Rapideye, Envi, Socet Gxp Spadac's Information Warfare

Earth Remote Sensing for Securit y Energy and the Environment

Fall 2008 Vol. 23 No. 3 Radar

RADARSAT-2 SPADAC’s News: Information RapidEye, ENVI, TerraSAR-X Warfare Socet GXP Driven by One Mission. Yours.

Our commitment is unwavering. Day in and day out, our 800+ dedicated and talented employees go to extraordinary lengths to provide the best IT services possible, so our customers are free to concentrate on their mission. We are the largest IT/IS provider for one of the nation’s leading intelligence agencies, and one of the top 20 IT contractors for DoD. Yet we’re agile enough to meet your rapidly evolving needs. NJVC provides a full lifecycle of secure, innovative IT/IS solutions for some of the world’s most demanding customers. With a passion for doing things faster, better and smarter—and the technical expertise to deliver—NJVC is driven by one mission. Yours.

www.njvc-llc.com

njvc_fullSprdAd_ImagingNotes.indd 1-2 9/15/08 10:45:48 AM Driven by One Mission. Yours.

www.njvc-llc.com

njvc_fullSprdAd_ImagingNotes.indd 1-2 9/15/08 10:45:48 AM Project2 10/7/2008 2:01 PM Page 1

finding features in your

imagery just got easier. contents

Feature Extraction Module

The new ENVI Feature Extraction Module combines an easy to use interface with powerful tools to help you find features of interest in your imagery. A new preview window provides instant feedback. Intuitive workflows get you up to speed quickly. And, advanced algorithms give you consistent results you can trust.

We know software. We know the science.

Learn more at www.ittvis.com/ENVI.

X To see a demonstration of ENVI Feature Extraction, visit us at GEOINT 2008, booth 746.

Sensing & Surveillance • Communications • Space • Advanced Engineering & Integrated Services

> columns

Publisher’s Letter 9 Markets Shifting into Focus By Myrna James Yoo

Policy Watch 10 The Pace of Change 24 By Ray Williamson, PhD, Editor

Earth Scope 12 Political Footprints on the Planet Presidential Candidate Comparison By Tim Foresman, PhD

Next-Gen Mapping 14 Nuages: Innovations in the Clouds The New Geo Marketplace By Natasha Léger & Craig Bachmann

News & Notes 17 News from BAE Systems, ITT, GeoEye-1, RapidEye, DigitalGlobe

Hindsight Guest Editorial 46 A Few Words Honoring NOAA Administrator Lautenbacher By Nancy Colleton, IGES

> F e a t u r e s

TerraSAR-X 24 The German Radar Eye in Space By Thomas Fenske, Agnès Mellot, Dr. Jürgen Drescher, DLR

Information Warfare 30 A Mission-Critical Segment in Intelligence By Mark Dumas, SPADAC

Weather & Climate 34 Communities Reach out to Next Administration By Dan Stillman, IGES

RADARSAT-2 38 A Vital New Source of Geospatial Intelligence 30 34 38 By Wade Larson, MDA Space Missions imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 5 Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada Fall 2008 / Vol. 23 / No. 3 Our Mission Imaging Notes is the premier publication for commercial, government and academic cover image remote sensing professionals around the world. It provides objective exclusive in-depth reporting that demonstrates how remote sensing technologies and spatial information illuminate the urgent interrelated issues of the environment, energy and security.

Imaging Notes is affiliated with the Alliance for Earth Observations, a program of The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (www.strategies.org).

Editor Editorial Advisory Board Ray A. Williamson, PhD Chair: Ray A. Williamson, PhD [email protected] Secure World Foundation Mark E. Brender, GeoEye Publisher/Managing editor Myrna James Yoo Nancy Colleton [email protected] Institute for Global Environmental Strategies Copy Editor Timothy W. Foresman, PhD Bette Milleson International Centre for Remote Art Director Sensing Education Jürgen Mantzke William B. Gail, PhD Enfineitz LLC Microsoft Virtual Earth [email protected] Anne Hale Miglarese www.enfineitz.com Thunder Bay is located on the Booz Allen Hamilton Deputy Art Director Kevin Pomfret, Esq. western edge of Lake Superior in Ontario, Andrew Sternard Cantor Arkema, P.C. Canada. This color composite view was taken on March 3, 2008, by RADARSAT-2. Editorial Contributions Imaging Notes welcomes contributions for feature articles. We publish articles on the The left side of the front cover and much of the remote sensing industry, including applications, technology, and business. Please see back cover show the white ice that has formed Contributor’s Guidelines on www.imagingnotes.com, and email proposals to along the coast and in the water of Lake Superior. [email protected]. Temperatures across northeastern Minnesota, Subscriptions northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula To subscribe or renew, please go to www.imagingnotes.com, and click on ‘subscribe.’ of Michigan had been fairly cold during the first If you are a current subscriber, renew by locating your account week of March 2008, with minimum temperatures number on your address label to enter the database and update your subscription. ranging from -32º C to -36º C. If you cannot go online, you may write to the address below. The RADARSAT-2 data was collected using Imaging Notes (ISSN 0896-7091) Copyright © 2008 ScanSAR Narrow B with dual polarization Blueline Publishing LLC (Transmit: VV; Receive: VH). Red:VH; Green:VH; P.O. Box 11569 Blue:VV. Denver, CO 80211 ScanSAR Narrow B is well suited to the detec- 303-477-5272 tion and classification of ice and is used opera- All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by tionally to monitor ice formation and movement in any means without written permission from the publisher. While every precaution is taken to the Great Lakes due to its large footprint (300 km ensure accuracy, the publisher and the Alliance for Earth Observations cannot accept responsi- in width) with good resolution (50m) and frequent bility for the accuracy of information or for any opinions or views presented in Imaging Notes. revisit (1-2 days at this latitude). Although trademark and copyright symbols are not used in this publication, they are honored. Credit: RADARSAT-2 Data and Products Imaging Notes is printed on 20% recycled (10% post-consumer waste) paper. All © MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., inks used contain a percentage of soy base. Our printer meets or exceeds all federal 2008. All Rights Reserved. RADARSAT is an Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Standards. official mark of the Canadian Space Agency.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 6 coverO[bQ^ UYMSQ image

Maximize the Value of Your Imagery

Quickly get your imagery to the people who need it with ArcGIS® Image Server

“When we tested ArcGIS Image Eliminate the need to pre-process your imagery. ArcGIS Image Server, we found designers, Server uniquely combines on-the-fly, server-based image technicians, and digitizers were all processing with distribution to nearly any GIS, CAD, image very pleased with the processing processing, or Web client to make large volumes of imagery time. It was twice as fast, in some cases even faster, available to more people in less time. On-the-fly image than previous systems.” processing also allows you to serve multiple imagery products from one set of source imagery, reducing data redundancy and Cindi Salas, GIS Manager CenterPoint Energy storage requirements.

IMAGING NOTES // S UMMER 2008 // WWW.IMAGINGNOTES.COM ™ ESRI— e GIS Com pany 5 For more information, visit 1-888-373-1353 www.esri.com/is [email protected] www.esri.com

Copyright © 2008 ESRI. All rights reserved. The ESRI globe logo, ESRI, ArcGIS, ESRI—The GIS Company, www.esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

INsu08.indbG28812_ImagingNotes_Spr08.indd 5 1 7/6/082/20/08 12:06:47 3:43:06 PM Publisher’s Letter

Delivering geospatial intelligence . . . intelligently.

u A new, world-class Earth imaging satellite

u Clear and simple imagery products

u Intuitive search and discover tools

GeoEye-1 Launched September 6th, 2008 Photo credit: Carleton Bailie, The Boeing Company

www.geoeye.com l 1.800.232.9037 Ready to deliver highly accurate, © Copyright 2008 GeoEye All rights reserved. color images of our Earth. View the launch at launch.geoeye.com Markets Shifting Into Focus Publisher’s Letter

Dear Readers, Markets Shifting Into Focus the location-based x-factor. Companies When we talk with industry players The discussion of shifting markets can now integrate location into their own at conferences and prepare our articles, coming into focus is more complicated. strategic business plans, wherever they we often get a very good snapshot of For decades, GIS analysts in organizations deem most valuable to get the greatest industry status and trends. Two trends needed rather expensive tools to do their return – whether that is in manufacturing, are emerging that we have recently jobs, and the demand for commercial distribution, or tracking of assets; that’s identified and have been covering: imagery was increasing. A few years ago, the x-factor. Google Earth became the disruptive force • Imagery is now becoming more in the marketplace, offering tools and A Location Intelligence Source integrated into software, rather than imagery online, free of charge, completely Exploring these markets and tracking serving only as a back-drop. changing the game. their evolution and growth require more As a result of Internet distribution of attention than one column in Imaging Notes • Markets are shifting and coming into imagery, new markets are being formed that can provide. We expect these location focus, after the entry of free Internet imag- go beyond what we ever imagined. New intelligence markets to grow exponentially ery into the marketplace rocked our world. market offerings include less expensive tools over the next few years. Therefore we will that don’t require expert users, with applica- be launching a spin-off publication in 2009. Imagery Integration tions across many types of businesses. We see a need for media that are the Regarding the first point, I had the honor Our Next-Gen Mapping column has location intelligence sources for businesses of serving as moderator for the panel discus- exposed our readers to new ways of that integrate geospatial intelligence with sion at ESRI’s first ever GIS and RS Summit, thinking about and looking at the imaging/ business intelligence. held prior to their User Conference this fall. remote sensing market. Two years ago, Emerging from the discussion was this fact we discussed in this column the different In This Issue that imagery is finally coming into its own as levels of users created by the introduction of Fall is always a time when we gather at a respected and valued layer of data, with Google Earth to the market: Legacy Users, GeoInt and focus on defense and security software companies offering customers the ProAm Users, and Convergence Users. issues. Thus, we bring stories on SPADAC’s capability to integrate imagery within GIS. Over the last two years, we’ve seen these Information Warfare (page 30); RADAR During the panel discussion, it was noted users evolve into three distinct markets for technologies from TerraSAR-X (page 24) that Autodesk and others are incorporating imagery and geospatial data: and RADARSAT-2 (page 38); and news imagery into their products as well. ITT VIS from GeoEye-1, RapidEye, DigitalGlobe, President/COO Richard Cooke stated that • The Traditional Market of experts and BAE Systems, ITT, NJVC, SPADAC and image processing must continue to evolve GIS users; USGIF in our new section called News & into the workflow in ways that maintain the Notes (page 17). This new “news” section scientific rigor, and in the future, interoper- • The Internet Mass Market of amateurs allows us to cover the exciting innovations of ability will continue to improve. to professionals; and more companies in each issue. In this issue, read about ENVI 4.5’s In the area of milestones, Nancy Colleton seamless data exchange with ArcGIS • Emerging Business Users. honors NOAA Administrator Conrad Lauten- Desktop (page 18) and BAE Systems’ bacher as he resigns, on page 46. We also SOCET GXP v3.0 offering eXtreme Analyst, These markets are explored more congratulate NASA on its 50th Anniversary a merging of image analysis and geospatial deeply in Next-Gen Mapping on page 14. this October! The legacy of accomplish- analysis workflows (page 17). Two articles Together, these markets are the ments is legendary, certainly; I only hope we about this subject were published in our LB(x) markets. LB(x), as coined by our can return our focus back towards Earth for Summer issue, “Data Integration” and Next-Gen Mapping columnists Natasha the sake of humanity’s future. “Unlocking the Wealth of Imagery.” Léger and Craig Bachmann, refers to — Myrna James Yoo imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 9 The Game Continues to Change... and Ever More Quickly Policy Watch

Over the past few years, users in those days, as the notion that According to the company, you just the pace of change in the satellite remote there might be a customer out there need to give its experts your information sensing marketplace, broadly speaking, with specific data needs that could be needs and they will tailor information has really picked up. Many more satel- satisfied by a steady stream of data from a products to fit them. The resolution lites, carrying electro-optical or synthetic commercial marketplace was still largely a chosen is excellent for a wide variety of aperture radar (SAR) sensors, are in dream to a few farsighted folks. agriculture and resource management orbit, temporal and spatial resolutions Now, of course, 26 years later, the tasks, making it possible to keep up with have increased dramatically, and costs scene is quite different. Not only has short term changes in the environment of medium resolution data have dropped available imagery dropped below the below, a critical need for a wide variety precipitously. Further, as people become 1 meter mark in sharpness, but also of tasks. The company also envisions more familiar with the imagery and data are sold commercially around the a demand for its tailored information in how to apply it to their needs, satellite world, and numerous countries have the utility, cartography, and government systems are increasingly being tailored launched their own parastatal systems markets. If the prices are right, these for specific uses. for observing Earth’s surface for a variety products could just prove a market When I first became involved in of public-good purposes. In fact, it is changer. See more in our News & Notes the world of satellite remote sensing really hard to keep track of how many section on page 19. in 1982, only one land remote sensing remote sensing satellites are in orbit at As exciting as this development is, satellite routinely delivered imagery to any one time. As soon as you think you other recent Earth observation develop- customers—Landsat 4, providing high have identified the lot, a new one with a ments show just how fast this field is quality, 30-meter multispectral data. Two unique capability is launched. changing. For example, imagery from years later, the still-operating Landsat Did I say one? On August 29 this the moderate resolution China-Brazil 5 followed. Customers were still called year, the German company RapidEye CBERS-2B satellite (see Imaging AG, based in Brandenberg, Germany, Notes, Summer 2008) is now available launched five 6.5-m resolution satellites for free to any country within reach of together into the same orbital plane a CBERS-equipped ground station. on one launch vehicle. Risky though it Because the CBERS system has several was, the launch and release into sun ground stations around the globe, with synchronous polar orbit was successful. more coming along, they cover millions As this issue went to press, RapidEye of hectares. was still checking out its satellites, but if Following Brazil and China’s lead, the they operate successfully, the company’s U.S. Geological Survey, which operates business model could well revolutionize Landsats 5 and 7, is making data from the business of remote sensing. these wide-field (185 km) U.S. satellites In flying five identical satellites, free for download from its Sioux Falls, RapidEye has provided the capability to South Dakota station. That’s a far cry from revisit any site in the world once a day, the $4000 per scene that the U.S. used vastly improving the temporal resolu- to charge for Landsat data when Landsat tion of the system. That, combined with 5 was first orbited! Ray A. Williamson, PhD, the 6.5-meter ground sample distance The private sector has shown that, is editor of Imaging Notes and Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation, an (GSD) of the sensors at nadir, provides a with some relatively modest funding organization devoted to the promotion of quantum jump in capability. from government, it can deliver data cooperative approaches to space security RapidEye has positioned itself as a and information services on a routine, (http://www.SecureWorldFoundation.org). service-oriented information provider. sustainable basis. On September 6, the

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 10 U.S. firm GeoEye, Inc., launched its latest Lake Merced, south of San Francisco, is shown in this 1-meter panchromatic image from OrbView-3 (re-scaled for best presentation). Launched in June 2003, OrbView-3 acquires 1-meter commercial remote sensing satellite, panchromatic and 4-meter multispectral imagery in an 8-kilometer-wide swath. OrbView-3 is GeoEye-1. Carrying a multispectral owned by GeoEye, which launched their new satellite GeoEye-1 in September 2008. The first image electro-optical sensor, GeoEye-1 will be from GeoEye-1 is published on page 19. able to resolve objects as small as 0.41 meters in panchromatic mode and 1.65 orbit a few years ago; five electro-optical provide some of the most powerful disaster meters in multispectral mode. Because of multispectral satellites from countries as monitoring capabilities in the world. U.S. security restrictions, GeoEye must diverse as Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey I expect this emphasis on using Earth resample any imagery better than 0.5 and the United Kingdom make up this observation satellite systems for human sec- meters to the 0.5 meters allowed. remarkable system. urity applications (mostly public-good efforts) However, even with that restriction, This September, China launched to increase over time. Yet, as I argued in the this new satellite will offer a powerful another two similar satellites devoted last issue, improvements in the supply side combination to the imagery marketplace. primarily to observing natural disasters, of Earth observations will not be successful DigitalGlobe, which launched its especially monitoring the aftermath of unless the daunting issues of rapid informa- 0.5-meter panchromatic Worldview-1 earthquakes. By 2010, these will be part tion generation and delivery to the persons satellite about a year ago, will launch a of a constellation of five similar satellites who need it are solved. A number of efforts, multispectral competitor to the GeoEye focused on disaster monitoring, something many begun by NGOs, have pointed the way satellite next year. this earthquake-prone country needs. to better use of the information, but large, Disaster monitoring has become one China plans to follow them next year with public-good applications such as disaster of the key uses for satellite data. Witness two SAR satellites, which will be part response and resource management will the SSTL-led Disaster Monitoring of a second five-member constellation. need significant public sector involvement to Constellation (DMC) that was placed in Together, China’s constellations will be fully successful. imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 11 Political Footprints on the Planet Obama and McCain’s Platforms Too Similar Earth Scope

A new administration will The old axiom that all politics is local is against the stark reality of citizens’ be upon us after the results are tallied an apt focus for the fact that all environ- behaviors and chart a 180-degree shift for the November presidential elec- mental impacts are also local to someone, in national policy that would demonstrate tions. One way or another, the seating albeit shared with the rest of us one way real change and real international leader- arrangements in the U.S. government will or another. Therefore, we might take ship. Pain at the pump will be a legacy change, and a new set of political party the opportunity to look at the two major until renewables alter the equation. affiliates will become entrenched for a political parties and—with careful attention The other hot topic endorsed by both four-year tour of duty at the helm of one to objectivity and non-partisanship—dif- campaigns is clean-coal technology. of the world’s most influential nations. ferentiate which policies, as espoused by This is neither cheap nor truly clean. In pondering this peaceful transfer of the campaign platforms and Web pages, Mountain-top removal is but one startling power, one of the U.S.A.’s most civilized will likely leave the greatest ecological dimension of any ambitious coal energy behaviors, we might reflect on the impact footprints in the coming years. policy. Solar, hydroelectric, tidal electric, of the 44th presidential election on the wind, non-cereal biomass, and geothermal earth, and the current conditions and Energy Policy are requisite priorities for an energy policy trajectories of that impact. Both parties’ proclivities are to salve the that does not further damage the Earth. Those who are acute observers of citizens’ fears of higher energy prices with the state of the planet will undoubtedly a clever mix of more domestic oil drilling Greenhouse Gas Emissions agree that regardless of who the victor is, combined with increased nuclear energy, a and Climate Change the political footprint will be measurable minimum level of conservation, and invest- Parity on the issue of climate change and will affect us all. We might easily be ment into alternatives or renewables. While among the political campaigns is a given. distracted by economic chaos and Wall the McCain team has led the charge to “drill Senator McCain has been a student of Street chicanery, or by military adven- now,” the Obama team has acquiesced climate change science for over a decade turism or by obdurate Russian leaders to that strategy and also has offered the and Senator Obama has been consistent in who appear to be singing “It’s a rainy strategic oil reserve to further lower gas his aligned opinions. The two sides to the night in Georgia” while casting kerosene prices: blatant political pandering by both coin are (1) reduction of greenhouse gas onto the international bonfire of vanities. camps as they seek to protect the voting emissions and (2) adaptation strategies for However, the bottom line on preserving public from increased gasoline prices. the impacts of global warming. Timely action our biodiversity and coping with climate The oil industry’s geophysicist, Dr. on (1) may reduce the costly actions neces- change remains paramount for our M. King Hubbert, calculated almost fifty sary for (2). Two quotes below highlight the survival as a civilized species. years ago the fact that peak oil usage critical nature of this issue and the stated would impact the nation and world about urgency required to begin addressing our right now. Experts increasingly accept the national and global challenges. Unfortunately, Timothy W. Foresman, PhD is President of the International Centre reality that we are heading on the down neither campaign appears ready to place for Remote Sensing Education. He slope of this finite resource. Domestic the urgency of this issue front and center has been director of United Nations oil drilling will not yield the results being before the voting public, especially with our Environment Programme’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (Nairobi, claimed by both parties. We are running collective habit of watching feel-good news Kenya) and national program manager out of oil and the gas pump prices will and entertainment. for NASA’s Digital Earth (Washington, continue to rise, while neither political D.C.). He is editor of The History of Geographic Information Systems, 1998, candidate is willing to broadcast this new “There is still time to avoid the worst Prentice Hall. Dr. Foresman was reality. Continued burning of oil will further impacts of climate change if strong the Director-General for the 5th damage our severely polluted atmosphere collective action starts now.” International Symposium on Digital Earth (www.isde5.org). and exacerbate global warming. Neither – Stern Review, “The Economics of campaign is willing to place this issue Climate Change,” 2006.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 12 “Humanity must act collectively and “implement an economy-wide cap-and- Space Technology Program urgently to change course through trade program to reduce greenhouse What emphasis is being placed on leadership at all levels of society. gas emissions 80% by 2050.” Neither our capacity for Earth observation at There is no more time for delay.” campaign represents fast-track action. a time of climate change, biodiversity – Sigma Xi and United Nations Neither camp appears to embrace the loss, over-fishing, and other impacts? Foundation Report, “Confronting concept of ‘urgency’ on this topic, and McCain’s campaign offers to “ensure that Climate Change: Avoiding the both are inclined to follow the cap-and- space exploration is top priority and that Unmanageable and Managing the trade system that was used for acid rain the U.S. remains a leader,” to “maintain Unavoidable,” 2007. reduction to protect sensitive lakes and infrastructure investments in Earth- monitoring satellites and support systems.” Earth-monitoring satellites will compete with missions to the Moon and to Mars, as space exploration is top dog for these Neither campaign is willing to place this space enthusiasts. This does not bode well for Landsat data continuity missions. issue against the stark reality of citizens’ Obama’s campaign articulates a comprehensive space exploration behaviors and chart a 180-degree shift agenda, but it too holds no safety net for the competition between space explorers in national (energy) policy that would and Earth monitors and is loaded in favor of space exploration. Perhaps star gazers demonstrate real change and for both parties should join the rest of us to look at what is happening beneath real international leadership. their feet. After 50 years, NASA and the nation should figure out that Mission to Pain at the pump will be a legacy until Planet Earth is still the best idea it has ever had. renewables alter the equation. A host of other areas could, and should, be examined to see if Spaceship Earth will receive the kind of care and maintenance it must have to successfully continue our journey through the cosmos. McCain’s camp suggests that a “cap historic statues. Urgency would imply the These areas include: green jobs, smart and trade system would encompass kind of attention that paramedics face growth, transportation, international electric power, transportation fuels, when deciding whether to stop bleeding treaties (e.g., Law of the Sea and Kyoto), commercial business, and industrial busi- or assist breathing on an accident victim. U.N. support, economics/trade, weapons ness – sectors responsible for just below And because all aspects of urgent sales, and population control. For 90 percent of all emissions. The cap and action are intricately tied to economic, everyone’s benefit, let us hope that real trade system would allow for the gradual social, and environmental dimensions of change for the better does occur from reduction of emissions [emphasis added].” governance and international trade, it is the party that takes over leadership of Their goal for 2050 is 60% below 1990 unlikely that any political actions will be the U.S. and that the winner accepts the Levels (66% below 2005 levels). categorized as urgent. Meanwhile, the challenge of saving the planet in an urgent Obama’s camp suggests that they will victim still lies on the ground. and collaborative manner. imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 13 Nuages: Innovations in the Clouds A New Geo Marketplace Next-gen Mapping

“Nuages” (Clouds) is Gypsy computing needs of the users. and distribution, and an understanding of the Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt’s famous Cloud computing is also known as real risk of “cloud computing” overcomes the WWII song of peace, balance, and tran- utility computing and offers companies the fears and helps to transform businesses and quility. It may not be the perfect soundtrack opportunity to save money on technology organizations of all sizes and types. to support our exploration of the “disruptive” infrastructure and reallocate resources to nature of “cloud computing.” However, innovation and product development. How The New Geo Value Chain Django’s timeless music has been an inspira- all this will change the way satellite I/RS Traditionally, I/RS data have been tion for many other artists in improvising and data are stored, processed, and distributed specified and delivered to expert users who innovating new ways of looking at the world. is open to debate. It is clear, however, “know” their applications. The value of the Like Django, the new geo marketplace may that “cloud computing” has the potential data was intrinsic to the mission of scien- be the source of inspiration and innovation to disrupt the traditional value chain and tists, researchers, government analysts, and for imagery/remote sensing (I/RS) products enable innovation, not only in data, but in the GIS users. Today, a growing segment of as the imagery value chain of data storage, information and applications that build value users represents less spatial data expertise, processing, and distribution begins to for a growing segment of end users. but a greater diversity of needs – and poten- incorporate cloud computing and create new Software as Services (SaaS) has had tially a much greater set of requirements for information products and services. its detractors due to fears of loss of security, data to become “information.” Some believe According to the Wiki (we are talking “cloud computing” after all): Cloud computing is Internet-based (‘cloud’) development and use of computer technology (‘computing’). The cloud is a metaphor for It is clear that “cloud computing” the Internet (based on how it is depicted in computer network diagrams) and is an has the potential to disrupt the abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals. It is a style of computing traditional value chain and where IT-related capabilities are provided “as a service,” allowing users to access enable innovation, not only in data, technology-enabled services from the Internet (“in the cloud”) without knowledge but in the information and applications of, expertise with, or control over, the technology infrastructure that supports them. that build value for a growing segment According to the IEEE Computer Society, it “is a paradigm in which informa- of end users. tion is stored permanently in servers on the Internet and cached temporarily on clients that include desktops, entertainment centers, table computers, notebooks, lack of performance control, and unknown wall computers, handhelds, etc.” Cloud liabilities. With Amazon’s S3 web services Craig Bachmann & Natasha LÉger are partners in ITF Advisors, LLC, an computing is a general concept that and Apple’s Mobile Me recent outages, independent consulting firm with a focus incorporates software as a service (SaaS), dependence on the “cloud” doesn’t seem on next-generation strategy and on Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known tech- to be pragmatic… until, of course, the cost translating the increasingly complex new media business environment’s impact on nology trends, where the common theme savings associated with data storage, hard- business models, markets and users. is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the ware, software applications, data processing

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 14 I/RS Markets Traditional Internet Mass Emerging Market: Experts Market: Amateurs Markets Business Users and GIS Users to Professionals

Location intelligence Limited to as a new place government, Advertising, Web of information compliance, asset 3.0 and geosearch, for competitive Business Drivers management and applications (widgets) advantage; Integration resource planning into workflow

Information to drive Mission specific, Lowest common top line growth; very detailed denominator Data vs. Information Improve opterations 1

Source: ITF Advisors that this “greater set” can be handled by Information Cycle includes the data, and An additional challenge is that the integrating the “silos of information” in the must also be able to answer a “business data were fragmented by industry vertical “cloud” – more about that below in the value” question—to provide not only required markets—for example, the “insurance” discussion of the new geo marketplace. data, but analysis, recommendations, and vertical did not contain the same specifica- This diversity of users has created “answers” in formats that may be usable tions as the “agricultural” vertical. three distinct demand markets for I/RS: beyond GIS. The image/data becomes In order to serve the growing segment of the traditional market of experts and GIS information when it is integrated with other users who want Data + Information at lower users, an Internet mass market of amateurs data sets into a workflow and decision- costs with easy accessibility, the question to professionals, and an emerging business making process. Some call this a mashup; for the marketplace is how “information users market which is still undefined. others call it an information product. value” will be developed before the end Therefore a new set of distribution cycles is Imagery distribution to date has focused user ingests the content. In other words, the emerging: “Data” and “Information.” on the Data Cycle, and the users of the data new users do not wish to invest in the Total The Data Cycle encompasses collection, created the Information Cycle. The Data Cost of Operations (TCO) to turn data into processing, exploitation, and distribution Cycle ran either directly to the end user or information (cost of data + cost of software that result in an image product. This image through resellers, to subject matter experts/ application + cost of hardware to run the product is not viewed as “information” by consulting services and, most recently, to software + cost of training on the application many new users, but simply a backdrop that mass markets (via Google and Microsoft). + cost of manual analysis)—and they don’t provides context for other data points. The This is the “raw data” distribution model. have to. See Figure 1. imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 15 Next-gen Mapping Information Silos Information Marketplace

dIFFERENT Tactics Similar Needs Reorganized Market Principles Similar Needs

Vertical silos in the spatial information Silos are changed into building blocks, business keep the markets small and increasing efficiency of productivity and separated. resource management

Source: WeoGeo

The New Geo Marketplace WeoGeo was built to address two funda- Data, hardware, software, support, and Cloud computing and geospatial aware- mental issues in growing the imagery market: information suppliers will be able to tap into ness create the opportunity for value-added/ 1) finding and acquiring high-volume/ the three markets and build solutions that derivative imagery products to be developed, high-value mapping content and 2) fusing were previously restricted to large organiza- as well as for lower TCO for the new mapping content developed in industry tion initiatives. segment of users. These products may be verticals or “information silos” to create value- as “lite” as presentation mashups or as “rich” added geocontent. See Figure 2. Back to the Clouds as Hyperspectral Imaging. The ability to The “cloud” helps solve the problems. GIS and I/RS have always required a serve up both is a function of “outsourcing” According to CEO Paul Bissett, “The significantly greater computational infra- the massive computation infrastructure in a cloud allows organizations and businesses structure. Today, it appears that clouds on cost-efficient, scalable environment. (especially small businesses) to find and the horizon are not indicators of a rainy day Among the next-gen mapping suppliers acquire volumes of large image files and to for imaging; in fact, they may help create a innovating in cloud computing is WeoGeo. process customized mapping content.” much larger and diverse user base. Imagine a place where the long tail qualities Putting massive computational In many projects, “cloud cover” was of geospatial interests, curiosity, and infrastructure in the hands of the next-gen a bad day for satellite imaging; however, demand can find any geospatial product mapping users and suppliers will dramati- “cloud computing” will enable a new from a raw image product to a value-added cally lower the cost of developing “informa- value chain. Django Reinhardt, as jazz image to geospatial art. WeoGeo is tion.” As spatial imagery, remote sensing, musicians tend to do, continued to take emulating the eBay model of frictionless and GIS finally get an infrastructure of the inspiration from the clouds innovating transactions whereby a market of long tail scale needed to put imaging products and music that made him a legend. There users influences the value and liquidity of services in the hands of the non-specialist, appears to be a similar opportunity for geospatial products. we see growth in the entire ecosystem. satellite imaging.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 16 Experience the power of eXtreme Analysis (XA) News & Notes

Image analysis (IA) and databases to store and retrieve features, geospatial analysis (GA) workflows are a link to Google Earth for enhanced becoming more integrated. Image analysts situational awareness, and the capability to need the capability to extract accurate create and distribute geospatial data prod- geospatial information, while geospatial ucts quickly. See Figure 1. XA’s have the analysts require additional analysis best of both worlds—IA and GA integrated resources and increased ease of use. into a single application: SOCET GXP. BAE Systems has listened to users who have been using multiple applications to SOCET GXP at-a-glance complete their tasks; SOCET GXP was SOCET GXP is a geospatial-intelligence built to address these issues. software package that uses imagery from commercial, satellite, and tactical sources IA + GA = XA to identify and analyze ground features The new SOCET GXP v3.0 release faster and more efficiently. Operators can represents the convergence of IA and GA record measurements, analyze terrain, into one cohesive software package that create 3D models with realistic geographic reduces the dependency on multiple tools context, and monitor changes over time. and increases usability: XA. Finished products generated from SOCET The eXtreme Analysis capabilities in GXP include expansive maps, PowerPoint 1 SOCET GXP allow software users, from slides, geo-enabled PDF files with editable novice to expert, to experience the power geographic attributes, and GIS data for automatically measure, annotate, catalog, of real-time image analysis, automated future geospatial analysis. and retrieve ground features in a series of geospatial production, mapping, and SOCET GXP v3.0 allows operators to images to expedite geospatial analysis. With 3D visualization in one product. XA is accomplished with an intuitive application Figure 1 that employs a ground coordinate system SOCET GXP provides seamless integration and dynamic viewing and editing with Google Earth. to record geospatial data, eliminating the need for manual registration. Automated, Figure 2 user-defined workflows characterize the The Ortho On-the-Fly tool streamlines geospatial production while improving accuracy and reduc- application, eliminating excessive time ing geometrical measurement errors associated with sensor and terrain modeling. It orthorecti- spent on laborious tasks. The eXtreme fies (stitches together) raw images in real time to produce a continuous, highly accurate image of an expansive area, allowing first responders and analysts in the field to view and analyze imagery Analyst has direct access to geospatial without delay.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 17 News & Notes

the click of a button, new functionality, such as automated triangulation and the Ortho On-the-Fly tool, can streamline geospatial production, while improving accuracy and reducing geometrical measurement errors associated with sensor and terrain modeling. See Figures 2-3. Additionally, imagery, terrain, vector, and mapping data are processed in their raw form within SOCET GXP whenever possible, a capability that simplifies workflows. The data can be used to build

maps, develop transportation infrastructure, ENVI and ArcGIS users can now easily exchange data between the two applications via the manage utilities and communications geodatabase, including raw imagery, vector layers, and processed geospatial products. networks, coordinate operational missions, and designate troop maneuvers. The software is used for applications as diverse as finding beach landing sites for ENVI Integrates Image combat troops, and helping to land the Mars Processing with GIS Rover. See www.baesystems.com/gxp. In recent years, GIS professionals across industries such as urban planning, forestry, agriculture, and defense and intelligence have begun to realize the potential of geospatial imagery and the information it can provide. Information from imagery allows GIS professionals to make important decisions more quickly and greatly reduces the extensive fieldwork necessary to gather critical data. Traditionally used as a simple backdrop to GIS to create visual context, geospatial imagery is now being used in GIS for countless applications. Common applications include finding similar features in an overall image scene, assessing damage from natural disasters, planning urban developments, and determining crop health in rural settings. ENVI 4.5 (from ITT Visual Information Solutions, Boulder, Colo.) recently introduced new capabilities to facilitate the integration of imagery into existing 3 GIS workflows. ENVI 4.5 provides seamless data exchange with ArcGIS Desktop from ESRI. Now GIS professionals using both ENVI and ArcGIS can easily exchange data between the applications and also generate maps using the Figure 3 The automated triangulation process adjusts full suite of map composition tools available in ArcGIS. satellite or airborne sensor models to improve the This innovative development is a significant advance in streamlining imagery accuracy of coordinates and measurements de- and GIS workflows, a vast improvement over previous processes that required rived from imagery. It simplifies the triangulation importing and exporting imagery among multiple software packages to achieve process so that users who are not familiar with results. Now, GIS professionals have access to high performance image photogrammetry can be assured that all objects in an image, such as buildings, bridges, roads and processing capabilities, allowing them to add rich geographic information to the other features, are represented accurately. geodatabase for a host of applications. See www.ittvis.com/ENVI.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 18 GeoEye-1 First Image: Kutztown University, Penn. Highest Resolution Imagery is Here News & Notes

On Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008, GeoEye-1 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first color 0.5-meter image was taken on Oct. 7 while GeoEye-1 was moving north to south in a 423-mile-high (681 km) orbit over the eastern seaboard of the U.S. at a speed of 4.5 miles per second. This first image was produced by fusing the satellite’s panchromatic and multispectral data to produce a high-quality, true-color 0.5-meter resolution image. It captures what was in fact the very first location the satellite saw when the camera door opened. GeoEye-1 was built by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems in Gilbert, Ariz. The imaging system was built by ITT in Rochester, NY. ITT also built the imaging system for DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-1 and is buildling it for GeoEye-2, slated for launch in 2011. See www.geoeye.com.

Kutztown University, located midway between Read- ing and Allentown, Penn., was literally the first image taken by GeoEye-1. The image shows the campus academic buildings, parking lots, roads, athletic fields and the track-and-field facility.

RapidEye: Small Commercial Solution, Large Defense and Intelligence Capability

MDA develops and delivers generation of commercial satellites can design and implementation of a turnkey operational small satellite solutions provide the defense and intelligence system that includes space and ground to address the operational needs of communities with powerful broad area segments, launch, on-orbit commis- commercial and governmental customers monitoring and surveillance capabilities, sioning, calibration of the spacecraft at a lower price point, with manage- high revisit cycles, and lower costs. constellation, and training and support to able development risk. The company’s The RapidEye mission was deliv- initial mission operations. operational small satellite approach aims ered on orbit, with associated ground Late August 2008 saw the simultaneous to provide the economic benefits of small infrastructure, under a firm, fixed price launch of the five RapidEye satellites from a satellite technology with the program- contract of less than $170M (Canadian single launch vehicle into a sun-synchronous matic rigor and data delivery capability dollars). MDA is the prime contractor for orbit at an altitude of approximately 630 of traditional space missions. This new the RapidEye mission, responsible for the kilometers. The satellites operate in a single

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 19 News & Notes

orbit plane, equally spaced and following each other approximately 19 minutes apart. On-orbit commissioning will take approximately four months before RapidEye AG assumes full commercial operation. Each satellite weighs 156 kilograms and carries a five-spectral band push broom optical imager that provides a swath width 1 on the ground of 78 kilometers at 6.5 meter ground sampling distance (at nadir; see See Figures 1-2.) The imager’s field of view can be oriented across track by rolling the spacecraft up to +/-25 degrees to provide the necessary coverage capability. Image data is stored in 48 gigabits of onboard mass memory storage before being transmitted to ground stations. Dual redundancy of key bus components ensures reliability and availability. The RapidEye system can collect 4 million square kilometers of raw data per day and can generate more than 2.1 million square kilometers of orthorectified images per day from the raw data, to provide users with high-quality, timely imagery tailored to their specific intelligence needs. This high revisit cycle is relevant for warfighter support. RapidEye satellites have a daily revisit capability anywhere on Earth, providing a rapid turn-around, from a customer request for information products, to digital delivery. 2 The system has been designed to provide large area coverage, with frequent informa- sites, and an interface to the RapidEye AG Figure 1 tion updates from RapidEye AG. A very product processing facility. The ground Rendering of RapidEye in orbit large data capacity enables the population systems are designed to the same rigorous and maintenance of an extensive database engineering standards and throughput Figure 2 of information pertaining to large areas of levels as the headquarters systems MDA RapidEye spacecraft prior to launch interest, which directly supports intel- has delivered to DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, ligence work such as change detection. and RADARSAT-2, and the U.S. Air Force broad area change detection, and represents MDA’s RapidEye ground system is Eagle Vision transportable system. a significant technological leap in satellite comprised of a dedicated Mission Control RapidEye represents a powerful new capability at a considerably lower price point Center, a ground segment containing geospatial intelligence gathering capability than previously thought possible. data processing, archiving facilities and a using MDA’s operational small satellite solu- See www.rapideye.de. Also see story on customer interface, commercial downlink tions. It is a major new data source for global MDA’s RADARSAT-2 on page 38.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 20 SPADAC’s EarthWhere Finding Home in More Defense and Civilian Organizations News & Notes

SPADAC (McLean, Va.), a SANZ, SPADAC has grown leading provider of spatially-enhanced customer installations of the technology solutions, has established new product by 79 percent while partnerships over the past several months maintaining a 100 percent with both defense and civilian government retention rate. organizations through the sale of licenses EarthWhere 4.3 for its EarthWhere product. Organizations features expanded support now implementing EarthWhere include the for a variety of input National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and sensor formats, an (NGA), Naval Air Systems Command updated and more intuitive (NAVAIR), Space and Naval Warfare user interface, and the Systems Command (SPAWAR), U.S. addition of new reporting Department of State and U.S. Marine Corps. capabilities. The software EarthWhere is a spatial content now automatically detects, management system that streamlines the catalogs and notifies users organization, provisioning and disseminat- when new imagery is avail- ing disparate data for fast organization- able on the system. wide access in required formats. The three new sensor “SPADAC is eager to support both models that the 4.3 EarthWhere’s “Zoom to Image” function allows NAVAIR and the Marine Corps by version supports include FORMOSAT, users to zoom past the low resolution thumbnail helping both organizations to maximize WorldView-1 and GeoEye-1. New file of an image into higher resolution source data, the value of their spatial assets in a way formats include NLAPS, NITF 2.1, TFRD, bringing sharper, cleaner images of the areas of that achieves substantial, long-term cost and DPPDB. More than 200 new HARN interest into focus. savings while simultaneously enhancing projections are now possible. Also, the quality of their systems,” said Mark numerous enhancements have been as a fast-growing private company nation- Dumas, founder and CEO of SPADAC. made to ActiveIngest, which is a powerful ally and in the greater Washington area. The recent release of EarthWhere 4.3 cataloging engine that quickly and easily See www.spadac.com. marks an important milestone for SPADAC. catalogs and ingests imagery data. See also “Information Warfare” on Since acquiring EarthWhere last year from SPADAC has been recognized recently page 30.

DigitalGlobe Sets the ‘Gold’ Standard

This summer’s Olympic the use of the highest-fidelity three- Web distribution during the Olympic Games. Games marked several historic firsts. dimensional (3D) virtual representations of The collaboration between AEgis’ A total of 958 medals were awarded to Beijing and the Olympic venues that have simulation technology and DigitalGlobe’s athletes from 87 countries — the most ever been created. satellite imagery library allowed virtual medals and medal recipients in Olympic Satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe content databases to be rendered in just history. Michael Phelps won the most gold teamed up with modeling- and simulation- days. Viewers of NBC’s broadcast experi- medals ever in a single Olympic Games. service provider AEgis Technologies Group enced a virtual simulation of Beijing and the A lesser known first of the 2008 Summer to equip NBC Universal with a 3D digital sensation of “flying” through the city from Games was that NBC’s broadcast marked model of Beijing for worldwide broadcast and Olympic venue to venue. The debut of this

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 21 News & Notes

remarkable technology during the Olympics wide. Through ImageConnect: Global, GIS flow of advanced imagery for integration generated so much industry interest that professionals can quickly, easily and directly into any ongoing project — instead of DigitalGlobe and AEgis will introduce a new access high-resolution global imagery, managing multiple imagery providers 3D satellite image-based product based on much of which is not available through and data sources and their associated the collaborative technology later this year. other Web services or commercial portals. technical inconsistencies and cost inef- The Olympics imagery is just one example Imagery content is constantly updated with ficiencies. Extensive metadata, including of DigitalGlobe’s continuing commitment new images collected from DigitalGlobe’s acquisition date, resolution, accuracy and to exploring new ways to provide affordable sub-meter constellation of high-resolution a worldfile, are also part of the Image- solutions for imagery discovery and viewing. satellites and aerial networks. Connect: Global package, giving users Key to this strategy is making high-resolution Any GIS professional who has the flexibility to select from a range of satellite imagery available via the Web. experienced the frustration of not finding projections and image acquisition dates At the August ESRI conference, Digital- historical images and current views all to customize their needs. Globe launched ImageConnect: Global, an in one place immediately understands Demand of premium, highly accurate imagery subscription service that provides the advantages of having both instantly imagery is growing exponentially as more GIS professionals with instant online access available from a single source. With and more professional and government users to 30.5 million km2 of premium imagery, with ImageConnect: Global, online imagery and developers require real world perspec- in-depth coverage of 36 countries world- access for precision mapping, govern- tive, in real time, to do their jobs. DigitalGlobe ment programs and infrastructure projects is meeting this challenge by continuing to is just one click away, enabling a constant provide premium satellite imagery in an accessible and affordable way to all busi-

Figure 1 nesses. See www.digitalglobe.com. The Ming Tomb Reservoir (triathlon venue) is shown using fused product of DigitalGlobe imagery and AEgis 3D technology.

Figure 2 The Olympic Green is shown using DigitalGlobe NJVC Expanding imagery and AEgis 3D technology. The Olympic Stadium is in the foreground with the National HQ and Approved Stadium (Bird’s Nest) in the post-ground next to the Watercube. Behind that is the National for GPO Schedule Indoor Stadium, and behind that is the Conven- 1 tion Center. Some call it growth. NJVC (Vienna, Va.) calls it transformation. In

2 less than eight years, NJVC has grown from a small company with less than 30 employees to one of the largest information technology solutions providers supporting the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), with a team that’s more than 800 strong. Today, NJVC is preparing for further major expansions in new business and talent acquisition. The company has welcomed several

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 22 USGIF Encourages Geospatial Intelligence Education News & Notes

When the U.S. Department of Labor lists a technology as college degree, supports career develop- “high growth,” it wouldn’t be a stretch to conclude that the workforce in this sector ment and provides professional recognition is robust and expanding. That, however, is not necessarily the case in the geospatial to the students in the form of a completion intelligence arena. certificate. To gain accreditation, the In 2004, the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, with the help of schools applied to the USGIF Academy and its membership, formed the USGIF Academy to help ensure a workforce of highly- were evaluated based on the criteria estab- qualified geospatial intelligence professionals. The Academy—through outreach to lished by the foundation’s review panel. academia and academic institutions—supports lifelong learning and professional The panel of leading experts from industry, development in the skills and compet-encies associated with the geospatial intel- government and academia spent more than ligence profession and tradecraft. a year establishing curriculum guidelines, One of the immediate concerns of the academy was to establish a Geospatial accreditation standards and processes for Intelligence Accreditation Program that would ensure colleges and universities the geospatial intelligence program. are orienting students to a broad set of technical and critical thinking skills and Colleges and universities interested knowledge relevant to entering and fostering a career in the geospatial intelligence in creating a geospatial intelligence profession. program or applying for accreditation are Since that time, three national universities have received accreditation for their encouraged to submit applications. The geospatial intelligence programs. University of Missouri at Columbia, Pennsylvania USGIF Academy will review applications State University and George Mason University became the first schools to be twice this year. Curriculum guidelines, accredited under USGIF’s Geospatial Intelligence Accreditation and Certificate requirements, applications and additional Program—the first and only program of its kind. information are available on USGIF’s The Geospatial Intelligence Accreditation and Certificate Program complements a website at www.usgif.org.

new members to the NJVC management technology program manager. and posters, to CDs and DVDs. team at its headquarters. These key NJVC is actively seeking to recruit Since its founding in 2000, NJVC industry professionals include: Nick 100 individuals with clearances to has evolved into a leader within the Aleyanis as senior vice president of support its current contract with government services industry, with engineering, formerly of BAE Systems; the National Geospatial-Intelligence annual revenues of approximately Paul Davis as chief technology officer, Agency (NGA) in the area of informa- $400 million. Today, NJVC offers a formerly of CSC; Vito DiNapoli as vice tion technology, including Oracle and full lifecycle of IT solutions to help president of operations, formerly of UNIX database administrator positions. solve the critical challenges of leading CSC; Mary Jo Lampe as vice president More than 90 percent of NJVC current intelligence, defense and geospatial of strategic marketing, formerly of Olive employees hold security clearances. organizations with highly secure IT Group North America; and Darlene NJVC also just announced its requirements, including its largest Connelly as general counsel, formerly approval as a vendor on the U.S. Govern- customer NGA. NJVC supports NGA’s of the President’s Foreign Intelligence ment Printing Office (GPO) schedule. extensive technology needs by providing Advisory Board. The company recently NJVC will provide printing services comprehensive IT infrastructure, secure promoted Jill Bruning to chief operating and published information in all forms, communications, and IT support for the officer. Bruning, previously with CSC, supporting and managing projects from agency’s locations around the world. joined NJVC in 2007 as information books and pamphlets to maps, charts See www.njvc-llc.com.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 23 The German Radar Eye in Space

TerraSAR-X is Germany’s first national remote sensing satellite implemented in a public/private partnership between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Infoterra GmbH/EADS Astrium, with a significant financial participation from the industrial partner. This commercial radar satellite will acquire high-quality radar data for scientific observation of Earth, for disaster monitoring, and for geoinformation purposes for at least five years. At the same time, it is designed to satisfy the steadily growing demand of the private sector for earth remote sensing data in the commercial market. TerraSAR-X (TSX) was launched in June 2007 on a Russian/Ukrainian DNEPR-1 launch vehicle from the Bai- konur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It delivered TerraSAR-X into a 514-km high, near-polar orbit. The orbit was selected so that the satellite flies in a sun-synchronous, dusk-dawn orbit. This means that the satellite moves along the day-night boundary of the earth and always presents the same face to the sun. While TerraSAR-X circles the earth, the satellite can take images of all regions of the earth with a resolution up to 1 meter in a spotlight mode, scan- ning Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and strip-map manner, until after each 11 days

Thomas Feske, Agnès Mellot, Dr. Jürgen Drescher German Aerospace Center (DLR) Washington, D.C. www.dlr.de/tsx

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 24 imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 25 ocean surfaces, are monitored and closely inspected. With increasing technical capabilities of these sensors, geoinformation data can be extracted from satellite images with ever more precision and with broad applications. Because of one of the outstanding features of TerraSAR-X, the high spatial resolution that has been achieved with this civilian radar system will offer completely new perspectives for the monitoring of detailed ground infrastructures and resources. Figure 3 is an example for land use classification on Mount Egmont in New Zealand. Examples are monitoring 1 of vegetation and the separation of different plant species, as well as the precise analysis of urban environments in towns Figure 1 and villages. Figure 4 shows copper sur- One of the most dangerous volcanoes of the world, the Merapi on Java in Indonesia: TerraSAR-X data are important bases for rapid mapping activities in the case of natural disasters. face mining in South America. Radar technology provides velocity information of moving objects, and uses the Figure 2 Doppler shift effects in the signal analy- Viedma Glacier in Patagonia: Remote sensing data provided by TerraSAR-X obtained from space complete Earth-based measurements, and are essential for monitoring the polar ice caps to sis. So traffic monitoring on the ground analyze the effects of climate change. is an additional feature and a useful tool, broadening the application spectrum of it returns back to its original position and These services that in recent times have TSX. Figure 5 demonstrates TerraSAR-X begins a new cycle. With different angles become more and more part of our daily capabilities for detection and tracking of of view, each point of the earth can be tar- lives are possible thanks only to techno- moving objects. geted within two to four days. logically advanced satellite missions oper- The TerraSAR-X satellite is operated ating in space combining remote sensing, The Satellite from the German Satellite Operation Cen- navigation and communication services. With TerraSAR-X, a modern radar sys- ter (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen near Mu- Sensor systems based in space are used tem is used for Earth remote sensing pur- nich. The remote sensing data downlink for applications on science and earth ob- poses. The technology of SAR is able to pro- is provided to the ground station at DLR servation, be they for research focusing duce high-resolution images of the earth’s Neustrelitz. A special law covering aspects on alterations of land surfaces, oceans, surface, similar to photographic images. A of d at a s e c u r it y a nd t he c om m e rc i a l d i s t r ib - and the earth’s atmosphere; for climate SAR has a number of advantages compared ution of high-resolution remote sensing research; for the monitoring of disasters with optical systems; for instance, radar is data was put in place after negotiations on for geological investigations; or for many independent of any illumination by the sun. an intergovernmental level. more uses. Figure 1 reflects volcano activ- The measurements can be taken around ity in Indonesia, where an immediate ob- the clock at any time of day or night under Scientific Utilization servation can be vitally important. any weather conditions. This radar sensor In the 21st century, it is difficult to Remote sensing data obtained from technology is to a large extent independent imagine our modern life without satellite space thus complement and complete of weather conditions such as cloud cover- services, whether the service is the daily ground-based measurements. They are age. This attribute contributes significantly weather report using meteorological sat- always essential if a global view of the to the operation, application and reliability ellites, the live transmission of an ongoing earth is required, as is the case, for exam- of the system, qualities that are increas- event from remote areas using modern ple, with weather monitoring or with in- ingly requested by many users, since data communication satellites, or the naviga- vestigation of the polar ice caps. Figure 2 are often required at a certain point in time tion of airplanes, cars and ships on the shows the Viedma Glacier in Patagonia. regardless of weather or time of day. world’s oceans by means of global posi- With the new TerraSAR-X radar sat- With SAR, the earth’s surface is tioning system satellites. ellite, land masses of the earth, as well as “illuminated” with short pulses radiated

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 26 by a radar antenna. The radar pulse is re- solar generator, 5.25 square meters in size, Here the digital map replaces or supports flected from the earth’s surface, and the which ensures the supply of energy by the land surveyor on site. so-called radar echo is received by the an- means of gallium arsenide solar cells. With the aid of a landscape model, tenna and recorded. In order to achieve a The data recorded by the SAR instru- mobile telephone companies can simulate high spatial resolution, a technical trick ment are transferred via a downlink an- the propagation of the radio waves and is applied: The satellite with the SAR in- tenna to the ground receiving station. The determine the optimum positions for their strument moves at high velocity over the antenna is secured to a 3.3-meter-long antenna masts. While still in the planning earth’s surface. During the over flight, the mast in order to avoid interferences caused phase, it is possible to expose “radio holes” echoes of many radiated radar pulses are by the radar antenna. The mast is folded and remove them by careful positioning of summarized. The result is equivalent to up during the launch and is extended only the masts. By now, one year after the launch a very large radar antenna (synthetic ap- after positioning of the satellite into its or- of TerraSAR-X, because of these technical erture), proportional to the distance the bit. It allows simultaneous acquisition of possibilities there are many requests from satellite traveled in this period of time. new data by the radar and transmission of private companies for the digital data. With this technique the spatial resolution previously stored data to the ground. The is increased in the flight direction, since it technology of the active, phase-controlled Public/Private Partnership depends upon the size of the antenna. antenna enables a high flexibility and mis- In the past, space projects have been A SAR system like TerraSAR-X can be sion efficiency. almost exclusively financed by the state, operated in different imaging modes, in While in the case of a passive system, due to their high costs and global mission order to achieve various results. The active the whole radar antenna or even the sat- objectives. With further technological antenna enables users to switch rapidly ellite must be rotated in order to align among different imaging methods: the antenna onto the target area, the ac- 2 tive antenna of TerraSAR-X can steer its 1. In the spotlight mode, the radar image radar pulses in a specific direction. The records an area of 5 to 10 by 10 km antenna is 4.8 meters long and 80 centi- size. In this manner a maximum reso- meters wide. The satellite is designed in a lution of up to one meter is achieved. way that it can be installed, together with its antenna at its full size, on the launch 2. In the strip map mode, the satellite vehicle. In this way, a complex unfolding images a strip of 30 km width and a mechanism can be avoided. maximum length of 1,500 km. The With radar instruments, various fre- resolution is three meters. quency ranges of the radar spectrum can be observed, the so-called bands. Terra- 3. In the ScanSAR mode, a strip of 100 SAR-X is operated in the X-band, which is km width and 1,500 km maximum lying at a frequency around 9.65 GHz, cor- length is scanned with a resolution of responding to a wavelength of about 3 cm. 16 meters. Thanks to the exact information concerning the contours of the earth—gained The approximately 1.3-ton Terra- with the TerraSAR-X—scientists can, SAR-X spacecraft is based on the EADS for example, predict along which routes Astrium Flexbus concept and has an ex- the water will flow on the surface of our tensive heritage from the successful Chal- planet. By means of “virtual flooding” of lenging Mini-satellite Payload “CHAMP” the digital landscape on the computer, it is and from Gravity Recovery and Climate possible to simulate the effects of long du- Experiment “GRACE” missions. The ration rainfalls and to predict flooded ar- 5-meter-long and 2.4-meter-wide satellite eas and their effects on the environment. bus features a structure with a hexagonal When exact height data is combined cross-section. One of the six sides carries with information concerning the natural the 5-meter-long and 80-cm-wide ra- cover and the surface structures created dar antenna. The electronic boxes of the by people, such as streets and buildings, SAR instrument and the satellite bus are construction companies are better able to also fitted on the side faces of the struc- plan power lines, oil pipelines, and also ture, in just the same way as the satellite’s railway lines and bridges on the computer. imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 27 3 4

development, particular areas of space tribution to the project, EADS Astrium the world by a Direct Access Partner. activities have also begun to interest the GmbH is obliged to develop a portfolio Direct Access Customers and Di- private market. Today remotely sensed of innovative TerraSAR-X-based prod- rect Access Partners around the globe Earth data and the information ex- ucts and services and to establish a global will operate their own ground stations tracted from this data are also increas- distribution network. For this purpose, and be able to receive the data directly ingly required for private-sector applica- EADS Astrium founded its 100% subsid- from the spacecraft. Infoterra GmbH tions alongside scientific utilization. It iary Infoterra GmbH in 2001. Infoterra’s establishes its distribution headquarters is therefore the objective of the national portfolio comprises data products, appli- in Germany and provides data, specific Earth remote sensing program to trans- cations, and distribution partnerships. geo-information, and TerraSAR-X ap- fer the extraction of this type of data in plications to clients worldwide. the long term to the private sector, and Commercial Utilization to open a self-supporting, sustainable These data products are of high interest Legal Situation: Data Security area of business. on the free market. Infoterra offers Terra- In order to carry out the mission suc- For TerraSAR-X, a cooperation agree- SAR-X data in different levels of refine- cessfully, various facilities are required on ment forms the basis of the collaboration ment. They range from Basic Image Prod- Earth–the so-called ground segment. The between the state and the private sector. ucts (raw image data that can be acquired satellite is controlled from the DLR ground This agreement was signed on March in different imaging modes, polarizations, station in Weilheim, near Oberpfaffen- 25, 2002, by the DLR space agency and and geometric projections according to hofen. Both the command channel and the EADS Astrium GmbH. DLR placed a clients’ specifications) to Enhanced Image data transfer will be encrypted to prevent contract for the development, assembly Products (orthorectified images or mosaics unauthorized access. DLR Neustrelitz pro- and launch of the satellite to EADS Astri- from several scenes) all the way to Geoin- vides the TSX-data downlink capabilities. um. The DLR research institutes are un- formation Products that contain significant Data acquired by TerraSAR-X have a dertaking the development of the satellite information such as change detections. quality that, until recently, could be pro- operating system, as well as the ground The concept for the commercial ex- duced only by classified military satel- segment for reception of the radar data ploitation of TerraSAR-X includes the lites. These data are security-relevant. Ef- and its processing, archiving, calibration marketing of so-called Direct Access fects of weapons or political threats can and distribution. Moreover, DLR is re- Services. These provide TerraSAR-X im- be substantially strengthened by these sponsible for the operation of the satellite agery either for immediate use by an end earth remote sensing data. over a period of five years. user, the Direct Access Customer, or for In German law there had been no reg- Apart from the direct financial con- further distribution in a specific region of ulations concerning distribution of data

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 28 or pictures of such quality. TerraSAR-X made a new law necessary. In addition, almost all efficient earth observing systems are dependent on U.S. construction units. The U.S. makes an export license for these construction units dependent on the fact that national regulations exist. Security interests must consider this when producing or distributing the earth remote sensing data. Regulations of the new data security law in Germany are focused on examination of the distribution or accessibility of products of earth remote sensing data. This examination is necessary only if the data obtained from an earth remote sensing system were technically able to endan- ger the security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany. Great demands are made on operating with such high-quality earth remote sensing systems, demands 5 that prevent satellites like the TerraSAR-X from being commanded by unauthorized Figure 3 entities and that protect important data Tourist and agricultural land use on Mount Egmont in New Zealand: TerraSAR-X supports agricul- from being inspected by unauthorized tural mapping services through multitemporal and multipolarization observations and facilitates ones. For this reason, the administration large area assessments. of the earth remote sensing system must be approved and supervised. Figure 4 The examination of the distribution The biggest man-made hole, a copper surface mining operation in the center of the Atacama Desert or accessibility has to be arranged only in on the west coast of South America: TerraSAR-X offers completely new perspectives for the monit- part by the provider of the data. By arrang- oring of urban environments, as this example shows, observing long-term surface displacement. ing this examination with sole respon- sibility, he could spread the data almost Figure 5 completely without official participation. The highly frequented Strait of Gibraltar in Spain: Along Track Interferometry allows, among other Therefore, the provider of the data has to things, the detection of moving objects such as cars or ships. examine the data in connection with the concrete customer request, based on the possibly concerned, then the spread of data be financed solely by the industry from the possible endangerment of security inter- by the provider is subject to an official profits achieved with TerraSAR-X. The ests. The examination takes place on the permission and certain limitations. The project, TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital basis of specific criteria, which are given authority examines the inquiry and can Elevation Measurement, (TanDEM-X), by the authority and which guarantee a permit it without change or can, in certain is intended to generate a global digital el- fast, automated examination. cases, limit the use and circulation of data evation model of all terrestrial landmasses Relevant criteria are fourfold: the in- of certain target areas, limit sending data with an accuracy that has not yet been formation content of the data; the person to certain ground segments, limit permis- reached. This precision can be achieved by who inquires, as well as his customers; the sible sensor operating mode or limit the complementing TerraSAR-X with the ad- requested target area; and the desired time. quality of manufacturing of the data. ditional TanDEM-X satellite of nearly the If the result of this examination is that no same design in a tandem orbit configura- possibility of a security risk exists, then the The Future tion. The two satellites will fly in a tight data provider can distribute the data. Ad- Designers are already planning a fol- formation with only a few hundred meters ministrative proceedings are not necessary. low-up system that will replace the satel- of separation in approximately the same If the examination of the inquiry comes lite at the end of its operational life, an- orbit. TanDEM-X is designed for a mis- to the conclusion that security interests are ticipating that this follow-up system will sion duration period of five years. imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 29 Kidnapping

US Embassy bogota Significant Choke Point

Possible Factory Location

Bogota

Violence / Kidnapping A Mission-Critical Vital Segment in Defense and Civilian Intelligence

On September 11, 2001, the world changed, altering the kind of warfare our country will be engaged in for many years to come. While terrorism wasn’t new to our nation, facing a “stateless” enemy capable of executing the largest attack on civilians within our borders dramatically altered our national priorities and our thinking on modern warfare needs. Suddenly, we were at war with an enemy that didn’t have a capital, a flag, a prov- ince or even specific targets. The “game” had changed. The era of Information Warfare was born.

Figure 1 This image provides the base data representing a sample scenario in which viewers learn about the potential risks that may be encoun- tered by building a factory (dark blue box) near our nation’s embassy (light blue circle) in Bogota, Colombia. Critical data has been aggregated, filtered and analyzed to provider users with a greater understanding of not only the environment, but also relevant events that have occurred in the past such as kidnappings, bombings, violent crime and major traffic choke points.

Mark Dumas Founder and CEO Kidnapping SPADAC McLean, Va. www.spadac.com

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 31 Fighting Back with nology can play a critical role. The result is cisions for a range of global operational Information and Technology faster, actionable intelligence through pre- and business challenges. Industry responded to meet the de- dictive analytics. Reports and rumors and The goal of implementing these new mands of this new kind of warfare, de- the analysis of social networks are distilled technology systems is to stay ahead of veloping technology that could be applied and fused to narrow down options. the threat. It’s about preventing another successfully to support military and intel- 9/11 disaster—being able to pre-empt and ligence communities, as well as federal New Technologies disrupt the plans of those with nefarious civilian organizations, state governments Keep Us One Step Ahead intent who would do us harm. It’s about and even commercial markets. In September, GeoEye sent up its trying to get ahead of the curve. Informa- Different people and organizations satellite GeoEye-1, the world’s highest tion fusion and distillation make achiev- have different descriptions of the grow- resolution commercial Earth-imaging ing that goal possible. ing area of Information Warfare. Some of satellite. As more devices are them wrongly assume it’s the version we developed and launched to most often see and hear about from Holly- listen, watch and communi- wood: scenarios that depict how the count- cate, and the frequency of col- ry might perform in response to a network lection increases, so does the attack on the Pentagon or on U.S. intel- quantity of data that requires ligence systems information technology distillation and analysis. For infrastructure. But Information Warfare, example, new technologies in its broadest sense, is the fight against all are now available that allow hazards, man-made or natural, through for data collection wirelessly, the processing of all relevant, available regardless of weather. The information using technology that helps crucial role technology plays us prepare for, prevent and respond to the in the back-end management, worst that man and nature can unfold. distillation, assessment and analysis of this huge mass of Figure 2 Data Collection and Fusion: Keys to relevant data is growing daily. By analyzing a wide variety of multi-variate data sources, Combating Terrorism and Insurgency Conversely, the analytical each with their own relationship to environment, predic- The individuals powering the war capability and expertise of our tive analytics systems can help teams better understand against us immerse themselves in the fab- nation is changing. A genera- the tactics, techniques and procedures of adversaries to enhance situational awareness and mitigate risks of all ric of communities of the relatively good, tion of intelligence analysts is kinds. For example, this sample map generated by SPADAC’s and hide weapons behind curtains of in- beginning to leave their posts, Signature Analyst tool illuminates hotspot areas that are nocent children, schools, hospitals and with expertise built up during geospatially similar to locations where past events of family homes. To combat an unseen en- the Cold War. At the same interest have occurred, allowing decision-makers to better emy in this modern age, the keys are data time, the intelligence methods anticipate threats and respond accordingly. collection and fusion. used are changing. The indus- Information Warfare uses data collec- try has moved away from Cold War types Intelligence to tion, fusion and distillation techniques to of analyses, and the technology and tools Prepare and Respond obtain accurate and timely information, are becoming more complex. Computer technology can be used thereby creating an advantage for the Today, we have technologies that help not only to visualize, interpret and filter, U.S. and its allies. Conduct of the war in analysts cut through the clutter, such as but also to help prepare and react to oc- Iraq provides a good example. Concrete Signature Analyst, developed and released currences. knowledge is required in times when de- by SPADAC earlier this year. Signature Even for intelligence preparation for cisions are crucial, such as determining Analyst is a decision support system that the environment, spatial intelligence what house contains the bomb-making delivers enhanced objectivity by discern- technology can be used to develop rel- team that is intent on further destruction ing subtle yet powerful and actionable in- evant, effective operational and tactical and loss of life. sights, maximizing likelihood of success. plans to help visualize the battlefield and In a civilian neighborhood where we Combining predictive analytics with spa- develop the course of action prior to ever can’t afford to send soldiers or government tial information, as well as human terrain leaving the briefing room. When prepar- law enforcement personnel to go blindly and social networking elements, Signature ing for the battlefield, whether it is a city door to door—for both practical and po- Analyst delivers effective consequence block, mountain terrain or jungle, we can litical reasons—spatial information tech- modeling and improved confidence in de- develop a 3D model of locations, identify

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 32 what could happen, determine distances formation Warfare makes it relatively im- cross-correlate for rapid non-obvious re- for escape routes, identify speed limits, mune to funding reallocation. Even if we lationship discovery. assess how quickly vehicles can move have an aggressive defense funding cut, Also, there’s a new generation of sol- across any given terrain, and more. All the area of Information Warfare should diers who are digitally friendly today. these predictive analytics can help even continue to increase. Let’s face it: most soldiers have iPods in a relatively small operation be more Unlike jeeps or tanks—hardware re- their flak jackets and laser i-sights on their successful, particularly those involving quired to support the forward warfight- weapons. More intelligence tools are being discrete teams of the special operations er—Information Warfare technologies forward deployed every day, and that will community who depend on information are capable of fighting adversarial net- continue, whether to soldiers in the field, to ensure relative superiority over their works. When the right solutions and tools to law enforcement in the city, or to safety typically larger adversaries. are implemented to allow teams to apply workers during natural disasters. Of course, this technology is equally resources more surgically, to better posi- Ultimately, therefore, the future tech- valuable in assessing various forms of tion troops and equipment, and to help nologies will be tools that can be used by risk for non-military applications. For increase overall safety, the ability to mini- smart users—a broader group of users that example, if a commercial or governmen- mize the loss of life or injury can create a will include even the warfighters them- tal organization were considering build- significant return on investment. selves. There still won’t be any magic but- ing a factory in Bogota, Colombia, that Currently, appropriations supporting tons you can press to solve all problems or organization would need to complete an this segment are hard to quantify because answer all questions automatically. How- analysis of personnel and asset protection the services and solutions that support In- ever, the tools will do more of the heavy risk, based on their chosen location (see formation Warfare strategies run through- lifting and filtering for the subject matter Figures 1 and 2). In this example scenario, out a cross-section of the federal govern- experts and analysts, enabling analytical to understand the potential threats, a wide ment’s budget. While the overall segment success through faster, more efficient data variety of disparate data would be identi- is still very minor compared with overall processing, information location, and fied as relevant, correlated and ingested to defense and civilian total budgets, a ceiling knowledge discovery. There is still no way provide decision makers with actionable in the future is unlikely. to replace that human factor, but we’ll intelligence on the status of risk. Data take tools another step further, making that might be included in such an analysis What the Future Holds them more user-friendly and creating new may include incidents of kidnappings, car We’ve seen the efficiencies that result form factors (dashboard or GUI interfac- bombings or other criminal activity in the from predictive analytics tools, and we’ve es) that enable use of complex information surrounding area, potential choke points been working to fill in the gaps. For - ex technology with minimal training. in roadways that would hinder escape ample, we’ve been exploring solutions routes, and other environmental factors. that are predictive in nature, such as loca- Asking the Right Questions tion analysis and timeline analysis. We’re The questions to be asked in devel- Evolving Needs Dictate also looking at unique solutions involving oping future technologies for these tech- Increased Funding changes and patterns in time. Going for- savvy individuals and groups will be As the nature of armed conflict and ward, we will see those types of functions more like these: “What do they need?” administrations change, demand will and technologies becoming more and “How forward does it need to be?” continue for cutting-edge Information more mature. “Which part of the solution needs to be Warfare initiatives and programs in the Technologies that can connect to da- done from D.C.?” intelligence arena, including geographic tabases to find non-obvious relationships Opportunities for small businesses information service (GIS) requirements are also becoming more and more valu- to play an important role to address cer- as part of the Information Warfare land- able. As the quantity of information avail- tain deficiencies in existing systems and scape. Tremendous opportunities for able to digest continues to build, computer to come up with solutions will continue innovative technology companies will technology will catch up. Already, the to be significant. SPADAC, for example, abound in this field. Beyond the battle- technology we’re creating today is ingest- is working with an outstanding cadre of field, GIS and related technologies and ing data in ways we couldn’t have imag- intelligence, defense, civilian, and com- solutions also bring great value to civilian ined 10 years ago. mercial organizations to develop the most and commercial applications. For example, tools for collecting data advanced tools available today. We look As funding has grown in this niche, are going to continue to increase in quan- forward to continuing to help those and the solutions and technology supporting tity and functionality. As a result, we’ll other organizations move the technologies the Information Warfare era have contin- likely see more collective device types, and solutions within the Information War- ued to evolve. The critical nature of In- leading to more information we can fare segment further into the future. imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 33 Weather Climate Communities Bring Transition Document to Next Administration

Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, like other natural disasters in recent years, demonstrated both the nation’s progress and its shortcomings with regard to predicting, preparing for and responding to severe weather and a changing climate.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 34 The track forecasts issued by The cited NRC recommendations are communities can adequately prepare for the National Weather Service’s those included in its 2007 study, “Earth these events, requires significant invest- National Hurricane Center for Science and Applications from Space: Na- ment in ocean science, access to data both Gustav and Ike were fairly consistent tional Imperatives for the Next Decade though observatories, and computa- and, as it turned out, quite accurate. The and Beyond,” (“The Decadal Study”) tional infrastructure for modeling,” Ga- result was adequate advance warning for which identified 17 satellite missions gosian said. “The ocean is the missing those who would find themselves in the necessary over the next decade to ensure piece of the climate equation. The ocean path of these storms. continuity of existing observations, and holds and transfers vast amounts of heat, On the other hand, meteorologists those expected in “Observing Weather carbon and water across the globe. Bet- were much less confident in their predic- and Climate From the Ground Up, A Na- ter understanding of these circulation tions of storm intensity at landfall. Fore- tionwide Network of Networks,” a study patterns and sea-atmosphere exchange casts fluctuated from Category 1 (74-95 scheduled for an October release. processes are essential for understand- mph winds) to Category 4 (131-155 mph), The transition document estimates the ing and predicting global and regional which translated into significant swings in recommended satellite missions would cost climate systems.” anticipated damage and overall impacts. almost $3.7 billion between 2010 and 2014, The report recommends nearly $2.1 Coincidentally, these two devastat- with cost estimates for the needed ground- billion in ocean-observing initiatives being and deadly storms ravaged the Gulf based instruments yet to be determined. tween 2010 and 2014. Coast just weeks after the University John Snow, co-chair of the Weather Corporation for Atmospheric Research Coalition, a group that advocates on be- 2. Computing released its report, “Advice to the New half of the private, public and academic “Greatly increase the computer power Administration and Congress: Actions sectors of the weather community, em- available for weather and climate research, to Make our Nation Resilient to Severe phasized the importance of observations predictions, and related applications,” Weather and Climate Change.” during a media teleconference about the reads the transition document’s second Developed by UCAR together with transition document. recommendation. “Current climate mod- seven other organizations, the so-called “The first step in understanding the els do a reasonable job of providing use- “transition document” is intended to climate system is to really do a better job ful information at the global level, but provide guidance to the next administ- of observing both the atmosphere and the most climate change and severe weather ration and Congress. Implementing the ocean,” said Snow, who is also dean of the impacts will be managed at local and re- report’s recommendations would cost an College of Geosciences at the University gional levels (e.g., public health and safety, estimated $9.8 billion more than what of Oklahoma and director of the Okla- water and ecosystem management, energy the nation is currently planning to spend homa Weather Center. “We have a good production and use, food production, in five specific areas of concern: understanding, we think, of what needs transportation services, recreation oppor- to be measured. We have some idea of the tunities, military readiness).” 1. Observations technology needed to do it. But to deploy Most of today’s computer models can “Fully fund the Earth observing system a global observing system of the scale that only simulate climate changes on scales from satellite and ground-based instru- we need to make the observations is essen- as small as around 100 kilometers, ac- ments as recommended by the National tial. We have to do that to be able to actu- cording to Snow. Research Council,” the report advises. ally use the computers wisely.” “Right now we’re dealing at resolu- “Observations from both space and the Improved observations of the ocean are tions of hundreds of kilometers, which re- ground are key to monitoring climate and critical for better understanding and for ally just barely resolves the Rocky Mount- weather variables and developing climate predicting weather and climate, according ains. What we would really like to be able and weather models. These observations to Robert Gagosian, president of the non- to do is run numerical models of the future will be essential in monitoring the prog- profit Consortium for Ocean Leadership. climate at scales of tens of kilometers so ress and success of any carbon emission “Our ability to accurately predict we can pick up important terrain features reduction initiative (e.g., cap-and-trade).” the path and intensity of storms, so that and are able to see the level of detail so

Figure 1 Hurricane Ike in a photo from Sept. 10, 2008 that was downlinked by the crew of the International Dan Stillman Space Station, flying 220 statute miles above Earth. The center of the hurricane was near 23.8 Science Communications Manager degrees north latitude and 85.3 degrees west longitude, moving 300 degrees at 7 nautical miles Institute for Global Environmental Strategies per hour. The sustained winds were 80 nautical miles per hour with gusts to 100 nautical miles per Arlington, Va. hour and forecast to intensify. Photo Credit: NASA. www.strategies.org

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 35 we can answer people’s questions at the county and state level,” he said. The report notes that there are existing computers capable of resolving the desired level of detail, “but the climate community does not have enough access to them to meet the demand of modeling climate at these local and regional scales.” The report recommends more than $7.2 billion in upgrades to climate and weather supercomputing between 2010 and 2014, with the funding going to the nation’s four primary climate modeling agencies—the National Science Founda- tion, NOAA, NASA and the Department Figure 2 of Energy. Satellite image of Hurricane Ike captured on Sept. 13, 2008 one hour prior to landfall in Galveston, Texas. Diameter of the eye is 75 km. Image courtesy of ESA, 2008, captured and processed by CSTARS/UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI under license from Eurimage. 3. Research and Modeling “Support a broad fundamental and applied research program in Earth sci- inadequate information and in the face of 5. Leadership and Management ences and related fields to advance pres- substantial climate feedback uncertainties “Implement effective leadership, ent understanding of weather and climate that may prove very costly to civilization,” management, and evaluation approaches and their impacts on society,” reads the Fellows said. to ensure that these investments are done report’s third recommendation. “We in the best interest of the nation. Strong, don’t start from zero—the U.S. Global 4. Societal Relevance qualified leaders must be appointed to Change Research Program (USGCRP) The fourth recommendation states, top policy positions,” reads the report’s and the Climate Change Science Pro- “Support education, training, and com- fifth recommendation. “Most important, gram (CCSP) provide a substantial base munications efforts to use the observa- an experienced and knowledgeable lead- of funding to work from.” tions, models, and application tools for er coordinating the overall federal effort The CCSP, an outgrowth of the US- the maximum benefit of society... We need should report directly to the President.” GCRP, coordinates research on climate to support programs that teach children at Specific recommendations include re- and global change among 13 federal an early age to collect, analyze, and apply vising the management structure of the agencies. The base annual funding for data to pressing environmental problems CCSP, optimizing the role of the Office the CCSP, expected to be around $1.9 in a way that will help develop the next of Science and Technology Policy, creat- billion in 2009, must be continued generation of environmental leaders. We ing an Earth system agency, and develop- through 2014, the report recommends, also need to equip emergency managers ing a comprehensive strategy to transition and accompanied by approximately $2 and other public and private officials with NASA research satellites into operational billion in additional funding between the needed tools and information to make NOAA weather and climate satellites. 2010 and 2014 in order to improve local and regional decisions.” As part of the document’s release, knowledge of Earth’s past and present Climate change is a particularly ef- UCAR and the report’s other sponsoring climate, reduce uncertainty in climate fective hook to attract young people to organizations are soliciting nominations projections, understand the impacts of science and engineering, according to for weather and climate leadership posi- climate change on natural and human Nancy Colleton, executive director of the tions in the next administration, and plan systems, and explore abilities to man- Alliance for Earth Observations, one of to share the names of those nominated age risks and opportunities that climate the report’s sponsoring organizations. with the next administration. change may bring about. “The topic of climate change is of On the international scale, the tran- Jack Fellows, UCAR’s vice presi- great interest to students and has tre- sition document urges the United States dent for corporate affairs, explains the mendous potential to draw them into to remain involved in the Global Earth importance of funding research and science and engineering careers like never Observations System of Systems, an ef- modeling activities. “Local and regional before,” Colleton said. “This is a genera- fort to integrate observations of the Earth decision makers continue to move for- tion that is concerned and wants to do collected by countries and organizations ward with climate-related planning with something about it.” around the world.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 36 “The range of case studies from different types of organisations across the globe is phenomenal – you don’t get that anywhere else”

Dr John Peaty, 19-22 January 2009 Special Projects, Defence Geographic Centre, Intelligence QEII Conference Centre, London Collection Group, UK Ministry of Defence

DGI 2009 Conference Focus: Lead Sponsor: • Using GIS in military action: Iraq & Afghanistan case studies • Civilian case studies of GIS use the world over: Co Sponsor: Heathrow Airport, Olympics, national security, crime prevention, blue light services & police • Web enabling your GIS infrastructure and services Sponsored By: • Effective use of mobile devices for GIS delivery • New technologies & infrastructure available for effective GIS use • Data management, sharing and common symbology • Networking with top government & military GIS professionals

DGI - A Truly International Event, Representing:

For sponsorship opportunities please contact Nick Harragin. Email: [email protected] or call 020 7368 9321.

T: +44 (0)207 368 9465 F: +44 (0)207 368 9401 Register Now! E: [email protected] W: www.dgieurope.com Quote Reference: IMAGE

4351 AW.indd 1 16/9/08 16:43:35 A Vital R New ADASource of GlobalRS Geospatial IntelliAT-2gence

3 Polarimetry: Increasing In December 2007, MacDonald, the Density and Accuracy Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) launched of Geospatial Information RADARSAT-2, which provides the world’s most SAR polarization refers to the or- ientation of the radar beam relative to advanced commercially available C-band radar im- the Earth’s surface. RADARSAT-2 can RADARSAT-2 agery. MDA is a key supplier of high-value conven- send and receive radar waves in both tional and operational small satellite missions for Horizontal (H) and Vertical (V) polarizations to produce co-polarized signals public and private customers around the world and (HH and VV) and cross-polarized sig- innovative solutions for multiple geospatial intelli- nals (HV and VH). gence applications. The company integrates com- RADARSAT-2 is the first commercial high-resolution SAR satel- mercial satellite data into defense and intelligence lite to offer quadrature polarization systems, from strategic command applications to (Quad-Pol) capabilities, effectively in-theatre support for the warfighter. four different polarization channels per image, to produce fully polarimet- The company’s heritage as a space mis- The Canadian Space Agency and MDA ric datasets (HH, HV, VV and VH). sion prime contractor has involved the developed a unique public-private partner- Quad-Pol data retains both the amp- development of several world firsts, in- ship to create the RADARSAT-2 mission. litude and phase information of the cluding Anik-C, the first direct broadcast MDA designed and built the satellite and radar waves, and the relative phase satellite; MSAT, the first mobile commu- ground segment and is responsible for the between the channels is also mea- nications satellite; and RADARSAT-1, the overall operation of the seven-year mission. sured. RADARSAT-2 can image with first commercial remote sensing synthetic The Space Agency’s investment in the pro- Selective Polarization (HH and HV) aperture radar (SAR) satellite. MDA also gram will be recovered through the guar- or (VH and VV), Single Polarization launched five small satellites, RapidEye, in anteed delivery of data products for a wide (HH), Quad-Polarization (HH, VV, August 2008. See story on page 19. range of Canadian government agencies. RADARSAT-2 is a multi-polarized RADARSAT-2 ensures the continu- Figure 3 commercial C-Band SAR satellite serving a ity of all RADARSAT-1 imaging modes. The east coast of Greenland and the northern end of the Sermilik fjord are shown here from follow-on mission to RADARSAT-1. RA- It has an extensive range of new features December 18, 2007, in the first RADARSAT-2 DARSAT-2 is a powerful tool for collecting that improve resolution, polarization sel- Standard Quad-Pol image, four days after global geospatial imagery through cloud ection, tasking and data delivery. Signifi- launch. It is a composite of the three radar cover and darkness. With more than 50 cant improvements include a state-of-the- data channels (HH, VV, HV) displayed in a red- imaging modes, polarimetric options, and art phased array SAR antenna composed green-blue colour scheme. The scene is ~25km x 50km, with 25m nominal resolution. huge data volume collection capacity, the of hundreds of miniature transmit-receive The Fenrisgletscher glacier—a large, slow near-real-time mission is operationally scal- modules. The antenna can be steered elect- moving valley glacier that feeds into the Sermi- able, with a ground segment that fits into ronically over the full range of a swath and lik fjord—is visible in the upper right corner of the existing U.S. government infrastructure switched instantaneously between operat- the image. Glaciers in this area produce large requirements. See Figure 1 on page 40. ing modes. See Figure 2 on page 40. volumes of icebergs that flow out to sea. In the fjord, variations in colour represent different RADARSAT-2 is an important new types of sea ice and leads (open water). The use data source of global geospatial intelli- of polarimetric data greatly improves ice edge Wade Larson gence. It offers very specific capabilities, detection and the identification of ice types as Director of Business Development the advantages of multi-polarized SAR, well as increasing ice topography and struc- MDA Space Missions and applications of its specialized im- tural information. The information provided can Richmond, BC, Canada be used for ship navigation, and land/sea ice age products for defense and intelligence www.mdacorporation.com studies such as the position of glacier termini communities. to support environmental monitoring.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 39 measure to traditional denial and decep- tion (D&D) techniques, such as camou- flage or decoys.

Actionable Geospatial Intelligence for Defense RADARSAT-2 can play a vital role in multi-sensor surveillance programs for defense and intelligence applications. Its ability to perform regardless of weather conditions or time of day makes it a reliable source of geospatial intelligence for defense applications. Decision makers can receive actionable intelligence products within hours of downlink. The rapid revisit schedule 1 and responsiveness to time-sensitive operations are also important. The U.S. government has been using data from the RADARSAT family of satellites for 13 years. In that time, RADARSAT missions have established themselves as a trusted and proven source of powerful near-real-time surveillance products. RADARSAT-2 is an exciting new source of geospatial intelligence for defense users. It offers a broad suite of applications, utility, and flexibility that can be readily integrated into existing U.S. government infrastructure. As the prime contractor for the mission ground segment and the supplier of the U.S. Air Force 2 Eagle Vision transportable multi-satellite ground station, MDA can rapidly enable Faster Tasking, More Beam Modes delivery of RADARSAT-2 imagery to all Figure 1 Improvements in tasking, collection, levels of the American defense and intel- RADARSAT-2 was launched in December 2007. and dissemination make RADARSAT-2 a ligence communities. powerful surveillance tool. RADARSAT-1 The recent successful completion of Figure 2 tasking lead time for data acquisition was the U.S. Air Force/MDA space radar Tan- RADARSAT-2 imaging modes and ground resolution measured in days; with RADARSAT-2, dem Mission Demonstration Program it is measured in hours. Optimized space conclusively demonstrated RADAR- HV, VH), or Selective Single Polar- and ground systems focused on respon- SAT-2’s operational responsiveness, ization (HH, HV, VH, VV). Figure 3 siveness to users places RADARSAT-2 inter-operability, and warfighter util- shows the first Standard Quad-Pol im- at the forefront of commercial mission ity for a broad range of Department of age from the satellite, four days after TCPED (Tasking, Collection, Processing, Defense and intelligence community us- launch. The information in a Quad- Exploitation and Dissemination) levels. ers. During the first half of 2008, MDA Pol dataset greatly improves the abil- The left- and right-looking capabil- provided roughly 5,000 RADARSAT-2 ity to characterize physical proper- ity of the satellite increases its revisit time data products in support of a broad ties of objects and to retrieve bio- or for Wide Area Surveillance, and the new range of terrestrial and maritime appli- geophysical properties of the Earth’s high-resolution and polarimetric beam cations across both the intelligence and surface. modes can provide an effective counter- warfighter communities. These included

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 40 PGM (Precision Guided Munitions) tar- niques to estimate the range-direction (C-HH) and ERS (C-VV) SAR data. geting, Indications and Warning, broad speed of moving objects. The SMTI Results showed that ship-sea contrast is area Coherence Change Detection, and information product indicates the esti- higher for HH polarization, making RA- Maritime Domain Awareness. mated speed of detected targets in both DARSAT-1 suitable for target detection. terrestrial and maritime environments. The results also demonstrated that VV Advanced Geospatial Intelligence Products Open Ocean Surveillance Figure 4 RADARSAT-2 data can be delivered The Open Ocean Surveillance Ships in a busy port are readily detected and as raw imagery or as an Advanced Geo- (OOS) value-added product is for ship classified in this RADARSAT-2 image. spatial Intelligence (AGI) product. AGIs detection, providing accurate estimates are derived from a single SAR image or of ship length and direction. Ship class multiple SAR images that can be single, may also be estimated depending on the dual, or quad-polarized, across the range RADARSAT-2 image mode and resolu- of available resolutions. The information tion. Powerful algorithms automate the content of the image comes from computer- production of ship detection informa- based algorithms that usually require tion products, requiring limited opera- some form of operator intervention. An tor intervention. Rapid production and AGI product may be considered as a tacti- accuracy create domain awareness in cal decision aid if the TCPED cycle occurs support of naval operations. within hours. In contrast, if the TCPED cycle occurs within days, the AGI product Maritime Domain Awareness would be a strategic decision aid. RADARSAT-2 data has significant An AGI product may entail quantita- potential to play a key role in support of tive information derived from the image international Maritime Domain Aware- or may be an annotated product contain- ness. Drug transport corridors and ille- ing end-user relevant features and targets. gal vessels typically transit open ocean, Examples of AGI products for selected de- avoiding areas that are known to be fense and intelligence end users include: regularly and accurately monitored by traditional methods and sensors. Detec- • Air Force: Target product showing tion and interdiction of illegal vessels 4a precise target locations; digital elevation relies heavily on a wide range of sen- models to support mission planning sors and platforms used in an effort to track suspected targets from their point 4b • Navy: Ocean features product for of origin to their destination. operational oceanography SAR imagery from RADARSAT-1 has advanced the ability to monitor the • Army: Terrain mobility product depict- world’s oceans, particularly in the areas ing land classes; coherence change of ship detection, oil spill monitoring, detection or polarimetric change and ocean wave surveillance, as it pro- detection for situational awareness vides a direct measurement of the surface wave field. • Marine Corps: Coastal-zone product The two basic approaches used for to support amphibious operations ship detection are detection of the wake signature, and detection of the ship tar- Expanding on these applications, get itself. RADARSAT-2 not only pro- here are several detailed examples of vides continuity to RADARSAT-1, but RADARSAT-2 utility: also offers specific improvements for ship detection applications such as the Surface Moving Target Indicator dual polarization modes that are avail- RADARSAT-2 has Surface Moving able in all RADARSAT-2 beam modes. Target Indicator (SMTI) capability that This improvement expands on re- uses along-track interferometry tech- search done using RADARSAT-1 imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 41 polarization provides more information greater range of incidence angles than potential for ship classification. Figure 4 about the sea state for improved detec- RADARSAT-1, and the VV/VH com- shows a port scene with ship detection tion of ship wakes. bination provides both target detection and classification. Polarimetric data RADARSAT-2’s cross-polarized (VH) and the ship wake analysis (VV). are not available on SCANSAR beam component (VH or HV) enables target RADARSAT-2’s Ultra-Fine beam modes, which are best suited to ship detection at smaller incidence angles. mode (3-m resolution) improves ship tracking or to surveillance of regions The HH/HV combination provides detection and, in combination with fully with limited spatial extent such as small optimized target detection over a polarimetric (Quad-Pol) data, offers the bays and harbors.

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 42 RADARSAT-2 complements exist- purpose of creating a global DEM to ing shore-based radar and airborne ap- HRTI-3. Previously thought to be little data proaches to monitoring for detecting more than an objective for the future, ships, as well as existing homeland de- the results have shown that a tandem fense and law enforcement doctrine. mission combining RADARSAT-2 and A multitude of unmanned aerial ve- a quick-to-launch clone satellite are hicles (UAVs), manned aircraft, and opt- more than capable of such a feat, with ical space sensors would be needed to quality and accuracy levels far exceed- cover the RADARSAT-2 satellite tran- ing the current baseline SRTM (Shuttle sit area. The Wide Area Surveillance Radar Topography Mission) dataset. coverage capability of RADARSAT-2 is See Figure 6 for contrast between SRTM an ideal complement to existing persis- data and RADARSAT-2. tent surveillance programs employing To date, MDA has supplied more conventional platforms and sensors. than 5,000 RADARSAT-2 images to See Figure 5 showing Wide Area Sur- the U.S. Air Force, where it has been veillance coverage of Thunder Bay. evaluated for interferometric potential data (DEM creation), wide-area surveillance, Change Detection change and target detection, intelligence, RADARSAT-2 is well suited to col- mapping, and subsidence. Results and 6 lecting imagery for detailed change user feedback have been very positive. detection. Whether coherence, ampli- tude, or subsidence change detection, Figure 5 the millimeter elevation accuracy of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, RADARSAT-2 ScanSAR Narrow B with dual polarization (Transmit VV; Receive VH; R:VH G:VH B:VV), taken March 3, 2008. RADARSAT-2 interferometry provides Widespread ice that has formed on the western edge of Lake Superior can be seen in this analysts with access to even the most colour composite view of the RADARSAT-2 data. ScanSAR Narrow B is well suited to the detection subtle of environmental changes. and classification of ice and is used operationally to monitor ice formation and movement in the great lakes due to its large footprint (300 km in width - can cover several hundreds of kms along Land Target Detection track) with very good resolution (50m) and frequent revisit (1-2 days at this latitude). This image also appears on the cover. and Classification RADARSAT-2’s active sensor and multiple beam modes are well suited Figure 6 to target detection and classification. This image illustrates the difference between RADARSAT-2 and SRTM interferometry. Combined with the superior change detection capabilities and high revisit RADARSAT-2 was developed with information-rich data, and unmatched cycle, an unparalleled volume of cur- input from operational defense users, TCPED cycle position it at the fore- rent, accurate information of global ac- and as a result, it has an exception- front of commercial satellite missions tivities is now accessible to defense and ally responsive TCPED cycle—a criti- for modern defense and intelligence intelligence users. cal factor to consider when merging applications. MDA’s space and ground commercial imagery into defense and segment experience, and its ongoing Global HRTI-3 DEM Potential intelligence workflow. The mission’s work to meet changing requirements of SAR imagery has some significant flexibility, access, capacity, and imag- defense and intelligence communities, advantages over conventional optical ing capabilities point to the creation are advancing the level of sensors, algo- satellite imagery, because the active sen- of a next-generation global DEM that rithms, infrastructure, and applications sor can image in darkness and through raises the level of our ability to under- for next-generation maritime surveil- heavy cloud cover. It is also well suited stand and model the entire planet in the lance, target detection, tracking, clas- to rapidly collecting and deriving de- digital domain. sification, and change detection. tailed terrain information on a global RADARSAT-2 is the world’s most level for the creation of high-resolution advanced commercial SAR mission. It credits digital elevation models (DEMs). has been designed expressly for high- RADARSAT-2 Data and Products © MacDonald, MDA has been working with the throughput operational geospatial intel- Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (2008) - All Rights Reserved. RADARSAT is an official mark U.S. Air Force on a rigorous evalua- ligence users. Its staggering data collec- of the Canadian Space Agency. tion of RADARSAT-2 imagery for the tion capacity, flexible imaging modes, imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 43 guest editorial hindsight

www.GEOINT2008.com Register now and SAVE up to $200!

Join us for the ﬁve-year anniversary of the GEOINT SYMPOSIUM and hear from these exciting keynote speakers:

Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, U.S. Army Mr. Scott F. Large Director, National Security Agency Director, National Reconnaissance Ofﬁce

Mr. Kevin P. Meiners Mr. Charles E. Allen Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Portfolios, Programs and Resources, Ofﬁce of the Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

The Honorable James R. Clapper Jr. The Honorable J. Michael McConnell Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Director of National Intelligence Ofﬁce of the Secretary of Defense

Maj. Gen. John M. Custer, U.S. Army Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, U.S. Navy Commanding General, Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency U.S. Army Intelligence Center

Gen. C. Robert “Bob” Kehler, U.S. Air Force imagingAir notesMarshal // StuFall Peach, 2008 // U.K. www.imagingnotes.com Royal Air Force 44 Commander, Air Force Space Command Chief of Defence Intelligence, Ministry of Defence

The Honorable R. James Woolsey Venture Partner, Ofﬁcial Media Sponsor VantagePoint Venture Partners NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher confers with fellow co-chairs and national representatives during the first ad hoc meeting of the Group on Earth Observations, August 1, 2003.

guest editorial hindsight

At a time when we should be thanking him for all that he has done, he graciously acknowledges others around him.

(continued from page 46) Earth Observation System of Systems awareness of the need to move quickly with had become very clear that Lautenbach- (GEOSS), without which, among other technologies to respond to global change. er—the former vice-admiral who had once things, it will be impossible to monitor the These skills will be important in meeting played the banjo on Hootenanny—would viability and progress of any worldwide NOAA’s future mission needs, such as be key to leading the U.S., as well as agreement to reduce green house gasses establishing a national climate service and other nations, to implement GEOSS. and mitigate global warming.” fielding and deploying integrated systems No one would argue that much work The establishment of GEOSS is, in itself, needed in the future. remains to be done to realize GEOSS. a great achievement, and yet Lautenbacher’s Frederick Nordlund, former Wash- Data policy, gaps in measurements, legacy as NOAA Administrator goes even ington representative for European Space quality assurance, interoperability issues, further and “raises the bar” for future NOAA Agency, recently spoke with me and said science and applications priorities, and Administrators. It will be extremely important how he regretted hearing of Lautenbach- the role of the private sector are all issues for the next NOAA Administrator to possess er’s resignation. He stated, “I don’t think that remain to be more fully resolved attributes similar to those that Lautenbacher we have ever seen a NOAA Administrator within the GEOSS context. brought to the position–including manage- like Lautenbacher. Not only did he do so In the U.S., it is not clear who will ment of operational programs, an under- much for NOAA, he did so much for the fill Lautenbacher’s role, whether a new standing of how we might leverage defense world. We will miss him.” administration will support GEOSS, capabilities to benefit the civil sector, and Well said, Frederick. and whether appropriate funding will be made available to fast-track the U.S. contribution to GEOSS. However, the potential remains strong for what Fast, accurate LiDAR! a system of systems could deliver to Accurate LiDAR data is the perfect complement to high resolution aerial imagery. MJ Harden utilizes advanced society to better manage the planet. multipulse technology that captures high-precision elevation Not surprisingly, Lautenbacher in his data more rapidly than conventional methods. September 23rd message recognized the u Advanced LiDAR Acquisition and Processing summit and GEOSS as one of NOAA’s u High-Resolution, Multispectral Digital Aerial Imaging accomplishments. As he describes it, the u Planimetric and Topographic Mapping accomplishment was “The initiation of u Digital Orthophoto Imagery TM the first-ever Earth Observation Summit, u GeoEye Satellite Imagery u GIS Consulting, Development and Implementation which led to the formation of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the 5700 Broadmoor, Suite 800 Mission, KS 66202 commitment of 75 nations and 51 inter- See MJ Harden in the GeoEye 913.981.9600 phone www.mjharden.com national organizations, to build a Global Booth (#227) at GEOINT imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 45 A Few Words in Honor of NOAA’s Departing Administrator

hindsight guest editorial

Last week’s announcement criticized for not signing onto Kyoto, and by NOAA Administrator Conrad Lauten- that rarely used the term “climate change.” bacher that he is resigning effective The first Earth Observation Summit was October 31, 2008, wasn’t much of a very successful. It attracted 34 countries surprise to many of us, as we have been and resulted in a declaration to move expecting it. But what was surprising is forward with an ambitious multinational that not two minutes after receiving the effort to connect the world’s disparate Earth general NOAA announcement, Lauten- and environmental datasets, which today is bacher followed with a personal message known as the Global Earth Observations thanking his colleagues for their support System of Systems (GEOSS). However, the during his tenure as undersecretary of first meeting of the ad hoc working group commerce for oceans and atmosphere. on Earth observations, which immediately He wrote, “It has been an extreme plea- followed the summit, didn’t occur without its sure and privilege to serve in this capacity challenges. Many national representatives and I am most grateful for your support came to the meeting suspicious of U.S. Nancy Colleton and interest during these years.” intentions and concerned about possible President Institute for Global Environmental Strategies This gesture was vintage Lautenbacher, ownership of the system the country Arlington, Va. and, having had the honor to work with him proposed. In addition, because of the www.strategies.org on various projects since 2003, I shouldn’t popularity of the meeting, there were many [email protected] have been surprised. He has traveled more participants than expected, which thousands of miles representing the U.S. created problems with logistics and general abroad and has endured much difficulty entry to the meeting. in transforming and raising the visibility of In this environment of uncertainty, early NOAA during difficult political and economic frustration, language barriers, and misun- times. At a time when we should be thanking derstandings, I witnessed Lautenbacher’s him for all that he has done, he graciously skills as a leader, diplomat, and statesman. acknowledges others around him. He quickly greeted European colleagues, That act represents my first impression noting how good it was to have so many of him—an impression that has remained people want to be part of the ad hoc group; consistent these many years—that he is a he personally welcomed numerous national leader of solid integrity and a true civil servant. representatives by shaking hands, thanking Lautenbacher never put himself first and them for their participation, and continually always approached his work with the highest emphasizing the importance of multi- level of civility, dedication, and enthusiasm. national partnership. He also deferred to When the U.S. hosted the first Earth his co-chairs from Japan and the European Observations Summit in 2003, those of Commission to move deliberations forward, us involved in planning the activity were ensuring that the U.S. was not seen as eager to see how it would be received monopolizing the discussions. internationally. The U.S. had just invaded By the meeting’s end, two things had Iraq four months earlier and the summit happened: 1) the attendees had evolved was being called by an unpopular into a cohesive working group, reaching administration that wasn’t known for its agreement on how to proceed; and 2) it environmental culture, that was openly (continued on page 45)

imaging notes // Fall 2008 // www.imagingnotes.com 46 B: 8.5" T: 8.375" S: 6.792"

SOCET GXP®SOFTWARE. EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF EXTREME ANALYSIS.TM

hindsight guest editorial S: 9.708" T: 10.875" T: B: 11.125"

Experience the power of real-time image analysis, automated geospatial production, mapping, and 3-D visualization — all in a single application. SOCET GXP®enables interoperability and collaboration among users and decision-makers at all levels, and its intuitive, customizable interface provides direct access to shared databases and extended capabilities. Image and geospatial analysis — together for the first time in one powerful tool. This is just one of the ways BAE Systems delivers real advantage.

www.baesystems.com/gxp

JOB#: BAE-IES-M73729D DESCRIPTION: 08 GXP Extreme Analysis Ad BLEED: 8.5" x 11.125" TRIM: 8.375" x 10.875" SAFETY: 6.792" x 9.708" GUTTER: PUBLICATION: Imaging notes AD: K. Geisler 8-3124 CW: ACCT MNGR: ART BUYER: Helen O'Neill 8-4317 PRINT PROD: Luigi LuBrano 8-4238 PROJ MNGR: Luigi LuBrano 8-4238 This advertisement prepared by Young & Rubicam, N.Y.

CLIENT: BAE STUDIO#: 8H52417 JOB#: BAE-IES-M73729D BILLING#: BAE-IES-M73729 FILE NAME: BAE8H52417d2_m.qxd Page #: 1 OPERATOR: Joe K SAVED: 9/4/08 - 2:45 PM PREV OP: Joe K CREATED: 8/21/08 - 10:43 AM HANDLING#: 4.0 PRINT SCALE: 100% DOC PATH: Retouching:Clients:BAE:8H52417_BAE_IES_M73729:Latest Files:BAE8H52417d2_m.qxd FONTS: ITC Franklin Gothic Book, ITC Franklin Gothic Demi IMAGES: RealAdvan-RealPerfor_VW_YR1.eps @ 30.5%*, BAE8H52417a3_m.tif @ 109% COLORS: Magenta, Yellow, Cyan, Black Blueline Publishing LLC P.O. Box 11569 Denver, Colo. 80211 USA