DMCii has acquired images of flooding in both El Salvador and Ghana - just two of the many floods that have taken place recently worldwide.

El Salvador in South America was hit by a tropical depression at the end of October. Torrential rains resulted in rockslides, landslides and widespread destruction of crops and homes. Water levels rose by a reported 3m and it is said that up 10% of the country was flooded. The aftermath of this extreme weather can be seen in this image taken by UK-DMC-2 on the 21st October.

Accra in Ghana also experienced heavy rains that started on the 25th October. The nation’s capital is a low-lying area and prone to flooding. However it is unusual in October as the rainy season is June to August in Ghana. The flooding has led to sanitation fears and massive disruption of transport links.


If you’re interested in seeing more remarkable images from UK-DMC-2 please visit DMCii’s photostream on Flickr. All images are acquired by UK-DMC-2 © DMCii, 2011. All rights reserved

This week DMCii has acquired satellite images of the Dollar Lake Fire in Oregon, USA showing the devastation caused by the current wildfires. According to officials, the fire is burning across 4,378 acres. There are now concerns that that strong winds and high temperatures may fuel the fire that is running close to Bull Run watershed, which is the main source of drinking water for people in Portland and many of its suburbs.

The fire started on the Labor Day holiday, September 5, 2011 at 5:06 p.m and is believed to have been caused by lightning. Emergency services are fighting to contain the fire with some nine helicopters and twenty four fire engines.

This satellite image is shown for illustrative purposes only. For news updates you may wish to visit on the Oregon Live website. There are updates on the Dollar Lake Fires at the Northwest Inter-agency Coordination Center.

SSTL is a proud sponsor of the 61st International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2010 that takes place in next week Prague (27th September – 1st October).

Founded by Sir Martin Sweeting, the British small satellite pioneer will celebrate its 25 year heritage of launching unparalleled value satellite missions and unveil new Earth observation capabilities for the first time at the exhibition. SSTL will also actively participate in the conference programme, presenting seven technical papers on diverse subjects ranging from space navigation and optical payloads to small satellite design and operation.

Visit SSTL on stand A5 to explore new Earth Observation capabilities for very high-resolution imaging, daily global imaging systems and new models for capacity leasing. Exhibits will also explain how SSTL’s EO capabilities are changing the way private companies and governments procure and utilise geospatial information to manage the world’s resources and security.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, SSTL will put its unique heritage of cost effective value engineering on display - from its academic roots and exciting recent advances to its roadmap for future developments.

The IAC is the most established space conference in the space industry’s calendar, bringing together space experts from around the world for debate and discussion. SSTL’s Zeger de Groot will present a paper on in-orbit results from the high capacity 22m UK-DMC2 satellite and Joost Elstak will present a paper entitled “A million square kilometre satellite for Kazakhstan”. Martin Unwin and Mike Cutter will present papers on the SQR-ReSI instrument that uses GNSS signals for remote sensing and Phil Davies will present papers “Maximising re-use through a modular range of small satellite platforms” and “Rapid development of navigation payloads for Galileo Full Operational Capability”.

Visit www.sstl.co.uk/iac2010 for details.

Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has completed its August 2008-July 2009 detailed survey of deforestation by shallow cut throughout the Amazon region (INPE announcement). Its PRODES (Monitoring of the Brazilian Forest by Satellite) programme analyzed 400 images from Landsat, CBERS and the DMC Satellite Constellation to confirm that deforestation during the period was 7464 square kilometers, a reduction of 42% in comparison to 2007-2008. This is the lowest annual deforestation rate since INPE started systematic monitoring of the Amazon forest by satellite in 1988.

DMCii has worked with INPE to provide annual imaging of the whole Amazon Basin since 2005 to support this activity. By using multiple satellites, each capable of imaging a 650km wide swath of the forest canopy, DMCii is able to provide multi-spectral images of the entire area in 4-6 weeks. This provided INPE with valuable and timely information to help identify the extent of deforestation.

A significant decline in deforestation in the Amazon Basin has been observed since 2004. This is due in part to INPE’s new earth DETER system that detects deforestation in real time by fortnightly satellite imaging. This allows the supervisory board to take effective and prompt actions to combat illegal logging as it happens, rather than having to wait until after the damage is done.

Satellite capabilities play a crucial role in providing impartial information about deforestation in these large, inaccessible areas. The development of satellite constellations, pioneered by the DMC satellite constellation, has led to improved temporal and spatial resolution, enabling operational monitoring to support active and timely response to deforestation.

INPE announcement: www.inpe.br/ingles/news/news_dest117.php