2008

December 10, 2008

Ship accident in Antarctica: MV Ushuaia runs aground - Situation on December 6th and 7th, 2008

On December 4, 2008, the Antarctic cruise vessel MV Ushuaia grounded at the entrance of Wilhelmina Bay near Cape Anna in the NW Antarctic Peninsula. The 82 passengers which were on board were transferred to Chilean Naval Vessel Achilles next day using a Zodiac landing craft from the MV Ushuaia and from another Anarctic tourist vessel. The crew of the Ushuaia remained on board. Two diesel tanks were damaged and spilled marine gasoil into the sea. The size of the spill was initially estimated with 50 x 300 meters.

November 12, 2008

GOME-2 detects eruption of remote Ethiopian volcano

On 4th November 2008 the atmospheric sensor GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment) detected a big SO2-plume over Yemen with sulphur dioxide amounts of more than 40 DU. So far no observation from ground nor any eye-witness have reported on the eruption.

November 11, 2008

DLR-Webcast: Decision Support System - Animation

On 11 November 2008, almost four years after the devastating tsunami catastrophe, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia inaugurated the InaTEWS tsunami early warning system (Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System) in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Germany has made a significant contribution to this system.

November 11, 2008

DLR and Kayser-Threde conclude a contract about the German Remote Sensing Satellite EnMap

On November 11th 2008 the German Aerospace Center DLR and Kayser-Threde GmbH signed a contract on the development and operation of the German Earth observation Satellite EnMap (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Programme). EnMap is equipped with hyperspectral sensors, recording solar radiation reflected from the Earths surface in the spectral range from the visible to the short-wave infrared in more than 200 spectral bands. The resulting data will be used to derive precise information about the state and changes of the surface of the Earth. The mission will be launched in 2012, the scheduled operation time is five years.

November 11, 2008

DLR technology and expertise for a tsunami early warning system in Indonesia

The propagation times of tsunamis in Indonesia are very short due to the geological conditions in the region. This means that a tsunami early warning is only useful when it is generated quickly and automatically. DLR's Decision Support System (DSS) will help to make this possible. Quick and effective evacuation of people out of the affected coastal areas before catastrophe strikes is equally important. DLR therefore also performed a risk assessment, investigating the possible consequences of a tsunami impact on the coast.

November 11, 2008

Appropriate decision making – Thorsten Riedlinger about the Tsunami decision support system

In future, the tsunami early warning system will warn people of an approaching giant wave. In the webcast, Torsten Riedlinger, project coordinator at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), describes how the early warning system works and how the data from sensors on land and at sea provide a reliable picture of the situation. The Decision Support System (DSS) was developed by the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) at DLR.

October 14, 2008

October 19, 2008 "A day like flying" - Open Day at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen

On October 19, 2008, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Oberpfaffenhofen will once again open its doors to interested visitors. From 10:00 to 17:00, visitors can tour the eight institutes and facilities on the DLR site.

September 28, 2008

"Earth Engineering" expert group learns about DFD's work in the Schneefernerhaus

An international group of renowned scientists, including Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen, visited the Schneefernerhaus Environmental Research Station (UFS) on the Zugspitze on September 26, 2008 as part of their deliberations on "Earth System Engineering - The art of dealing wisely with the Planet Earth".

September 17, 2008

Dipl. Math. Sabine Wüst was granted WMO-Award

The “WMO Professor Mariolopoulos Trust Fund Award” was granted to Sabine Wüst last Saturday, 13th September 2008, for her article “Non-linear resonant wave-wave interaction (triad): Case studies based on rocket data and first application to satellite data” published together with Michael Bittner in 2006 in the „Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics“.

September 12, 2008

Atlantic tropical cyclones: ZKI maps flooding in Haiti

Between mid of August and September 8, 2008, the hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hannah and Ike hit Haiti, leaving behind a path of destruction. More than 500 people died and many more are still missing. Strong rain intensity as a consequence of the hurricanes led to large inundations in the poorest country of America.

September 7, 2008

IKONOS Ground Station supported GeoEye-1 Satellite launch

From Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the GeoEye-1 Satellite was launched successfully on 6-SEP-2008. In cooperation with European Space Imaging and GeoEye the DFD Ground Station at Oberpfaffenhofen recorded the tracking data of the first orbits. The 40 cm images will be available after commission phase is completed by end of October 2008.

August 30, 2008

Embankment breach: ZKI maps flooding in India/Nepal

On August 18, 2008, the Koshi River breached an embankment, causing flooding in the Sunsari district as well as further South in the Supaul district of Bihar, which is situated 7 kilometres downstream in India. It also inundated the districts of Madhepura, Araria, Purnea and Saharsa.

July 3, 2008

Preparation for the installation of a Tsunami Early Warning System in Indonesia

In four month - on November 11 - the German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System will be officially inaugurated in Jakarta. Therefore DLR conducted a workshop with Indonesian partners to prepare for the deployment and installation of the newly developed Tsunami Decision Support System (DSS). The workshop took place at the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) in Oberpfaffenhofen for elaborating and fine-tuning the last system details and organizational issues.

June 30, 2008

Workshop on Risk Modelling and Vulnerability Assessment in Bandung

The joint Indonesian-German working group met 30th June - 4th July 2008 to present and discuss results and products from risk assessment relevant for disaster management and early warning.The risk assessment products deliver specific information reflecting the different phases within the disaster management cycle. During the workshop it was recognized that the presented risk assessment products deliver an important source of information, contributing to disaster management needs at the national and local level.

May 08, 2008

Tropical Cyclone Nargis: ZKI maps flooding in Myanmar

On May 2, 2008, tropical cyclone 'Nargis' swept over Myanmar and left behind a path of destruction. Wind speeds of more than 200 km/h and a storm surge of up to 3 meters in height destroyed more than 90 percent of housing and large parts of infrastructure in some regions. It is believed that more then 100,000 people might have died and more than a million people have lost their homes in the disaster (16/05/08).In the affected regions the people faced a lack of food and drinking water. As large regions were still inundated and the rain intensity increased, there was a high risk of epidemic plagues, like cholera, in the Irrawaddy delta.

April 29, 2008

DFD Workshop in Mexico

By invitation of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), the Mexican national commission for biodiversity research (CONABIO) and other Mexican partner organisations, about 120 scientists and governmental experts met from April 22nd to 23rd to discuss the use potential of the DLR earth observation satellite acquisition station in Mexico.

April 8, 2008

5 years of successful IKONOS ground station operations

By invitation of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), the Mexican national commission for biodiversity research (CONABIO) and other Mexican partner organisations, about 120 scientists and governmental experts met from April 22nd to 23rd to discuss the use potential of the DLR earth observation satellite acquisition station in Mexico.

March 27, 2008

“The Eye of the Sky” Exhibit passes the 250,000 visitor milestone

With “The Eye of the Sky” exhibit the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Gasometer Oberhausen GmbH are presenting in the latter’s impressive Hall 58 large format satellite images of the earth and other results of satellite earth observation. In less than one year 250,000 visitors have seen these fascinating images in what is surely one of the most unusual exhibition halls in Europe.

March 04, 2008

A clear view even in the dark and in fog – traffic information via radar satellite

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has begun several months of tests into the feasibility of obtaining traffic information via satellite. The German radar satellite TerraSAR-X is going to monitor selected sections of motorway in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and California. The aim of this project is to develop a procedure for large-scale traffic data capture, independent of ground systems, that permits data relay to various traffic information providers.

January 2, 2008

Satellite images in the art tunnel in Munich

From 2-11 January 2008 the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Munich's Art Tunnel are presenting an exhibit entitled, "The Earth from Space." From its wealth of satellite data, DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen has selected, processed and arranged for this exhibit 12 images from an aesthetic perspective. The images of Earth are the size of large advertising panels and are located in the public underpass connecting the underground (U-Bahn) lines 4/5 and 3/6 at the Odeonsplatz station.