The first telecommunication satellite Azerspace-1 will monitor the seismologic situation of Azerbaijan, which is located in a highly seismically active zone.
Azerspace-1, launched in February 2013, covers Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa and offers digital broadcasting services, internet access and data transmission for disaster monitoring and communication exchange between the stations of the monitoring system.
It is very difficult for a single country to develop a basin-wide tsunami warning system. Therefore, the United Nations plays a major role in coordinating regional tsunami warning systems, and in ensuring that national capacities are strengthened to prepare for and cope with tsunamis.
The fifth cooperative mission between China and Brazil, CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite), was launched at 03:26 UTC on Sunday 7 December 2014.
CBERS-4 will operate on a sun-synchronous orbit at 778 km altitude with an inclination of 98.504 deg and 100.26-minute orbital period.
CBERS-4 carries four cameras in the payload module, with improved geometrical and radiometric performance: MUXCam, PanMUX, IRS and WFI.
Participating Organizations: DLR, EC-DG ENTR, ITHACA, AIT/Jaxa, EC-JRC, SERTIT, OOSA/UN-SPIDER, USGS, World Bank
Meeting Summary
The 2014 autumn meeting was the first IWG-SEM meeting, which was organized as a combination of a physical and web-based conference. 18 participants joined the meeting in person or via web-video-conference and telephone chat.
On 17 November 2014, the Convention on Satellite-based Environmental Monitoring in Haiti (SEAS-Haiti) was signed by representatives of France and of Haiti.
At the agreement's core is the implementation of a technological platform for sustainable environmental management in Haiti and the Caribbean, using satellite imagery for research, training, innovation and sustainable development.
The US Geological Survey (USGS), along with other government agencies and the private sector, recently launched the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), composed on current and accurate three-dimensional mapping data finalized to replace outdated and inconsistent data.The USGS hosted a briefing in Washington on 25 July 2014 to discuss 3DEP and its benefits in more detail, demonstrating how the programme is being used nationwide and what it aims to accomplish.
The meeting opens with a welcome address from Guenter Strunz, head of the Geo-Risks and Civil Security department of the DLR Earth Observation Center which kindly hosts the IWG-SEM meeting. IWG-SEM chairman thanks DLR for their hospitality and the logistic organization.