2005

December 13, 2005

Major fire near London

The satellite images show the huge cloud of smoke that drifted over the British capital on Sunday after a fire at a fuel depot north of London. The rising smoke cones and the cloud of smoke dispersed by the airflow can be clearly recognised. The two images were taken by the MODIS sensor on the two American earth observation satellites Terra and Aqua, which orbit the earth at an altitude of around 700 kilometres. The images were recorded on 11 December 2005 at 11:50 and 13:30 GMT respectively by the DFD ground station in Oberpfaffenhofen.

October 13, 2005

DLR supports humanitarian aid operations in the earthquake zone in Pakistan with satellite images

The Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is supporting the rescue work following the severe earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan, by providing satellite image maps. The first maps were produced on October 11. They are based on very high-resolution satellite image data that reveals details in the order of up to one meter.

September 16, 2005

Mountains from space

The advantages of remote sensing in obtaining spatial geoinformation about the Earth's ecosystems and processes are undisputed. Satellite data is used in research and applications to solve complex problems and operational tasks. In addition to their practical benefits, images from space continue to have a special fascination and appeal. As part of a new book project, scientists from the German Remote Sensing Data Center of the DLR have compiled a unique collection of images of the Earth's mountain landscapes, including the most famous mountains, together with the renowned Munich-based Frederking & Thaler publishing house. From the perspective of satellites, the viewer experiences familiar views in a completely new way and is captivated by their aesthetics. The book entitled "Mountains from Space" will be published in bookshops in September 2005.

September 5, 2005

7-tonne table delivered for new calibration laboratory

A new laboratory for the calibration of imaging spectrometers is currently being built in the Applied Remote Sensing Cluster - financed by the ESA. On 17 August 2005, the centrepiece was delivered with a large mobile crane: a 7-tonne granite table for vibration-free measurements. The measuring equipment will be mounted on it by the end of the year. The CHB (Calibration Home Base) should then be ready for use from the beginning of 2006.

September 1, 2005

DLR infrared sensor on the Zugspitze to help detect climate changes at an early stage

The German Remote Sensing Data Centre (DFD) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), together with the University of Wuppertal, has developed a new spectrometer to help provide early information on climate change. At the Schneefernerhaus environmental research station on the Zugspitze, the so-called GRIPS 3 infrared spectrometer is used to take spot temperature measurements in the mesopause, a region 87 kilometres above sea level. The results are compared with corresponding satellite data. The aim is to validate the satellites in such a way that global temperature changes in the mesopause can be recognised at an early stage in future.

August 10, 2005

Lifeline Nile

As a green ribbon, the Nile and its lush green banks defy the surrounding desert before flowing into a huge river delta in the Mediterranean. A dense network of settlements and transport systems intersperses the arable land. Cairo - one of the largest metropolitan regions in the world with over 17 million inhabitants - can be clearly recognised at the mouth of the delta. In the peripheral areas of the delta - but also in the middle of the desert at the bottom left of the picture - regular dot-shaped structures are noticeable. These are artificially irrigated fields. Even the border between Egypt and Israel can be seen in this satellite image, which was recorded by the MODIS sensor on the TERRA satellite from an altitude of 700 kilometres.

July 8, 2005

HyMap campaign HyEurope2005 successfully completed

Following on from 2003 and 2004, a hyperspectral mapping campaign was again carried out in Europe this year in co-operation with HyVista Corp. The publicly advertised campaign was again very well received by the various user groups. Over the past 7 weeks, the Australian sensor has recorded over 60 hyperspectral data sets in a total of 19 test areas in 7 countries. The data from HyEurope2005 will also be used to test the automatic pre-processing of DLR's future ARES sensor.

June 24, 2005

Large-scale artificial fire on DLR site provides information on the possibilities of remote measurement of fire emissions

Every year, thousands of large fires ignite around the world. Their gas emissions, especially CO2, have a significant impact on the global climate. If these emissions could be quantified globally by satellite-based measuring systems, this would undoubtedly make climate researchers' models more accurate and reliable. However, scientists at the Institute of Remote Sensing Technology recently attempted to find out whether it is even possible to quantitatively analyse such complex phenomena as large fires using remote measurements by flying over a large artificial fire.

June 07, 2005

Flooding in Romania: ZKI maps disaster area

Heavy rain in April and May 2005 caused the worst floods since 50 years in Romania, affecting thousands of people and destroying hundreds of houses. The Romanian government responded on 19 May by launching an appeal for European civil protection assistance, triggering a rapid response from the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) of the European Commission. As a result 11 EU Member States offered their assistance. In this context the MIC triggered the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' to provide a synoptical overview of the affected areas.

May 4, 2005

10 years Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on ERS-2 Data reception by DLR and NASA ground stations in the Antarctic

The DLR Antarctic station in O'Higgins has been receiving data from GOME in campaign mode since 2003. Since 25 April 2005, data from the European environmental satellite ERS-2 has also been received in the Antarctic using a NASA receiving antenna at the American McMurdo station.

April 11, 2005

The "Virtual Laboratory" at the Hanover Fair 2005

From 11 to 15 April 2005, the Applied Remote Sensing Cluster will be presenting the "Virtual Laboratory" at the Hanover Trade Fair. The "Virtual Laboratory" ensures the reuse and further utilisation of scientific software. The technology has been developed in recent years at the DLR Institute of Remote Sensing Technology (IMF) together with the DLR Technology Marketing Department. In addition to the "Virtual Laboratory", DLR Technology Marketing will be showcasing other market-ready technologies at the joint VDI stand in Hall 2, Stand D36.

February 18, 2005

The long-term series on sea surface temperatures in Europe are now also available in the WDC

Since 1993, DFD has regularly produced maps of sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean and Atlantic based on AVHRR data from NOAA satellites. Such long-term series allow climate-relevant trends to be analysed, which are also reflected in changes in sea surface temperature (SST). To further support studies in this regard, the SST data products are now also available in the WDC in addition to the traditional EOWEB access.

High-tech for animal welfare - DLR wildlife rescuers save 6000 fawns from death by mowing in Austria

January 21, 2005

High-tech for animal welfare - DLR wildlife rescuers save 6000 fawns from death by mowing in Austria

The Applied Remote Sensing Cluster will also be represented at the premiere of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) at the International Green Week from 21 to 30 January 2005 in Berlin. The special show "The new agriculture - innovative and attractive" organised by the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture is dedicated to high technologies from space travel that are used in agriculture and forestry. Among other things, DLR will be presenting the infrared game rescuer. The picture on the left shows the thermal image of a fawn.