Commercial application of remote sensing for Columbia Basin potato crop estimation
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Mann, Lisa J.↗
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A remote sensing applications update: Results of interviews with Earth Observations Commercialization Program (EOCAP) participants
Earth remote sensing is a uniquely valuable tool for large-scale resource management, a task whose importance will likely increase world-wide through the foreseeable future. NASA research and engineering have virtually created the existing U.S. system, and will continue to push the frontiers, primarily through Earth Observing System (EOS) instruments, research, and data and information systems. It is the researchers' view that the near-term health of remote sensing applications also deserves attention; it seems important not to abandon the system or its clients. The researchers suggest that, like its Landsat predecessor, a successful Earth Observing System program is likely to reinforce pressure to 'manage' natural resources, and consequently, to create more pressure for Earth Observations Commercialization (EOCAP) type applications. The current applications programs, though small, are valuable because of their technical and commercial results, and also because they support a community whose contributions will increase along with our ability to observe the Earth from space.
Mcvey, Sally↗
Potential commercial uses of EOS remote sensing products
The instrument complement of the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite system will generate data sets with potential interest to a variety of users who are now just beginning to develop geographic information systems tailored to their special applications and/or jurisdictions. Other users may be looking for a unique product that enhances competitive position. The generally distributed products from EOS will require additional value added processing to derive the unique products desired by specific users. Entrepreneurs have an opportunity to create these proprietary level 4 products from the EOS data sets. Specific instruments or collections of instruments could provide information for crop futures trading, mineral exploration, television and printed medium news products, regional and local government land management and planning, digital map directories, products for third world users, ocean fishing fleet probability of harvest forecasts, and other areas not even imagined at this time. The projected level 3 product are examined that will be available at launch from EOS instruments and commercial uses of the data after value added processing is estimated.
Thompson, Leslie L.↗
Commercialization of the land remote sensing system: An examination of mechanisms and issues
In September 1982 the Secretary of Commerce was authorized (by Title II of H.R. 5890 of the 97th Congress) to plan and provide for the management and operation of the civil land remote sensing satellite systems, to provide for user fees, and to plan for the transfer of the ownership and operation of future civil operational land remote sensing satellite systems to the private sector. As part of the planning for transfer, a number of approaches were to be compared including wholly private ownership and operation of the system by an entity competitively selected, mixed government/private ownership and operation, and a legislatively-chartered privately-owned corporation. The results of an analysis and comparison of a limited number of financial and organizational approaches for either transfer of the ownership and operation of the civil operational land remote sensing program to the private sector or government retention are presented.
Cauley, J. K.↗
Recent Development of Sb-based Phototransistors in the 0.9- to 2.2-microns Wavelength Range for Applications to Laser Remote Sensing
We have investigated commercially available photodiodes and also recent developed Sb-based phototransistors in order to compare their performances for applications to laser remote sensing. A custom-designed phototransistor in the 0.9- to 2.2-microns wavelength range has been developed at AstroPower and characterized at NASA Langley's Detector Characterization Laboratory. The phototransistor's performance greatly exceeds the previously reported results at this wavelength range in the literature. The detector testing included spectral response, dark current and noise measurements. Spectral response measurements were carried out to determine the responsivity at 2-microns wavelength at different bias voltages with fixed temperature; and different temperatures with fixed bias voltage. Current versus voltage characteristics were also recorded at different temperatures. Results show high responsivity of 2650 A/W corresponding to an internal gain of three orders of magnitude, and high detectivity (D*) of 3.9x10(exp 11) cm.Hz(exp 1/2)/W that is equivalent to a noise-equivalent-power of 4.6x10(exp -14) W/Hz(exp 1/2) (-4.0 V @ -20 C) with a light collecting area diameter of 200-microns. It appears that this recently developed 2-micron phototransistor's performances such as responsivity, detectivity, and gain are improved significantly as compared to the previously published APD and SAM APD using similar materials. These detectors are considered as phototransistors based-on their structures and performance characteristics and may have great potential for high sensitivity differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor at 2.05-microns and 1.9-microns, respectively.
Abedin, M. Nurul↗
A New Image Processing and GIS Package
The image processing and GIS package ELAS was developed during the 1980's by NASA. It proved to be a popular, influential and powerful in the manipulation of digital imagery. Before the advent of PC's it was used by hundreds of institutions, mostly schools. It is the unquestioned, direct progenitor or two commercial GIS remote sensing packages, ERDAS and MapX and influenced others, such as PCI. Its power was demonstrated by its use for work far beyond its original purpose, having worked several different types of medical imagery, photomicrographs of rock, images of turtle flippers and numerous other esoteric imagery. Although development largely stopped in the early 1990's the package still offers as much or more power and flexibility than any other roughly comparable package, public or commercial. It is a huge body or code, representing more than a decade of work by full time, professional programmers. The current versions all have several deficiencies compared to current software standards and usage, notably its strictly command line interface. In order to support their research needs the authors are in the process of fundamentally changing ELAS, and in the process greatly increasing its power, utility, and ease of use. The new software is called ELAS II. This paper discusses the design of ELAS II.
Rickman, D.↗
1982 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Munich, West Germany, June 1-4, 1982, Digest. Volumes 1 & 2
Theoretical and experimental data which have defined and/or extended the effectiveness of remote sensing operations are explored, with consideration given to both scientific and commercial activities. The remote sensing of soil moisture, the sea surface, and oil slicks is discussed, as are programs using satellites for studying geodynamics and geodesy, currents and waves, and coastal zones. NASA, Canadian, and Japanese radar and microwave passive and active systems are described, together with algorithms and techniques for image processing and classification. The SAR-580 project is outlined, and attention is devoted to satellite applications in investigations of the structure of the atmosphere, agriculture and land use, and geology. Design and performance features of various optical scanner, radar, and multispectral data processing systems and procedures are detailed.
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US fishing industry participation in NASA's earth resources survey program: Communications between NASA and the US fishing industry
A study to evaluate the applications of remote sensing in commercial fishing is reported, and the basis for effective communications between NASA and the U.S. fishing industry are established. Detailed information is presented in the following areas: organization of the fishing complex and communication levels within and between the components; organization of the fishing industry and the communications within and between both selected fisheries and various industry groups; relationships and communications between federal, state, and local government agencies and the fishing industry; relationships and communications between international and regional fisheries commissions; and intergovernmental agency relationships relevant to the fishing industry. It will be necessary to educate those individuals having access to the techniques and resultant data, and channels for distribution of the information to selected fisheries are recommended. Procedures for feedback information loops are also established.
Maughan, P. M.↗
New Space Cal/Val and Usability Assessment
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Commercial Remote Sensing↗
NASA Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program
The objective of the CSDA Program is to identify, evaluate and acquire data from commercial sources that support NASA’s Earth science research and application activities. Commercially acquired data may provide a cost-effective means to augment and/or complement the suite of Earth Observations acquired by NASA and other US government agencies and those acquired by international partners and agencies. The CEOS Strategic Implementation Team has requested NASA to provide a short presentation to report on its respective new space (commercial vendors) activities and ambitions - to help inform the discussion on the nature and substance of a strategy for CEOS SIT to take forward.
Commercial remote sensing↗
Explore Earth Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program
The European Space Agency (ESA), our international partner in the ESA-NASA Earth Science & Observation Joint Program Planning Group (JPPG), is hosting the VH-RODA (Very High-resolution Radar and Optical Data Assessment Workshop) at ESA/ European Space Research Institute (ERSIN) in Frascati, Italy from November 7-10, 2022. The objective of the VH-RODA workshop is to provide an open forum (for the new space, commercial and institutional space sectors) for presenting and discussing about the current status and future developments related to Earth Observation (EO) data quality, calibration and validation of space-borne very high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Optical sensors and data products, with a dedicated focus on commercial EO data providers and related Calibration/Validation activities, synergies between optical and SAR communities, presentation of standards and best practices for data quality. Additionally, the ESA-NASA Joint Program Planning Group (JPPG) Third Party Mission component will meet to further develop non-binding practices on evaluation, identify common guard rails for comparison of data, and coordinate future schedules to leverage shared knowledge. I serve as the Project Manager for the NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program and will participate in the VHRODA workshop on behalf of the program.
Commercial Remote Sensing↗
JACIE: A Model Partnership
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and their associates and partners, are directly responsible for establishing and leading a unique interagency team of scientists and engineers who work together to evaluate and enhance the quality remote sensing data for commercial and government use. This team is called "the Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) team". The team works together to define, prioritize, assign, and assess civil and commercial image quality and jointly sponsors an annual JACIE Civil Commercial Imagery Evaluation workshop with participation support from the remote sensing calibration and validation science community.
Image Data↗
Space-Based Remote Sensing of the Earth: A Report to the Congress
The commercialization of the LANDSAT Satellites, remote sensing research and development as applied to the Earth and its atmosphere as studied by NASA and NOAA is presented. Major gaps in the knowledge of the Earth and its atmosphere are identified and a series of space based measurement objectives are derived. The near-term space observations programs of the United States and other countries are detailed. The start is presented of the planning process to develop an integrated national program for research and development in Earth remote sensing for the remainder of this century and the many existing and proposed satellite and sensor systems that the program may include are described.
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Structures and materials technology needs for communications and remote sensing spacecraft
This report documents trade studies conducted from the perspective of a small spacecraft developer to determine and quantify the structures and structural materials technology development needs for future commercial and NASA small spacecraft to be launched in the period 1999 to 2005. Emphasis is placed on small satellites weighing less than 1800 pounds for two focus low-Earth orbit missions: commercial communications and remote sensing. The focus missions are characterized in terms of orbit, spacecraft size, performance, and design drivers. Small spacecraft program personnel were interviewed to determine their technology needs, and the results are summarized. A systems-analysis approach for quantifying the benefits of inserting advanced state-of-the-art technologies into a current reference, state-of-the-practice small spacecraft design is developed and presented. This approach is employed in a set of abbreviated trade studies to quantify the payoffs of using a subset of 11 advanced technologies selected from the interview results The 11 technology development opportunities are then ranked based on their relative payoff. Based on the strong potential for significant benefits, recommendations are made to pursue development of 8 and the 11 technologies. Other important technology development areas identified are recommended for further study.
Gronet, M. J.↗
Landsat Legacy
The Landsat resources survey system spawned a number of companies engaged in commercial applications of remote sensing, among them International Imaging Systems (I2S). With initial NASA assistance, I2S has provided remote sensing hardware and software to several foreign countries, developed meteorological analysis systems, medical diagnostic software and scanning equipment for government and commercial use. Latest product is an advanced image-based photogrammetric system employing digital technology - not optical or mechanical systems - to generate terrain elevation data and other processing functions. Called PRI2SM, it compensates automatically for topographic relief displacement, is cheaper, faster, and easier to use and maintain. Company product line includes four major areas: image processing equipment for Earth Resources Management; meteorological analysis systems; satellite ground processing systems; and digital photogrammetric mapping systems.
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Marketing Remote Sensing Data for North Pacific Fisheries Development and Management
Fish poaching, drug trafficking, ocean dumping, and other illegal activities are important problems on the high seas and in national economic zones. The primary thrust of the EOCAP II project, "Marketing Remote Sensing Data for North Pacific Fisheries Development and Management", was to use space-based sensors to improve the effectiveness of marine monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS). Our initial objectives were to concentrate on the development of MCS tools using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometry (AVHRR) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Although we have successfully completed development of an initial version of our SAR-based monitoring tool (OmniVision), project activity has resulted in a much broader application of space-based assets to marine applications. Based in part on work commenced within EOCAP II, a new company, Ocean and Coastal Environmental Sensing, Inc. (OCENS), has been launched and the development of several new software products outside of the MCS arena initiated. One of those products, SeaStation, is near completion with a Fall, 1995 release date. Equity investment in OCENS now totals $70,000-with an additional amount being sought in the first round of financing. One of the pre-eminent objectives of EOCAP II is to make contributions to the US economy and job growth through the expansion of commercial uses of remotely sensed data. OCENS and the software products it is introducing into marine and coastal zone markets responds to this primary object*e. EOCAP II funding leveraged the market and technical know-how of OCENS founders into smart products that benefit marine and coastal zone users. Although technical difficulties and geopolitical shifts damaged the commercial feasibility of initial project objectives, the flexibility of the EOCAP II program now permits long-term business success. This in no small part stems from the fact that the EOCAP program recognizes the realities of small and start-up businesses and does not attempt to force these conditions to fit the apparent needs of big government. Instead, EOCAP works with those who know their market best in order to produce successful products and expanding businesses.
Source record↗
Commercial Earth Observation
Through the Earth Observation Commercial Applications Program (EOCAP) at Stennis Space Center, Applied Analysis, Inc. developed a new tool for analyzing remotely sensed data. The Applied Analysis Spectral Analytical Process (AASAP) detects or classifies objects smaller than a pixel and removes the background. This significantly enhances the discrimination among surface features in imagery. ERDAS, Inc. offers the system as a modular addition to its ERDAS IMAGINE software package for remote sensing applications. EOCAP is a government/industry cooperative program designed to encourage commercial applications of remote sensing. Projects can run three years or more and funding is shared by NASA and the private sector participant. Through the Earth Observation Commercial Applications Program (EOCAP), Ocean and Coastal Environmental Sensing (OCENS) developed SeaStation for marine users. SeaStation is a low-cost, portable, shipboard satellite groundstation integrated with vessel catch and product monitoring software. Linked to the Global Positioning System, SeaStation provides real time relationships between vessel position and data such as sea surface temperature, weather conditions and ice edge location. This allows the user to increase fishing productivity and improve vessel safety. EOCAP is a government/industry cooperative program designed to encourage commercial applications of remote sensing. Projects can run three years or more and funding is shared by NASA and the private sector participant.
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The I4 Online Query Tool for Earth Observations Data
The NASA Earth Observation System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) delivers an average of 22 terabytes per day of data collected by orbital and airborne sensor systems to end users through an integrated online search environment (the Reverb/ECHO system). Earth observations data collected by sensors on the International Space Station (ISS) are not currently included in the EOSDIS system, and are only accessible through various individual online locations. This increases the effort required by end users to query multiple datasets, and limits the opportunity for data discovery and innovations in analysis. The Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate at NASA Johnson Space Center has collaborated with the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University (ASU) to develop the ISS Instrument Integration Implementation (I4) data query tool to provide end users a clean, simple online interface for querying both current and historical ISS Earth Observations data. The I4 interface is based on the Lunaserv and Lunaserv Global Explorer (LGE) open-source software packages developed at ASU for query of lunar datasets. In order to avoid mirroring existing databases - and the need to continually sync/update those mirrors - our design philosophy is for the I4 tool to be a pure query engine only. Once an end user identifies a specific scene or scenes of interest, I4 transparently takes the user to the appropriate online location to download the data. The tool consists of two public-facing web interfaces. The Map Tool provides a graphic geobrowser environment where the end user can navigate to an area of interest and select single or multiple datasets to query. The Map Tool displays active image footprints for the selected datasets (Figure 1). Selecting a footprint will open a pop-up window that includes a browse image and a link to available image metadata, along with a link to the online location to order or download the actual data. Search results are either delivered in the form of browse images linked to the appropriate online database, similar to the Map Tool, or they may be transferred within the I4 environment for display as footprints in the Map Tool. Datasets searchable through I4 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/I4_tool) currently include: Crew Earth Observations (CEO) cataloged and uncataloged handheld astronaut photography; Sally Ride EarthKAM; Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO); and the ISS SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System (ISERV). The ISS is a unique platform in that it will have multiple users over its lifetime, and that no single remote sensing system has a permanent internal or external berth. The open source I4 tool is designed to enable straightforward addition of new datasets as they become available such as ISS-RapidSCAT, Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS), and the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) system. Data from other sensor systems, such as those operated by the ISS International Partners or under the auspices of the US National Laboratory program, can also be added to I4 provided sufficient access to enable searching of data or metadata is available. Commercial providers of remotely sensed data from the ISS may be particularly interested in I4 as an additional means of directing potential customers and clients to their products.
Stefanov, William L.↗