Spectral Reflectance Newsletter #85
Spectral Reflectance Newsletter #85
Weekly newsletter on Earth Observation
Level-2 News
EarthCARE’s multispectral imager puts clouds into context [link]
"Launched less than two months ago, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has already returned images from two of its four instruments. Now, it has also delivered the first images from its multispectral imager, showcasing various types of clouds and cloud temperatures worldwide. This instrument is set to add valuable context to the data from EarthCARE’s other instruments."
EO Satellites to Triple Over the Next Decade: Novaspace Report [link]
"The global Earth Observation (EO) satellite market will undergo substantial growth over the coming decade, with the number of EO satellites in orbit expected to almost triple as the manufacturing market grows by 40% and the value of the launch market increases by 55%.
The latest Earth Observation Satellite Systems report from Novaspace, a merger between Euroconsult Groupand SpaceTec Partners, the leading space consulting and market intelligence firm, predicts 5,401 EO satellites will be launched between 2024 and 2033. This is up from 1,864 launched over the previous decade and marking a 190% increase."
Italian Environment Ministry and e-GEOS to Build Climate Response Centre in Vietnam [link]
"The Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE), in the context of its international cooperation work, has co-financed the construction of a climate emergency response centre in Vietnam, which will be implemented by e-GEOS (ASI 20%, Telespazio 80%) with local industrial partners, under the coordination of the National Remote Sensing Department (NRDC) of the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). The total value of the project is 3.5 million, financed with a three million euro contribution from Italy and the rest from within Vietnam."
AAC Clyde Space Partners With Scotland on Earth Observation Constellation [link]
"AAC Clyde Space signed an agreement with the Scottish government to offer Earth observation data through the planned Cyclops satellite constellation. This is AAC Clyde Space’s first customer for the planned four-satellite constellation.
The agreement will focus on analysis and automating and integrating image data from the Scottish Forestry’s Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and operations. The satellites data will focus on tree health to identify trees affected by pests and disease."
OroraTech to Use Satellite Tech to Help Greek Wildfire Response [link]
"OroraTech, the German satellite data company, will now play a key role in helping emergency services and the government in Greece as they fight wildfires, a major problem in Greece. It has won a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to support the Greek National Satellites Space Program led by the Hellenic Space Center. OroraTech announced the contract win, July 2."
Perceptive Space raises $2.8 million for space weather platform [link]
"Space weather startup Perceptive Space raised $2.8 million in a pre-seed investment round announced Aug. 6.
The company promises “space weather predictions that are more accurate and have better lead times than what NOAA and other government agencies provide today.”"
Planet Signs Seven-Figure Pilot Program With International MoD Customer [link]
"Planet Labs has signed a new seven-figure pilot program with an international ministry of defense (MoD) customer for PlanetScope data enhanced with SynMax artificial intelligence. Planet announced the deal with the unnamed customer on July 15.
Planet and SynMax are providing a maritime domain awareness solution for vessel detection and monitoring. The customer also expanded its SkySat contact with Planet for high resolution satellite data."
Umbra Begins Selling SAR Satellites to Customers [link]
"Satellite data provider Umbra is expanding its business from selling imagery collected by its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, to selling the satellites to customers. Umbra announced its new Mission Solutions line
The company said it is now offering governments and large multinational corporations the ability to purchase their own satellites, individual components (including the bus, payload, and antenna), full constellations, and custom and advanced mission capabilities. Umbra is vertically integrated. "
Maxar Intelligence unveils first images from next-generation WorldView Legion satellites [link]
"Maxar Intelligence, a provider of geospatial intelligence and Earth observation services, on July 18 released the first images from its WorldView Legion satellites. The inaugural pair of these advanced Earth observation satellites were launched on May 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California."
Maxar upgrades satellite imagery basemaps [link]
"Maxar Intelligence’s new global basemap offers 15-centimeter imagery for metropolitan areas."
e-GEOS leading the European project of Detecting & Measuring Ground Movements from Space [link]
"e-GEOS won the contract to lead the international consortium “ORIGINAL” (OpeRatIonal Ground motion INsar Alliance), awarded by the European Environment Agency (EEA) for the 2024-2028 end-to-end implementation and operation of the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS), ensuring the continuous supply of reliable, high quality data.
The European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) is a framework agreement of the European Environment Agency (EEA), established under the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) to detect and measure ground movements across Europe with millimetre precision."
GHGSat Methane Data to Be Available in NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Program [link]
"Methane-tracking satellite operator GHGSat has completed an evaluation process to join NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition program (CSDA). This will make GHGSat’s methane emissions data available for scientific research and non-commercial applications development through an IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) contract.
The CSDA program allows NASA to flexibly acquire data from commercial providers for its Earth science research and application activities. NASA requires end user license agreements for the data. "
GHGSat Orders 2 More Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Satellites from Space Flight Laboratory [link]
"GHGSat has contracted Space Flight Laboratory to build two additional greenhouse gas monitoring satellites for the company’s constellation."
Developer's Orbit
Jupyter for Modern Geospatial Data Science [link]
Follow this article to learn more about the current state of geospatila workflow with Jupyter.
Data
Lightning Imager’s data debut in time for storm season [link]
"Weather forecasters around Europe and beyond began receiving pre-operational data from Europe’s first satellite-borne lightning imager today, just in time for the summer storm season."
Snapshots
Global weather April - June 2024
This visualisation gives a glimpse into how the major weather events across the planet looked from space.
Major storms are labelled from light yellow to red depending on their intensity.
This visualisation displays infrared cloud imagery from the geostationary satellites of EUMETSAT, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The cloud imagery is superimposed over NASA's 'Blue Marble Next Generation' ground maps and changes with the seasons.
Watch Carbon Dioxide Move Through Earth’s Atmosphere [link]
"This global map shows concentrations of carbon dioxide as the gas moved through Earth’s atmosphere from January through March 2020, driven by wind patterns and atmospheric circulation."
Earth from Space: Madeira [link]
"Lying off the northwest coast of Africa, the archipelago is an autonomous region of Portugal and comprises two inhabited islands, Madeira, the largest, and Porto Santo (top right), and two uninhabited groups, the Desertas (partially visible at the bottom) and the Selvagens (not pictured).
The islands of Madeira are volcanic in origin: they are the tops of mountains that rise from the ocean floor deep below. The Portuguese explorers named them Madeira, which is Portuguese for wood, inspired by the dense forests that covered the islands when they arrived. "
Interesting reads
NASA Data Shows July 22 Was Earth’s Hottest Day on Record [link]
"July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record, according to a NASA analysis of global daily temperature data. July 21 and 23 of this year also exceeded the previous daily record, set in July 2023. These record-breaking temperatures are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases."
El Niño Exits [link]
"After heating up the eastern Pacific Ocean for about a year, El Niño finally died out in May 2024. The natural climate phenomenom contributed to many months of record-high ocean temperatures, precipitation extremes in Africa, low ice cover on the Great Lakes, and severe drought in the Amazon and Central America. As of July 2024, the eastern Pacific was in a neutral phase, but the reprieve may be short-lived."
NASA-Funded Studies Explain How Climate Is Changing Earth’s Rotation [link]
"Researchers used more than 120 years of data to decipher how melting ice, dwindling groundwater, and rising seas are nudging the planet’s spin axis and lengthening days."
Building a Resilient Future: Tackling Floods, Droughts, and Water Scarcity in Pakistan [link]
Read this article to learn how EO data services support sustainable water resource management, contribute to assessing the impact on water supply infrastructure, help to improve the understanding of sediment dynamics and enable prediction of river disharge in the Balochistan province in Pakistan.
On the trail of Sahara dust with "AirTrack" [link]
"From June 24 to 30, 2024, EOC measuring instruments detected dust from the Sahara. Such clouds of Sahara dust are not unusual in Germany, but the intensity and duration of this particular event was indeed noteworthy.
Concentrations of tiny dust particles and a few other parameters can be recorded with the so-called "AirTrack" system. This low-cost sensor system is currently being set up at EOC and will in the future make air quality measurements at various locations in Europe. With this inexpensive system comprehensive, large-coverage and continuous real time data collection can take place. Such measurements make it possible to improve air quality models and verify satellite measurements."
Landsat is vital to American agriculture, forests [link]
"A recent national report finds Landsat satellites to be a vital source of data to support U.S. agriculture and forest activities in the United States. The 2023 Earth Observation Assessment (EOA) Report-Agriculture & Forestry also supports the continuation of the Landsat Satellite Program as essential to Americans in terms of the value and benefits Landsat delivers every year."
Detecting nitrogen dioxide from power plants with Sentinel-2 [link]
"Atmospheric nitrogen dioxide is a harmful pollutant with significant impacts on air quality, climate and the biosphere. Although satellites have mapped nitrogen dioxide concentrations since the 1990s, their resolution was generally too coarse to pinpoint individual sources like power plants.
In a recent study, researchers used imagery from Copernicus Sentinel-2 to observe nitrogen dioxide plumes from power plants for the first time – marking a significant advancement in air pollution monitoring."
Call for Sessions
Living Planet Symposium - Call for peer-reviewed sessions is open! [link]
LPS invites you to submit abstracts in response to the proposed sessions. All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee, with final decisions made by the session convenors.
Deadline: 23 August 2024
LinkedIn Highlights
Lessons Learned on My 9th Year at Umbra [link]
Read this LinkedIn post by Gabe Dominocielo, co-founder of Umbra, about the lessons they’ve discovered over his 9 years at Umbra.
Contests
“Earth at Risk” Image Contest – 3rd Edition [link]
"The IEEE GRSS Young Professionals and REACT Technical Committee (Remote sensing Environment, Analysis and Climate Technologies) are pleased to announce the image contest “Earth at Risk” organized in conjunction with the mini-projects for sustainable development goals competition.
This contest aims to raise awareness of nature and climate crises and to demonstrate the power of Earth Observation (EO) data in helping us better understand the environmental changes on Earth and find solutions to protect our planet."
Deadline: September 10, 2024
Learning
TERN Webinar - Australia’s role in Calibrating & Validating Earth Observations from ground sites