Table of Contents

Earth Observation Express

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1. RADARSAT-2 Workshop

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is pleased to invite the Canadian Earth Observation community to attend a workshop on RADARSAT-2 in September. The workshop is organised by the Earth Observation Applications and Utilizations Program (EOAU) and will be held from September 16 to 18, 2008 at the John H. Chapman Space Centre, Saint-Hubert, Québec. The main objective of the Workshop is to inform all potential users of the RADARSAT-2 Government Allocation about the framework of this data allocation. This important event also offers an exclusive opportunity to better understand the capabilities of RADARSAT-2, which is still in its early stages of its operational phase, and to learn about application developments. It will be an occasion to network with SAR users, partners, service providers and researchers interested in the features and benefits of the RADARSAT-2, including polarimetry and interferometry. There is no fee to participate. However, participants must register in advance by completing the online visitor registration form, which will soon be available on the CSA web site. For more information, please write to: SymposiumRadarsat2@asc-csa.gc.ca.

2. Space For The Olympics: Air Quality Forecast in China

With less than a month remaining before the Beijing Olympics, Chinese officials have introduced a series of measures to improve air quality for the Games. Poor air quality could pose problems for the Olympic athletes and hinder the performance of those competing outdoors in endurance sports, such as cycling and marathons. A system has been developed, based on Earth Observation (EO) data from Envisat and other EO sensors, to improve the air quality forecast during the Olympic games. Canada is a cooperating member of ESA and contributed to the development of the Envisat satellite. For more information, please visit: www.esa.int.

3. Improving The Security Situation In Afghanistan With Earth Observation Technologies

Canadian Forces (CF) has deployed Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) which is now serving a key role in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) whose goal is to improve the security situation in Afghanistan and assist in rebuilding the country. During the seasonal flooding period of March 2008, the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) conducted timely and relevant analysis of floodwater extents over the South of Afghanistan using the Canadian Earth Observation Satellite RADARSAT-1. Used extensively in and out of ISAF, the water extent analysis performed by the CCRS and the derived products have been key to providing global situation awareness of and assistance to reconstruction efforts in potentially flooded areas. The fact that RADARSAT-1 was available for disaster response planning throughout the flash floods season was a confidence builder for the NATO ISAF mission as well as all the governmental and non-governmental agencies operating in the South of Afghanistan. For more information, please contact robert.landry@nrcan.gc.ca.

4. International Assistance: Canadian Satellite Helps The United States To Better Manage Floods

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is a member of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" since 2000 and provides RADARSAT data for emergency relief operations and applications. In June, severe floods and storms hit the Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin states, threatening dams, inundating highways and forcing the Coast Guard to rescue residents from swamped homes. More than 20 000 thousands people were forced to evacuate. RADARSAT-1 imagery were acquired to better manage and monitor the floods extent and damages. RADARSAT-1 flood products have been developed and provided to US authorities like USGS, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, the State of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, etc. For more information, please visit: www.disasterscharter.org.

5. Ensuring a Cleaner, Healthier Environment: Generating Satellite-derived Products For The Monitoring Of Harmful Algae In The Lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River

It is only through a healthier environment that Canadians can create the quality of life and standard of living to which we all aspire. Continuing from the success of two past Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Government Related Initiative Program (GRIP) projects, Environment Canada (EC) will use Earth Observation (EO) data, especially MERIS, to (1) construct time-series of satellite-derived water quality over the lower Great Lakes and the both the St Lawrence River and associated fluvial lakes, (2) determine optical cross-section spectra appropriate to these inland waters with a particular emphasis on harmful algal blooms, (3) modify existing or develop new optical models/algorithms for use with MERIS sensor aquatic colour data. This new project is a collaborative effort between CSA's GRIP, EC's National Water Research Institute and the St. Lawrence Centre. This new initiative will benefits Canadians and is in line with the National Water Strategy and the St. Lawrence Plan. For more information, please contact Robert.bukata@ec.gc.ca, guy.letourneau@ec.gc.ca or guy.aube@asc-csa.gc.ca.

6. Gauging the Health of Canada’s Forests From Space

Pest outbreaks caused by insect defoliation and climate-related drought resulting in dieback of trembling aspen are important natural disturbance agents on Canada’s forests. Repeat severe defoliation and aspen dieback result in mortality, reduced growth rates, dead tree tops and loss of foliage, all of which will impact forest productivity, carbon stocks, and the forest’s ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. With the support of the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Government Related Initiatives Program (GRIP), Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) and the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) established a joint project entitled "Gauging the Health of Canada s Forests: Accounting for Insect Defoliation and Dieback in the Indicators of Sustainability for Canadians". The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate Earth-Observation based methods for consistent, timely and spatially precise mapping and monitoring of the location, extent and severity of insect defoliation and dieback disturbances. The resulting information products support Canada’s national and international reporting requirements on environmental and sustainable development indicators. For more information, please contact Paul.Briand (paul.briand@asc-csa.gc.ca) or Joost van der Sanden (sanden@nrcan.gc.ca).

7. Improving the Environment and Health of Canadians From Space: CCRS leads International Efforts On Satellite Climate Data Records

Threats to our environment are a clear and present danger that now confronts governments around the world. This is nowhere more evident than in the growing challenge of climate change. Our Government believes that action is needed now to ensure our quality of life. To strengthen Canada's role in developing satellite-based climate data records, the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) hosted a meeting on "Measurement consistency for 1-5 km sensors (MODIS, ATSR, and AVHRR)" in Ottawa on June 4-5, 2008, under the auspices of the international Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS). The focus of the meeting was on the consistency between satellite optical sensors used in climate change studies. The meeting was attended by several groups from USGS, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Langley Research Center, and US NOAA. The scientific expertise and unique satellite data processing technology developed at CCRS were recognized as key elements of future efforts to produce climate data records for other regions of the world. This initiative is a component of NRCan/ESS program "Enhancing Resilience in a Changing Climate" and is supported by CSA's Government Research Initiatives Program (GRIP). For more information, please contact Alexander P. Trichtchenko (trichtch@ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca).

8. MERIS Full Resolution Data Acquired Over North America

Canada is a cooperating member of ESA and contributed to the development of Envisat. In response to an expression of interest articulated by Canadian Government users, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has invested in the upgrade of the Canadian ground infrastructure at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) for the reception and processing of Envisat 's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Full Resolution. As a result, MERIS Full Resolution data acquired over North America are now available free of charge on Internet for the Canadian Government users. This initiative, established in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the support of the CCRS, will provide access to all recent MERIS Full Resolution (FR) Level 1 products (MER_FRS_1P) and Level 2 products (MER_FRS_2P) covering North America (visibility mask of the Gatineau and Prince Albert stations). For more information, please contact paul.briand@asc-csa.gc.ca.

9. Canada’s Maritime Provinces Seen From Space

This Envisat Meris image highlights Canada’s three Maritime Provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.The image was acquired by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument on 25 May 2008, working in Full Resolution mode to provide a spatial resolution of 300 metres:
www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/envisat/featured_image.asp.

10. Canada's Next-Generation Satellite: RADARSAT-2 Product Dataset Now Available

RADARSAT-2 is Canada's next-generation commercial SAR satellite, the follow-on to RADARSAT-1. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has the mandate to provide RADARSAT-2 products to the Government of Canada to fulfill its mandates but also to promote Research and Development to Academia and Industry within Canada. A RADARSAT-2 sample dataset encompassing many of the RADARSAT-2 beam modes is now available for downloading. Acquisitions are underway to complete the dataset over the next month. For more information, please visit: www.RADARSAT2.info or www.radarsat2.info or www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/radarsat2/default.asp.

11. Polar Ice Shelf Break-Up Seen From Space

Canada is a cooperating member of ESA and contributed to the development of the Envisat satellite. Wilkins Ice Shelf has experienced further break-up with an area of about 160 km² breaking off from 30 May to 31 May 2008. In February 2008, an area of about 400 km² broke off from the ice shelf, narrowing the connection down to a 6 km strip; this latest event in May has further reduced the strip to just 2.7 km. This animation, comprised of images acquired by Envisat’s Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) between 30 May and 9 June, highlights the rapidly dwindling strip of ice that is protecting thousands of kilometers of the ice shelf from further break-up: www.esa.int.

12. Land Cover Information From Space: GeoBase Product User Needs Assessment

To help Canadians to adapt to our changing environment, governments need to better understand Land Cover changes. This is nowhere more evident than in the growing challenge of climate change. Earth Observation (EO) can play a major role in the land information world. This information is required by numerous public sector and private sector organizations and crucial for their operations and services. The GeoBase Steering Committee recently decided that Land Cover would be a priority map layer to add to the GeoBase portal (www.geobase.ca). As the first phase of the project to create a GeoBase Land Cover product, this User Needs Assessment (UNA) asked a wide spectrum of users about their needs for Land Cover information, in both the short and long term. Supported by the Canadian Space Agency's Government Related Initiatives Program (GRIP), the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) created EOSD (Earth Observation for Sustainable Development) to satisfy forest sector requirements, in cooperation with the provincial governments. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is currently producing a Land Cover product as part of the National Land and Water Information Service (NLWIS) to meet the agriculture sector needs, again in collaboration with the provincial governments. The currently planned GeoBase Land Cover product will build on the EOSD and NLWIS products and will add new Land Cover data for northern Canada from the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. The Land Cover Community of Practice (LCCoP) was recently established as a national network of federal agencies undertaking sector specific Land Cover monitoring initiatives. DB Geoservices Inc worked with members of the LCCoP and the GeoBase program to inform users (coast to coast to coast) of the currently planned GeoBase Land Cover Product, and seek their views on the usefulness of this product and ways to improve it. They also asked for input on long term Land Cover monitoring Products. Several recommendations were made for both the short term and long term Land Cover products. This UNA was funded by GeoConnections and the report will soon be made public. For more information, please contact Ian Jarvis jarvisi@agr.gc.ca or Denis Genest dgenest@nrcan.gc.ca.