Transitioning Earth Remote Sensing Data to Benefit Society: A Paradigm for a Center of Excellence

Over the past decade there has been a substantial increase in the number of Earth remote sensing satellites launched for research and operational usage and numerous others planned by the international community. These satellites have been used to varying degrees by their supporting agencies for weather and environmental monitoring, climate studies, disaster monitoring and response, and other humanitarian activities. While there are success stories on useful applications of remote sensing data, the broader use of these satellite assets by other organizations and entities has been limited for a number of reasons including lack of data services, data dissemination issues, and a general failure to engage the broader end user community with useful data access and knowledge of how to use the data and products. This paper describes some of these current limitations on the broader use of Earth remote sensing data by the international community and describes the concept of a general "Center of Excellence" to facilitate the development, transition, and utilization of these Earth remote sensing observations by the broader international community

What lies beneath: exploring links between asylum policy and hate crime in the UK

This paper explores the link between increasing incidents of hate crime and the asylum policy of successive British governments with its central emphasis on deterrence. The constant problematisation of asylum seekers in the media and political discourse ensures that 'anti-immigrant' prejudice becomes mainstr earned as a common-sense response. The victims are not only the asylum seekers hoping for a better life but democratic society itself with its inherent values of pluralism and tolerance debased and destabilised

Standard Operating Procedure - Collaborative Spatial Assessment CoSA - Release 1.0

The purpose of this Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is to establish uniform procedures pertaining to the preparation for, the performance of, and the reporting of COllaborative (geo) Spatial Assessment (CoSA). CoSA provides a synoptic, unbiased assessment over the impact area of a disaster, which feeds the two main recovery perspectives of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA): i) the valuation of damages and losses carried out through the Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) methodology; and ii) the identification of human impacts and recovery needs carried out though the Human Recovery Needs Assessment (HRNA). CoSA is distinct from other geospatial and remote sensing based assessments because it i) draws on the collaborative efforts of distributed capacities in remote sensing and geospatial analysis, ii) aims to achieve the highest possible accuracy in line with the requirements of the PDNA and iii) tries to do so under stringent timing constraints set by the PDNA schedule. The current SOP will aid in ensuring credibility, consistency, transparency, accuracy and completeness of the CoSA. It is a living document, however, that will be enriched with new practical experiences and regularly updated to incorporate state-of-the-art procedures and new technical developments.JRC.DG.G.2-Global security and crisis managemen

Emergency satellite solutions

Getting precise information during a conflct or emergency means relief organizations can take quick and effective decisions. UNOSAT analyses satellite data to give disaster managers the details they need

Solutions satellite d'urgence

Plus l'information est précise, plus les décisions sont rapides et efficaces. UNOSAT analyse les données satellite pour livrer des informations précieuses aux gestionnaires de catastrophe

Detection of change in the Arctic using satellite and in situ data

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2003. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 108, C12 (2003): 3384, doi:10.1029/2002JC001347.The decade of the 1990s was the warmest decade of the last century, while the year 1998 was the warmest year ever observed by modern techniques, with 9 out of 12 months of the year being the warmest months. Satellite ice cover and surface temperature data, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (wind), and ocean hydrographic data are examined to gain insights into this warming phenomenon. Areas of ice-free water in both western and eastern regions of the Arctic are found to have followed a cyclical pattern with approximately decadal period but with a lag of about 3 years between the eastern and western regions. The pattern was interrupted by unusually large anomalies in 1993 and 1998 in the western region and in 1995 in the eastern region. The area of open water in 1998 was the largest ever observed in the western region and occurred concurrently with large surface temperature anomalies in the area and adjacent regions. This also occurred at a time when the atmospheric circulation changed from predominantly cyclonic in 1996 to anticyclonic in 1997 and 1998. Detailed hydrographic measurements over the same general area in April 1996 and April 1997 indicate a warming and significant freshening in the top layer of the ocean, suggesting increases in ice melt and/or river runoff. Continuous ocean temperature and salinity data from ocean buoys at depths of 8, 45, and 75 m confirm these results and show large interannual changes during the 1996–1998 period. Surface temperature data show a general warming in the region that is highly correlated with observed decline in summer sea ice, while hydrographic data suggest that in 1997 and 1998, the upper part of the ocean was unusually fresh and warm compared to available data between 1956 and 1996.Deployments of the IOEB were supported by the Japanese Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC)

When It Strikes, Are We Ready? Lessons Identified at the 7th Planetary Defense Conference in Preparing for a Near-Earth Object Impact Scenario

Abstract Near-Earth object (NEO) impact is one of the examples of high impact and low probability (HILP) event, same as the Covid-19 pandemic the world faces since the beginning of 2020. The 7th Planetary Defense Conference held by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) in April 2021 included an exercise on a hypothetical NEO impact event, allowing the planetary defense community to discuss potential responses. Over the span of the 4-day conference this exercise connected disaster response and management professionals to participate in a series of panels, providing feedback and perspective on the unfolding crisis scenario. The hypothetical but realistic asteroid threat scenario illustrated how such a short-warning threat might evolve. The scenario utilized during the conference indicates a need to prepare now for what might come in the future, because even with advance notice, preparation time might be minimal. This scenario chose Europe for the impact, which may likely cope with such a disaster, through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and other solidarity and support mechanisms within the European Union (EU), as well as with potential support from international partners. This short article raises concern about other areas in the world on how they may access NEO impact information and cope with such disasters. It also provides an idea on vast scale of such disaster vis-à-vis the current capacity of response systems to cope with a larger event in Europe or elsewhere. This scenario showed that planetary defense is a global endeavor. Constant engagement of the planetary defense and disaster response communities is essential in order to keep the world safe from potential disasters caused by NEO impacts.</jats:p

Sea ice circulation in the Laptev Sea and ice export to the Arctic Ocean: Sea ice circulation in the Laptev Sea and ice export to the Arctic Ocean: Results from satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling

Sea ice circulation in the Laptev Sea and ice exchange with the Arctic Ocean have been studied based on remote sensing data and numerical modeling. Ice drift patterns for short‐ and long‐term periods were retrieved from successive Okean radar images and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager data for the winters 1987/1988 and 1994/1995. Seasonal and interannual variabilities of ice drift in the Laptev Sea and ice exchange with the Arctic Ocean during the period from 1979 to 1995 were studied with a large‐scale dynamic‐thermodynamic sea ice model. During an “average year,” sea ice was exported from the Laptev Sea through its northern and eastern boundaries, with maximum and minimum export occurring in February and August, respectively. The winter ice outflow from the Laptev Sea varied between 251,000 km2 (1984/1985) and 732,000 km2 (1988/1989) with the mean value of 483,000 km2. Sea ice was exported into the East Siberian Sea mostly in summers with the mean value of 69,000 km2. Out of the 17 investigated summers, 12 were characterized by sea ice import from the Arctic Ocean into the Laptev Sea through its northern boundary. Magnitude and direction of ice export from the Laptev Sea corresponded with the large‐scale Arctic Ocean drift patterns during periods of prevailing cyclonic or anticyclonic circulation. Based on a semiempirical method that has been validated with the large‐scale model and satellite data, ice exchange between the Laptev Sea and the Arctic Ocean during the period from 1936 to 1995 has been estimated as 309,000km2 with strong interannual variability and no significant trend apparent