Earth Observation

The unit Earth Observation offers society access to reliable geo-information based on Earth Observation Sensors and in situ data and in this way increases the understanding in its changing enviroment on a local, regional and continental scale. Because of this the following research is done:

the development of new remote sensing systems, platforms and instruments (research team technology)
the development of applications based on Earth Observation imagery (research team applications)
the processing and distribution of Earth Observation imagery (research team GEODATA & flight operations)

Research team Technology

MERCATOR, an unmanned platform on solar power for earth observation MEDUSA in development, a lightweight camera for earth observation APEX, a hyperspectral high resolution instrument for airborne earth observation campaigns RIMS maps earth observation images and puts them together in a mosaic in real time

Innovative Earth Observation systems and sensors
- High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: HALE UAV. The PEGASUS project (see www.pegasus4europe.com/pegasus/index.htm (new window))
- Monitoring Equipment and Devices for Unmanned Systems at high Altitude (MEDUSA project) (see medusa.vgt.vito.be (new window))
- Airborne Prism Experiment: APEX. A state-of-the-art hyperspectral sensor under development by Belgian and Swiss industry, will be delivered to VITO and RSL for operations in 2009 (see www.apex-esa.org (new window))
Risk management
- Industrial Risk management: SEVESEO project (see www.seveseo.eu (new window))
- Open architecture for Smart and Interoperable networks in Risk management based on In-situ Sensors (OSIRIS) (see www.osiris-fp6.eu (new window))
- Reliable Image Management Systems in Support of Urban Services and Disaster Management (RIMS project) (see rims.vgt.vito.be (new window))

Research team Applications

Example of a map with floating materials in the Scheldt near Antwerp, derived from hyperscpectral earth observation data from June 15, 2005 Left a long term NDVI (plant growth) image, and right the standard deviation of the annual average NDVI regard to the long term archive Crops growth map of Southern Belgium in 2007 Fenology over Afrika, start of the growth season

Remote sensing based agricultural services
- Monitoring Agriculture with Remote Sensing: MARS (see www.marsop.info (new window))
- Global Monitoring for Food Security (GMFS project) (see www.gmfs.info (new window))
- The “Belgian Crop Growth Monitoring System B-CGMS”(see b-cgms.cra.wallonie.be (new window))
Agro-environmental information
- GEOLAND Integrated Project (see www.gmes-geoland.info (new window))
  - Observatory on Food Security and Crop Monitoring OFM (see www.gmes-geoland.info/OS/OFM/index.php (new window))
  - Observatory On Land Cover and Forest Change OLF (see www.gmes-geoland.info/OS/OLF/index.php (new window)
  - Core Service Bio-Geophysical parameters CSP (see www.gmes-geoland.info/CS/CSP/index.php (new window))
- GEOSUCCESS: Free access to value added products based upon the low resolution sensors (see www.geosuccess.net (new window))
- VGT4Africa: Distribution of VEGETATION data in Africa through EUMETCast (see www.vgt4africa.org (new window))
- GEONETCast explained (see www.earthobservations.org/progress/GEONETCast.html (new window))
- ENDELEO project (see dfwm.ugent.be/forsit/content/projects/endeleo/documents/ENDELEO_newsletter2.pdf (new window)
- A classification framework for habitat status reporting with remote sensing (HABISTAT project) (see habistat.vgt.vito.be/modules/objectives (new window))
- Summary of R&D in “hyperspectrale imaging spectroscopy” at VITO (see publications.vgt.vito.be (new window))

Research team GEODATA & flight operations

Illustration of a global synthesis from the VEGETATION instrument Visualisation of a bathymetric measurement from the river Scheldt

Global scale image processing (R&D and services)
- Image processing, archiving and distribution facilities (see www.vgt.vito.be (new window))
- The SPOT VEGETATION programme (see www.spot-vegetation.com (new window))
- Free access to the SPOT VEGETATION global image archive (see free.vgt.vito.be (new window))
Local scale image processing (R&D and services) (see cvblocal.vgt.vito.be (new window))
- Overview hyperspectral flight campaigns + quicklooks hyperspectral data (see campaigns.vgt.vito.be/links.htm (new window))
- Summary of the TAP instrument laboratory (see islab.vgt.vito.be (new window)
- Training session “imaging spectroscopy” (see hyperteach.vgt.vito.be (new window)
- Summary of R&D in “hyperspectrale imaging spectroscopy” at VITO (see publications.vgt.vito.be (new window))
- HYperspectral REmote Sensing in Europe: Specific Support Actions (HYRESSA project) (see www.hyressa.be (new window))

Contact:

Dirk Van Speybroeck
Tel. + 32 14 33 68 10
Fax + 32 14 32 27 95
Mobile + 32 479 97 76 38
Send a message to Dirk Van Speybroeck

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