NASA are using to monitor and analyse environmental change. The earth science data and technologies discussed include agricultural map sets, a fire potential index, a mine drainage mapping project, a global positioning system (GPS) network, and element/climate tracking and monitoring. Ensuring the Climate Record from the NPP and NPOESS Meterological Satellites This site provides the full text of a report published by the National Academy Press in 2000. The report was produced by the US Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications. It is available in Openbook format, which allows readers to select individual chapters to view or to search the text for a word or phrase. Alternatively, individual pages can be selected for viewing. The report suggests measures and recommendations that can be taken to optimise the climate records obtained from the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP). Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Programme is concerned with developing the potential of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for use in Earth and atmospheric science research and miniaturization of instruments and sensors that can be carried by the aircrafts. There are descriptions of various vehicles used in the programme including Altus, Centurion, D-2, Helios, Pathfinder, Perseus A, Perseus B and Proteus.There are also links to current and past research projects. This web site is the product of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. EOS : Earth Observing System The Earth Observing System (EOS) Program Office is the designated program management office for Earth Science Enterprise flight, ground, and science performed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is responsible for the management and coordination of all projects and mission offices within EOS as well as external coordination and support to NASA's Office of Earth Science (OES) Program Office. The site describes the various EOS projects and missions including Aqua, Aura, ESDIS, ESMO, GLORY, GPM, ICESat, Landsat, LDCM, LPP, Sorce and Terra. It also contains a launch schedule, organisation chart, contact details, links to other EOS related resources and news room. There is also an Earth Science Education section which includes information on Planet Earth, land and vegetation, oceans, glaciers and ice, storms, atmosphere, pollution and forest fires. ESRIN ESRIN is one of the four establishments of the European Space Agency (ESA) and is based in Frascati, Italy. Its main activities are centred on the acquisition, archiving and dissemination of remote sensing data from ESA and non-ESA Earth Observation missions. In particular, it is responsible for operating the ground infrastructure required for the ERS and ENVISAT satellites, and exploits the data obtained by these technologies. ESRIN is also responsible for the development and operation of the Payload Data System (PDS) for ENVISAT, which is due to be launched at the end of the century. It is also developing an Earth remote sensing user information service (Earthnet Online) and a Microgravity Database (MGDB). Estimating Equatorial F-Region Daytime Vertical ExB Drift Velocities from Ground-Based Magnetometer Measurements in the Phillipines Longitude Sector This is the full text of a thesis by Shauna M. Kinkela which was presented to the Air Force Insitute of Technology in 2004. Ionospheric disturbances can severely impact Department of Defense (DoD) systems, such as radar, satellite, and navigation technologies. Forecasting disturbances and describing the Earth’s ionosphere, in turn, relies upon innovative computer-based models that gather input parameters from ground and space-borne observations and empirical models for ionospheric drivers. Equatorial BErr×drift velocities are significant input parameters that go into many ionospheric models, because they help describe vertical plasma motions near the magnetic equator. Previous work by Anderson, et al [2002] has demonstrated the ability to derive Peruvian longitude sector, daytime vertical ExB drifts from ground-based magnetometer data. The present research extends these results to the Philippines using 56 days of magnetometer data from two stations in 2002. For each day of magnetometer data, corresponding Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) 1356Å airglow emission data from the evening equatorial anomaly were used to estimate the average ExB drift velocities [Anderson, private communication, 2003]. These drift values were then compared statistically to the horizontal component of the Philippine magnetometer data for all 56 days. In this process, data were grouped according to F10.7 values. Overall, the best regression relation resulted from the ascending, April 2002 sample of 13 days of data (correlation coefficient of 0.63). Previous research does not conclusively predict how our April 2002 Philippine slope should compare against the corresponding Peruvian result. Specifically, Richmond [1973] predicts the two slopes should be approximately equal. However, Forbes [1981] suggests the Philippine regression slope should be 30 percent smaller than the corresponding Peruvian slope. Our calculated slope difference between the two regression relations is five percent, leaning more toward Richmond’s prediction. However, we must keep in mind that our crest separation versus BErr×relation has a correlation of 0.6, leaving 40 percent of unaccounted variance. Unlike Anderson’s Peruvian results, no data currently exist to permit validation of our regression relation, yet C/NOFS electric field measurements, when available, may help settle the issue. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the thesis is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site. Exploring the Unknown : Selected Documents in the history of the U.S. Civil Space Program, Volume VI : Space and Earth Science This provides access to the text of a NASA Special Publication, NASA SP-4407, edited by John M. Logsdon, with Stephen J. Garber, Roger D. Launius, and Ray A. Williamson, NASA History Series, 2004. This volume covers space history and space policy in four thematic chapters. Essays discuss the solar physics from space, space physics, life sciences in space, and the Earth Observing System. The text is available for viewing online or for downloading from the NASA History Office web site. Extending the Effective Lifetimes of Earth Observing Research Missions This is a report produced by the National Research Council's (NRC) Committee on Extending the Effectiveness Lifetimes of Earth Observing Research Missions, published in 2005. While NASA Earth Science missions are planned on the basis of a specified lifetime, often they are able to function beyond the end of that period. Until recently NASA had no formal mechanism for determining whether those missions should be extended or whether the resources necessary for the extension should be applied to new missions. In August 2004, when NASA merged Earth and space sciences, the agency began using the Science Review process to make those extension determinations. NASA had asked the NRC to assess extension review processes, and after the merger, this study focused on the Science Review process. This report presents an assessment of that process and provides recommendations for adapting it to Earth Science missions. The full text of the report can be read online in open book format, and a summary is available for downloading in PDF format. Global Change Research and NASA's Earth Observing System This background paper was produced by the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-BP-ISC-122, in November 1993. This paper presents the results of a review conducted by the OTA of the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), and specifically NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) of satellites. The paper is made available as part of the OTA Online Archive. The full text is accessible online in PDF format (794K). Alternatively, the front matter, table of contents, individual chapters and appendices are available as separate PDF files. Global Positioning System (GPS) for the Geosciences This full text report documents a summary and the proceedings of a workshop held in 1997 aimed at improving the GPS Reference Station infrastructure for earth, oceanic, and atmospheric science applications. Attended by representatives from all the relevant stakeholding sectors, the workshop discussed current policy and objectives, technological requirements and the future issues facing them. In particular, it focussed on enhancing communication and coordination within the infrastructure giving consideration to the specification and standardization of equipment, testing, documentation, error reduction, real-time data communications, analysis software development, and data management and archiving. Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Library The GSFC provides information services to support research in the areas of earth and space science. The site provides free access to the library's online catalogue to all users, other parts of the site are restricted to Goddard staff. 'Subject channels' for earth sciences, engineering and space sciences point to sources of potential use and can be accessed by all site visitors. The 'Goddard Projects Directory' is a searchable and browseable facility designed to aid identification of materials such as web sites for missions, projects and programmes and information, links and photographs for historical Goddard missions. Goddard Technical Reports Server (GTRS) This database is available to search as part of the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) or on its own from this site. It can be searched in a number of ways including title, author, NASA report number and keyword. Some reports are available in full text as PDF files, others have an abstract. The database covers space sciences, technology and earth sciences. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) The main objective of the Indian space programme is to develop satellites, launch vehicles, remote sensing applications, sounding rockets and supported ground systems in order to improve existing technologies. This site provides details of past and future space missions are outlined, with brief information on ISRO satellites and systems. An overview of the work of the geographically dispersed ISRO research centres is also included, but is primarily descriptive. Issues in the Integration of Research and Operational Satellite Systems for Climate Research : Part 1. Science and Design This site provides the full text of a report published by the National Academy Press in 2000. The report was produced by the US Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications Committee on Earth Sciences. It is available in Openbook format, which allows readers to select individual chapters to view or to search the text for a word or phrase. Alternatively, individual pages can be selected for viewing. The report identifies and addresses issues raised by the integration of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) and NPOESS (National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System). Issues in the Integration of Research and Operational Satellite Systems for Climate Research : Part II. Implementation This full text report has been published by the Space Studies Board of the Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Applications of the US National Research Council. The report considers approaches to increase NASA and NOAA's capabilities for satellite observation in order to meet the requirements of researchers. The report is dated 2000 and is available in HTML format. Landsat 7 Gateway Landsat 7 is a U.S. satellite used to acquire remotely sensed images of the Earth's land surface and surrounding coastal regions. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources. The Project section contains background information relating to the program's history, organization, and funding. There is a data section which describes the searching and ordering of Landsat 7 data. Sample browse data and images are available. There is an extensive documentation and tools section which includes general information about the Landsat Program, as well as scientific guides, processing algorithms, documentation and tools necessary for the practical use of Landsat 7 digital data. The systems engineering section contains technical information related to each Landsat 7 system element. The international ground stations section includes a directory of contact information and world coverage maps for the U.S. and international Landsat ground stations. The site also includes: a news section containing announcements and official press releases, conference and meeting schedules, recent publications; a people and organizations section which has links to all of the organizations involved in the Landsat Project, a section containing educational resources; and a links to related sites section. Marshall Technical Reports Server (MTRS) This service can be searched on its own from this site, or as part of the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS). The service is made up of selected full text and abstracts and citations of NASA reports from the Technical Publications Office. Most of the recent reports are available in full as PDF files, older reports have only citations and abstracts. The service can be searched by keyword, or browsed by date. Multi-Sensor Systems and Data Fusion for Telecommunications, Remote Sensing and Radar This is Research and Technology Organization(RTO) AGARD Conference Proceedings, AGARD-CP-595, dated April 1998. This proceedings was sponsored by the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development. This publication reports the unclassified papers presented at a specialists' meeting held by the Sensor and Propagation Panel at its Fall 1997 meeting. The topics covered included: - Applications of multiple sensors and data fusion - Data fusion techniques and methods - Sensor data networks and management techniques - Validation studies, experiments, technologies. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (70 Mb) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library. NASA : New Millennium Program This is one of a number of NASA programmes which are intended to lead to the develoment of advanced technologies and mission concepts for future incorporation into NASA missions. Amongst the new technologies being explored under the New Millennium Program (NMP) are solar electric (ion) propulsion and spacecraft flying in formation. The programme web site brings together a variety of information resources including descriptions and links to individual NMP missions - Deep Space 1; Deep Space 2; Earth Observing 1; Earth Observing 3; Space Technology 5; Space Technology 6; Space Technology 7 and Space Technology 8. The site also contains descriptive overviews of the technology, the program; the science objectives; an educational outreach area; and news archive. NMP is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA Earth Observatory The Earth Observatory site is intended to provide a repository for satellite imagery and scientific information about planet Earth. The emphasis of the site is on Earth's climate and environmental change. The site provides access to data, images, feature articles and reference papers relating to the atmosphere, oceans, land, life on Earth, and heat and energy. It includes the spectacular blue marble? which is one of the most detailed true-colour images of the entire Earth to date. There are also sections on news headlines, EOS missions, and experiments. NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies : GISS Publications Online This database service can be searched as part of the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) or on its own from this site. The resource contains citations and abstracts of reports produced by Goddard during the past 40 years, although the emphasis within the database is on work done in the 1990s. Some of the papers are available in full as either postscript or PDF files. The database can be searched or browsed by year back to 1974. NASA Langley Research Center This is the home page of the NASA Langley Research Center. Its primary concerns are airframe systems, atmospheric sciences and structures and materials research. The site describes the research that the Center carries out, information on doing business with it, and provides access to LISAR, the Langley Image Scanning Archival and Retrieval system which contains a database of photographs of NASA and NACA research undertaken at Langley. The site also features the Langley Factsheet Server which provides full text details about many of Langley's research programmes, the Langley Technical Report Server (LTRS) for searching and browsing technical reports, some of which are available in full in PDF format, and latest news. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) : Data Services This site provides links NASA EOS data services' resources and help. The ESO programme aims to study the Earth and its environment by observing the atmosphere, oceans, land, ice and snow to understand their influence on climate and weather. Access to the following resources is given - Earth Observing System Data and Information System (ESODIS), EOSDIS Data Gateway, EOS Data Information, the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAAC) and others. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) : Missions This site provides information about the missions that comprise NASA's EOS programme. This aims to study the Earth and its environment by observing the atmosphere, oceans, land, ice and snow to understand their influence on climate and weather. Each mission is listed and a brief description is provided, along with a link to the mission homepage. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Project Science Office The Earth Observing System (EOS) is the centerpiece of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). It consists of a science component and a data system supporting a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. The web site brings together a variety of EOS related information sources. These include a public information and education section; details of the various EOS science programmes; and links to data sets and data sources (EOS Data and Information System - EOSDIS; EOSDIS Data Gateway; Global Change Master Directory; NASA/NOAA Pathfinder Program; Distributed Active Archive Centers). The site also provides access to the EOS Directory, which contains the most up-to-date information available to the EOS Project Science Office. There is also a publications section, which includes the full text of EOS documents including: EOS Reference Handbook; EOS Science Plan; EOS Data Products Handbook; Earth Science Enterprise Fact Book; and Report On The POST-2002 Mission Planning Workshop. NASA's Earth Science Strategic Enterprise NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is dedicated to understanding the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment. The vantage point of space provides information about Earth's land, atmosphere, ice, oceans, and biota that is obtainable in no other way. Programs of the Enterprise study the interactions among these components to advance the new discipline of Earth System Science, with a near-term emphasis on global climate change. National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) provides access to information on a number of subjects including astrophysics, space physics, solar physics, lunar and planetary sciences and earth sciences. Data from NASA space flight missions, models and software are included, as are annual reports, archive plans and the newsletter of the NSSDC. The site also provides information and support relating to data management standards and technologies.Also NSSDC provides online information bases about NASA and non-NASA data as well as the spacecraft and experiments that have or will provide public access data. On the Effectiveness of Cloud Cover Avoidance Methods in Support of the Super-Spectral Mission for Land Applications This technical report (NLR-TP-2002-217) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2002 and was written by T. Algra. The driving application of the Super-spectral Mission for Land Applications (SMLA) is precision farming. With its optical instrument a large amount of small and scattered targets need to be imaged frequently during the growing season. This paper discusses cloud cover avoidance methods to improve end-to-end system efficiency while maintaining the effective revisit time performance. With the concept of selective imaging only selected parts of the data recorded during the track over the Area Of Interest (AOI) are stored in the on-board memory. This selection can be made based on for example meteorological satellite cloud maps acquired just prior to the pass over the AOI. The purpose is to acquire data with a higher degree of usability. Cloud editing is an on-board process of cloud detection and subsequent discarding data representing cloud cover. Also in this case it is possible to downlink more usable image data. The effectiveness of the methods has been assessed by simulations using a high-resolution cloud database. It can be concluded that in both cases the amount of usable data can be almost doubled at the cost of a slight increase of effective revisit time. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file. Our Earth As Art Maintained by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics, this site brings together a gallery of images taken by the Landsat-7 satellite and more recently, the Terra Satellite's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). Images can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on a map of the Earth's continents, and there is also an index of images arranged in alphabetical order. Please note that High-resolution JPEGs of the Earth As Art I and II collections are available from the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) image gallery. Radar Polarimetry and Interferometry This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Educational Note, RTO-EN-SET-081, Paris, February 2005. The material in this publication was assembled to support a Lecture Series under the sponsorship of the Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel (SET) presented on 14-15 October 2004 in Brussels, Belgium; 18-19 October 2004 in Washington, DC, USA; and 21-22 October 2004 in Ottawa, Canada. The aim of this Lecture Series was to provide a substantial and balanced introduction to the basic theory, scattering concepts, systems and applications typical to polarimetric and interferometric radar reconnaissance and surveillance and to introduce the cutting-edge technologies, new ideas and methodologies. The topics covered included the following: basics, advanced concepts and applications of both radar polarimetry and SAR interferometry and the combination of both techniques as well with respect to cross track and along track, single and dual pass configurations; the interconnection between interferometry measurement errors and SAR system accuracy with respect to both platform flight path geometry and attitude, and principal radar system accuracies; polarimetric SAR processing and image analysis and the most important decomposition theorems; polarimetric interferometry and differential interferometry and the respective SAR image analysis, processing principles and calibration problems; and applications especially with respect to Digital Elevation Models and target classification; realised and future airborne and spaceborne systems as Examples (E-SAR, SIR-C/X-SAR, SRTM, ERS-1/2, RadarSAT, ENVISAT/ASAR, CARTWHEEL) together with a concluding outlook in the future development airborne and space borne polarimetric SAR with interferometry capability. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, individual papers and the full text of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library. Real-Time Cloud Sensing for Efficiency Improvement of Optical High-Resolution Satellite Remote Sensing This technical report (NLR-TP-2003-228) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2003 and was written by T. Algra. Cloud sensing provides the ability to point the optical axis of the satellite remote sensing instrument to cloud-free areas on the basis of previously acquired cloud cover information. In this way the effective imaging capacity of the mission can be improved. The cloud cover information may be acquired in real-time for optimal performance. This paper explores a number of real-time cloud sensing concepts. The performance of the different options is assessed by analysis and simulation. It is concluded that the imaging capacity of a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite can be improved by up to 100%. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file. Redundant Discrete Wavelet Transform Based Super-Resolution Using Sub-Pixel Image Registration This is the full text of a thesis by Daniel L. Ward which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2003. The limited resolution of video imagery taken by aircraft, over geographical areas of interest, hinders the accurate extraction of useful information. The frame resolution of the video is determined by the camera that created it. Information exists about the camera which can be used to increase frame resolution beyond the resolution capability of the camera. This is achieved by a process called super-resolution, which uses multiple low-resolution video frames to create one high-resolution image. Paramount to this super-resolution process is the alignment of the low resolution frames. Frame alignment is achieved by image registration. Many good image registration algorithms utilize a wavelet domain analysis of the images. It is theorized that an accurate super-resolution algorithm can be created that also utilizes wavelet domain analysis. By achieving both image registration and super-resolution in the wavelet domain, a more computationally efficient overall system may be developed. This thesis explores the possibility of wavelet-based super-resolution. An algorithm is developed that restores resolution lost by the CCD array of the camera. Two low-resolution frames, registered at a specific shift from one another, are used to create one high-resolution image. The algorithm is compared to other traditional interpolation techniques, and different wavelets systems are applied to determine which one works best. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the thesis is avialable in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site. Remote Sensing Systems Optimization For Geobase Enhancement This is the full text of a thesis by Steve J. Paylor which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2003. Abstract: The U.S. Air Force is in the process of implementing GeoBase, a geographic information system (GIS), throughout its worldwide installations. Air Force GIS needs can be augmented by imagery from aerial and satellite platforms. Imagery has greatly improved over the past several years and provides high resolution coverage of features on earth. Various imagery types will significantly increase GeoBase usefulness in a range of mission requirements. Potential Air Force uses of imagery include identifying heat loss, environmental monitoring, command decision-making, and emergency response. The research develops a decision tool to determine the appropriate imagery for a given Air Force Application. Current literature identified proven imagery applications. Literature review and a 2002 Air Force Geo-Integration Office (AF/GIO) survey were used to develop a comprehensive imagery applications list that satisfies Air Force mission requirements. An imagery decision matrix was crafted that allows a user to select an application and see imagery that fulfills the requirements for the task. An imagery system key provides further details of each imagery type. The matrix was tested at three Air Force bases. Increased awareness of the possibilities of an imagery-enriched GeoBase, and the efficiency afforded by the matrix, greatly reduces the time to identify and implement imagery. Available imagery was identified for the three Air Force bases at the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) through a government contract at no additional cost. Current IKONOS imagery of Elmendorf Air Force base was obtained for analysis and implementation into GeoBase. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the thesis is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site. Remote Sensing: A Valuable Source of Information This is Research and Technology Organization(RTO) AGARD Conference Proceedings, AGARD-CP-582, dated October 1996. This proceedings was sponsored by the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development. Remote sensing, either from satellites, airplanes, or remotely piloted vehicles (RPV's) can be used to obtain information from virtually all areas in the world. A wealth of information is relatively easily (and relatively cheaply) available from sens or systems in civil satellites, but this availability could decrease during times of increasing political tension. Cooperative programs must be encouraged to extract the required military information from unclassified civil sources. This symposium provides a platform for discussion between civil institutes, active in the area of remote sensing equipment, data handling, and processing on the one hand, and those who are involved in military applications on the other hand. The topics covered include: sensor systems; platforms; propagation effects; signal processing; military aspects; special civil applications; special techniques; and future developments. For individual titles, see N97-13781 through N97-13827. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (136 Mb) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library. Results with CLIMAS, a Simulation Tool for Cloud Avoidance Scheduling in Optical Remote Sensing Missions This technical report (NLR-TP-2004-086) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2004 and was written by T. Algra, A. van der Kamp and M. van Persie. Cloud cover is a severe problem in optical satellite remote sensing. Depending on the local climate, often a significant part of the recorded images is not acceptable due to cloud contamination. This has a negative impact on the effective imaging capacity of the satellite observation system, i.e. the total surface area successfully imaged per unit of time. Therefore different Cloud Avoidance Scheduling methods have been or will be implemented in a number of missions. Potentially the highest efficiency can be obtained if the pointing ability of the optical axis, if available, is used to actively select cloud-free areas. The necessary cloud information can be derived from numerical weather models (usually half a day or more in advance), from meteorological satellites (one or more hours in advance), or from a dedicated on-board cloud sensor. Depending on the local cloud statistics, the accuracy of the cloud cover prediction, the pointing capabilities of the instrument, and the performance of the tasking algorithm, it is possible to improve the effective imaging capacity by up to 100%. The National Aerospace Laboratory NLR develops a simulator called CLIMAS (Cloud Impact and Avoidance Simulator) to support research and development activities in this field. CLIMAS uses a global cloud cover database derived from real satellite data with high spatial and temporal resolution. Various types of missions can be simulated, including constellations, with and without cloud avoidance scheduling. Simulation results are presented of a mission dedicated to the monitoring of gas pipeline networks in Europe. This mission involves a constellation of four high-resolution optical satellites with cross-track and along-track pointing ability. It is shown that cloud avoidance scheduling significantly improves the effective monitoring frequency. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file. Review of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Research Strategy for 2000-2010 This is the full text of a report produced by the Committee to Review NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) ESE (Earth Science Enterprise) science plan. The report assesses the primary science issues, detailed science questions and NASA's responsibility for answering these questions. The report is published by the National Academy Press. Satellite Observations of the Earth's Environment: Accelerating the Transition of Research to Operations This is a report prepared by the National Research Council's Committee on NASA-NOAA Transition from Research to Operations, Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 2003. Realising the benefits from investments in remote sensing satellites requires rapid, efficient transition of satellite measurement and modeling capabilities developed by the research community to the observation and prediction systems of the operational community. One such transition takes place between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This report examines the NASA-NOAA research-to-operations transition process and provides recommendations for improvements that will lead to more rapid and efficient interagency transitions. Bibliographic and abstract information is available in HTML format, access to the full text is provided online in Open Book format with printable PDF files, and an abridged reports version is also available in PDF format. Selected Current Aerospace Notices Provided by NASA, this service is an electronic current awareness journal which is published twice a month. The aim of the service is to alert users to recently published report and journal literature about aeronautics and aerospace research. It is divided into broad topic areas (aeronautics, astronautics, chemistry and materials, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, physics, social sciences and space sciences) which are further subdivided into 191 specific subject topics to aid browsing and identification of relevant publications. The service is also searchable. Space Research Institute (IKI) As one of the organisations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) is concerned with the space exploration and the investigation of solar system planets. It is primarily involved in planning long-term space research programs, many of which forward international space research cooperation. The site includes details of current and future missions and details of the following programmes: high energy astrophysics, planetary exploration, space plasma physics, and the environment monitoring information system. There is a data archive and some full-text reports are available for downloading. Space Studies Board The Space Studies Board (SSB) is a program office within the Commission of Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications of the National Research Council, which is in turn the operational arm of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The SSB operates a number of standing committees, task groups, and workshops that perform studies in space science and policy for the federal government. Information resources available from the site include the latest operating plan, links to the various standing committees, details of ongoing and recently completed projects, a bibliography of reports (some of these are in full-text) and access to the Space Studies Bulletin (quarterly newsletter). Space-Based Observation Technology This site provides access to a Research and Technology Organisation (NATO) Meeting Proceedings, RTO-MP-061. This contains papers presented at the RTO Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel (SET) Symposium held on the Island of Samos, Greece, 16-18 October 2000. The symposium summarises aspects of spaceborne radar, including the required technology as well as special features, signal and data processing, optronics instrumentation and detector technology. Various existing or planned observation satellite projects are described. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (57 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library. Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar : Current Status and Future Directions This is the full text of a NASA report prepared for the National Research Council's Committee on Earth Sciences. The report number is NASA Technical Memorandum 4679 and it was published in April 1995. The report looks to the future of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and outlines potential new applications. The report recommends that NASA takes a world wide lead in the area and gives specific near-term steps. The report is available in HTML format. STAR : Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports This site provides access to cumulative listings of NASA reports which are published biweekly as an electronic journal in PDF format. The journal announces the following types of document - NASA, NASA Contractor and NASA grantee reports, reports issued by other US Governmental agencies, domestic and foreign institutions, translations in report form, NASA-owned patents and patent applications, other US Government agency patents and domestic and foreign dissertations and theses. Documents can be located by an author and a subject index and cover the following subject areas - aeronautics, space, energy development, conservation, oceanography, and environmental protection. It is available back to January 1996 Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) is a research and development company which produces small satellite products up to 500 kg and various associated services; including mission analysis, design, production, launch and in-orbit operations. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources. A company information section provides background, financial and contact information, as well as information on career opportunities. A missions section provides descriptions of the various missions and subsystems completed by SSTL. The site also descrobes the company's product range including: nanosatellites, microsatellites, minisatellites, as well as sub-systems for attutide determination and control, uplinks and downlinks, power, propulsion, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, and imagers. The products section also describes mission scenarios such digital communications from Low Earth Orbit, remote sensing and deep space exploratiomn. There is also a news section which provides access to press releases and the Surrey Space newsletter. Techniques used by ERCD for the Measurement and Analysis of Aircraft Noise and Radar Data This is a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Environmental Research and Consultancy Department (ERCD) report ERCD Report 0406, Prepared by S. White, January 2005. The ERCD provides a range of research and advisory services in the field of aviation and the environment. This report describes the equipment and techniques used by ERCD for the measurement and analysis of noise and radar data for that purpose. This report supersedes CAA report CAP 544 "Noise Measurement Equipment and Techniques" used by the Directorate of Operational Research and Analysis. The text of the report is available in PDF format (1.9 Mb) from the CAA's publications web site. Terra (EOS AM-1) This NASA web site is devoted to the space science aspects of Terra, the primary satellite in the Earth Observing System (EOS). Launched on December 18, 1999, the satellite began operations in February 2000. The web site provides access to a range of information resources. The "About Terra" section describes the Terra spacecraft, as well as the various instrument packages including: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER); Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES); Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR); Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and, Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT). These sections include Quicktime animation clips. Other parts of the site explain how data from Terra can be accessed and there is a link to NASA's Visible Earth a searchable collection of images, visualisations, and animations. The site also provides a link to NASA's Earth Observatory, which provides satellite imagery and scientific information about planet Earth. Other sections of the the site provide access to publications and details of fortcoming events. The Changing Earth : New Scientific Challenges for ESA's Living Planet Programme This is the full text of ESA SP-1304, published in July 2006. It sets out the major challenges for our understanding of the Earth system, and in particular those areas where satellite data will make a major contribution. It provides the scientific direction for the future progress of the ESA Living Planet Programme. The Future of Remote Sensing From Space : Civilian Satellite Systems and Applications This report was produced by the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-ISC-558, in July 1993. It is the first in a series of investigations which provide a broad assessment of Earth observation systems. The study examines the development of US and other civilian remote sensing systems. It explores the military and intelligence use of data gathered by civilian satellites. The study also presents a review of the outlook for privately funded and operated remote sensing systems. The report is made available as part of the OTA Online Archive. The full text is accessible online in PDF format (4389K). Alternatively, the front matter, table of contents, individual chapters, and appendices are available as separate PDF files. The Role of Small Satellites in NASA and NOAA Earth Observation Programs This is the full text of a report published by the National Academy Press in 2000. The report is produced by the Committee on Earth Studies, Space Studies Board, National Research Council. It is possible to search the text of the report, or alternatively view a listing of sections and select which one to view. The report is available in HTML format. Verification Technologies : Cooperative Aerial Surveillance in International Agreements This web site provides access to a report produced by the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-ISC-480, July 1991. This report presents the findings of a study conducted by the OTA on the potential and limitations of cooperative aerial surveillance as a means of supporting and verifying compliance with a range of international agreements. It examines the types of aircraft and sensors required. It also contains a quantitative analysis of one possible application of cooperative overflights: the monitoring of possible arms control violations. The report is made available as part of the OTA Online Archive, hosted by Princeton University. The full text is accessible online in PDF format (5649K). Alternatively, the front matter, table of contents, individual chapters, and appendices are available as separate PDF files. Visible Earth This site from NASA provides a maintained, central point of access to a searchable directory of images, visualisations and animations of the Earth. It can also be browsed by subject, satellite or sensor, and location. The images can be used freely if credit is given to NASA and are available in several different formats. |
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