Res Communis

ESPI and ISPRS to hold joint workshop

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From ESPI:

ESPI and ISPRS to hold joint workshop

10 August 2009. Following a meeting between the President of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), Orhan Altan, and ESPI’s Director, the two organisations will hold a joint workshop on policy and regulatory aspects of satellite remote sensing in April 2010 at ESPI in Vienna.

The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) is a non-governmental organisation devoted to the development of international cooperation for the advancement of photogrammetry and remote sensing and their applications (homepage here). The Society’s scientific interests include photogrammetry, remote sensing, spatial information systems and related disciplines, as well as applications in cartography, geodesy, surveying, natural, Earth and engineering sciences, and environmental monitoring and protection. It is composed of around 100 national and regional institutions covering all continents.

ISPRS and ESPI, joined by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), now plan to hold a two-day workshop on policy and regulatory aspects of satellite remote sensing at ESPI on 8-9 April 2010. This workshop will focus on two highly topical issues: treaty monitoring and law enforcement through satellite remote sensing as well as privacy conflicts resulting from high resolution images. On ISPRS’ side the organisation of the workshop will be lead by Rainer Sandau, Chairman of the Society’s International Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC). Meeting with the President of ISPRS, Orhan Altan, Professor at the Technical University of Istanbul, ESPI’s Director Kai-Uwe Schrogl expressed his appreciation that ESPI will have the opportunity to conduct this joint activity with the leading international organisation in the field of remote sensing applications.

OGC’s Spatial Law and Policy Summit 7 October 2009

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From Geo Connexion:

OGC’s Spatial Law and Policy Summit 7 October 2009

07 August 2009, 5:47pm

August 7, 2009, Wayland, Massachusetts. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) announces that it will hold a Spatial Law and Policy Summit at The Westin Washington, D.C. City Center on October 7, 2009. Professionals from the government and private sector whose work involves laws and policies related to geospatial technology are invited to register and attend.

This unprecedented event will feature talks and panel discussions by experts familiar with the wide range of legal and policy issues
associated with growth in consumer and business applications of geospatial systems, software and services. The growing use of Earth browsers, satellite navigation devices in cars and PDA’s, location-based services associated with cell phones, business intelligence, social networking and satellite tracking of vehicles and equipment raises a number of issues concerning privacy, intellectual property rights, liability, and national security. As the speakers will explain, in many cases, the existing legal and policy framework is inadequate to provide governments, businesses and consumers clear guidance on these issues.

The Summit will be chaired by OGC director and Executive Committee member Kevin Pomfret, a Richmond, Virginia based attorney who has
written and spoken extensively on spatial law and technology.

The Conference website is available as well.

France Accedes to the Tampere Convention

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

France has acceded to the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations.

H.R. 2245, the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act, to award gold medals on behalf of the United States Congress to Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon; Edwin E. `Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr., the pilot of the lunar module and second person to walk on the moon; Michael Collins, the pilot of their Apollo 11 mission’s command module; and, the first American to orbit the Earth, John Herschel Glenn, Jr.

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

H.R. 2245: the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act, to award gold medals on behalf of the United States Congress to Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon; Edwin E. `Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr., the pilot of the lunar module and second person to walk on the moon; Michael Collins, the pilot of their Apollo 11 mission’s command module; and, the first American to orbit the Earth, John Herschel Glenn, Jr. was signed into law by the President on August 7, 2009:

H.R.2245

One Hundred Eleventh Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE FIRST SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the sixth day of January, two thousand and nine

An Act

To authorize the President, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the historic and first lunar landing by humans in 1969, to award gold medals on behalf of the United States Congress to Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon; Edwin E. `Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr., the pilot of the lunar module and second person to walk on the moon; Michael Collins, the pilot of their Apollo 11 mission’s command module; and, the first American to orbit the Earth, John Herschel Glenn, Jr.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that–

(1) as spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Neil A. Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface on July 21, 1969;

(2) by conquering the moon at great personal risk to safety, Neil Armstrong advanced America scientifically and technologically, paving the way for future missions to other regions in space;

(3) Edwin E. `Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr., joined Armstrong in piloting the lunar module, Eagle, to the surface of the moon, and became the second person to walk upon its surface;

(4) Michael Collins piloted the command module, Columbia, in lunar orbit and helped his fellow Apollo 11 astronauts complete their mission on the moon;

(5) John Herschel Glenn, Jr., helped pave the way for the first lunar landing when on February 20, 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth; and

(6) John Glenn’s actions, like Armstrong’s, Aldrin’s and Collins’s, continue to greatly inspire the people of the United States.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

(a) Presentation Authorized- The President is authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, to Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. `Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, and John Herschel Glenn, Jr., each a gold medal of appropriate design, in recognition of their significant contributions to society.

(b) Design and Striking- For purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

The Secretary of the Treasury may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medals.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.

The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

(a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts- There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant to this Act.

(b) Proceeds of Sale- Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.

JAXA: Memorandum of Understanding with NASA for cooperation in Global Precipitation Measurement Project

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From JAXA:

Memorandum of Understanding with NASA for cooperation in Global Precipitation Measurement Project

August 3, 2009 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

President Keiji Tachikawa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Administrator Charles Bolden of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on development and operation activities for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) project to measure precipitation (such as rain and snow) using a multiple number of satellites at the John F Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S.A. on July 31, 2009 (Japan Standard Time). With this MOU, the two organizations will further deepen the cooperative relationship and exercise comprehensive leadership utilizing the research and development ability and personnel of the two parties.

To date, JAXA and NASA have cooperatively developed the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission “TRMM,” and have been observing tropical rainfall by the TRMM. In the GPM project, we will acquire and analyze data from onboard sensors of multiple satellites in order to contribute to the development of technology to measure precipitation not only in tropical regions but also on a global scale. Moreover, the project is expected to further boost international cooperation in the area of space development and utilization between Japan and the United States. This MOU stipulates the contents of cooperation in the development and operation activities of the GPM core satellite, which is the center of the GPM project.

The GPM core satellite carries a Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), which has been jointly developed by JAXA and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT.) By utilizing observation data of the DPR, the observation accuracy of precipitation by a multiple number of satellites is expected to be increased. Furthermore, we are aiming for more accurate and frequent observation activities. The DPR is a core sensor of the GPM project. For more details, please refer to the attached information below for the GPM project and the characteristics of the DPR.

The global precipitation map to be compiled by the GPM project is expected to contribute to monitoring climate change, evaluation of a climate model, improvement of weather forecast accuracy, and construction of flood warning systems. The GPM core satellite is scheduled to be launched by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle in Japan Fiscal Year 2013.

- Contents of agreed cooperation

JAXA’s role

1. Development of DPR
2. GPM core satellite launch
3. Data processing

NASA’s role
?

1. Development of the GPM core satellite
2. Development of GPM Microwave Imager (GMI)
3. Tracking and control of the GPM core satellite
4. Data processing

From the British National Space Center

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

The British National Space Center (BNSC) has posted two new items.

First is UK in Space 2009, the BNSC annual report:

UK in space 2009 is the British National Space Centre’s annual report. It lays out what the UK has achieved in the area of civil space activities over the past 12 months and what is planned for the coming year.

The report focuses on advances in space science, Earth observation, satellite navigation and telecommunications. It also details international collaborations and UK industry activities, and highlights the role of space activities in education and skills.

Highlights include the launch of Herschel and Planck satellites, a new climate research centre, and a mission to the Moon.

Second is a press release on a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) consultation on civil space activities:

A new space age for Britain beckons as BIS launches consultation on the funding and management of UK civil space activities

In the week the whole world celebrates the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landings in 1969, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is beginning a consultation which aims to thrust the UK space sector forward for the next 40 years and beyond.

Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, will formally kick off the consultation at the London launch of a new European Space Agency (ESA) facility at Harwell, on Wednesday 22 July. The consultation will seek views on whether the current organisation which oversees space in the UK, the British National Space Centre (BNSC), is the best funding structure to meet the challenges of the future and deliver the greatest benefit to the country.

The BNSC has helped the UK to build a hugely successful sector which is second only to the USA in space science, contributes £6.5bn a year to the UK economy and supports 68,000 jobs.

However, as the world becomes increasingly dependent on advances in space science and in order to safeguard the UK’s “critical mass” of skills and expertise, today’s consultation is seeking views on the appetite for a single agency to better co-ordinate the UK’s civil space strategy.

The Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson said:

“Space is so important to our future. The UK space industry has thrived under the BNSC, but the Apollo 11 anniversary demonstrates the need for ambition, purpose and a clear sense of commitment.

“We now have to look ahead to the next 40 years. I want this consultation to be inspired and influenced by this idea. So we can provide the best support to our world-leading space sector. So it can continue to flourish and when the economic growth takes hold, make an even bigger impact on the UK economy and our lives.”

A thriving space sector will play an important role in building Britain’s future and the recession busting trends of the space industry is a testament to the nature of business that will generate the jobs of the future.

Space is a key part of the global communications network, driving globalisation and providing new business opportunities. The UK’s leading satellite infrastructure will also support sustainable development, help protect our oceans and fisheries, and allow us to predict and help when natural disasters strike throughout the world.

Britons benefit from space technology every day – often without realising it. Some advances are obvious, such as satellite communications, television broadcasting. Mobile networks and accurate GPS equipment in cars. Others are more obscure, such as timing networks underpinning telephone and power grids.

Space applications can provide solutions for developing policy and providing services, for example, the Digital Britain initiative which will use satellites to achieve its goal of total UK broadband coverage by 2012.

The 12-week consultation is starting on the day the European Space Agency (ESA) lands in Harwell, Oxfordshire – opening its first facility in the UK.

To participate go to the consultation document for further information.

The ESA facility will focus on three areas – adapting space data and images to create new everyday applications; climate change modelling that uses space data; and developing technologies such as novel power sources and innovative robotics which could be used to explore the Moon and Mars.

Through the new ESA facility and the International Space Innovation Centre which will be created in Harwell, the UK will maximise its world-leading strengths in these areas and enable our space industry to win a larger share of the global market in space systems, services and applications.

The Government also recently announced the Space Innovation and Growth Team which offers a huge opportunity for the government to work alongside industry to define a clear plan – a 20 year vision – and come up with a strategy for the future growth of the UK space industry.

The Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, added:

“Britain is undergoing a space renaissance. We must build on this to strengthen our outstandingly successful space programme. I hope this consultation will help us establish the infrastructure we need to take UK space into a new age.”

To participate in the Consultation go to the Consultation Document before October 14, 2009.