UK takes the helm of
international effort to provide satellite images in times of crisis
Today the UK
assumes leadership of the International Charter on Space and Major
Disasters. The Charter is an organisation that coordinates space
agencies worldwide in gathering vital satellite images of
disaster-stricken regions - providing the images to civil
protection authorities to inform their response efforts and save
lives.
As Chair of the Charter, the UK Space Agency will take
responsibility for implementing strategy and policy, and has
committed to finding ways of widening national access to the
Charter’s services.
Speaking ahead of his keynote address at the Charter Board
Meeting in London, Minister for Universities and Science David
Willetts said:
“The Charter is a great example of the enormous benefits space
can bring to our everyday lives. It provides invaluable and
immediate satellite images during times of crisis, from tracking
extreme weather to dealing with the aftermath of earthquakes and
tsunamis, as we saw very recently in Japan.
“During the UK’s chairmanship we’re keen to build on the
Charter’s success and open up international access to the world’s
satellite resources. This means the Charter will play an even
bigger role in helping countries respond effectively to
emergencies, and ultimately help save lives.”
Since it was set up in 1999, the Charter has helped in more than
300 disasters for more than 100 countries. So far this year, the
Charter has been activated for the flooding in Australia, Brazil,
Mozambique, Namibia and most recently in central Midwest America,
as well as hurricane Yasi and earthquakes in Pakistan, New Zealand
and Japan.
Membership of the Charter is open to all space agencies able to
contribute satellite images. Uniquely, the UK is a member on a
public-private basis that makes optimal use of the available
government and commercial expertise.
The UK Space Agency holds a seat on the Charter’s Board,
providing direction and examining ways to improve Charter
performance in future. DMC International Imaging Ltd (DMCii)
operates the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), a currently
five-strong commercial satellite constellation made available as
part of the Charter satellite fleet, and implements the day-to-day
Charter process as a member of the Charter’s Executive Secretariat.
Dr Alice Bunn, Assistant Director of Earth Observation for the UK
Space Agency and the new Chair of the Charter, said:
“As one of the funding members of this crucial collaboration, the
UK Space Agency is looking forward to leading the Charter over the
next six months. Charter satellites have provided satellite data
for most major disasters over the last ten years, including
Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill, the floods in Pakistan and
the earthquake in Haiti.
“The Charter is an impressive demonstration of space agencies
around the world working together to provide a humanitarian
response to disasters, providing data quickly and free of charge.”
David Hodgson, DMCii’s member of the Charter’s Executive
Secretariat, said:
“The Charter is still being run in much the same way as when it
began in 2000 with three members. Now, with the German Aerospace
Center (DLR) joining last year, membership is up to 14. The
practical implications of this increase need addressing to keep
the Charter operating in the same efficient and streamlined manner.”
The Charter has been activated over UK territory a total of five
times to date: twice during the 2007 floods, once during the Lyme
Bay oil spill that same year and twice during volcanic eruptions
on the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat in 2003 and 2008 respectively.
A simulated UK Charter activation also took place in March during
Exercise Watermark, a national flood response exercise involving
10,000 participants, with the Environment Agency and Welsh
Assembly receiving archived images from the 2007 floods. The
Charter’s Authorised User in the UK is the Civil Contingencies
Secretariat, part of the UK Cabinet Office assigned to civil
protection duties.
Notes to editors:
1. Media and images
UK Charter images available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacegovuk
Links
http://www.dmcii.com/
http://www.disasterscharter.org/home
http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency
2. About the Charter
The first UK-chaired Charter board meeting of the UK’s current
Chairmanship is taking place this week (9th-13th May 2011) in
London.The International Charter aims at providing a unified
system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by
natural or man-made disasters through Authorised Users. Each
member agency has committed resources to support the provisions of
the Charter and thus is helping to mitigate the effects of
disasters on human life and property.The only bodies authorised to
request the services of the Charter are the authorised users, who
have been given the single confidential phone number. An
authorised user is a civil protection, rescue, defence or security
body from the country of a Charter member. Those eligible to
become members of the Charter include space agencies and national
or international space system operators. Further details are
available in the Charter statement.Current Charter members
include: European Space Agency (ESA)Centre national
d'études spatiales (CNES) Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Argentina's Comisión
Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE) Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA) United States Geological Survey (USGS)
UK Space Agency / DMC International Imaging (DMC)China National
Space Administration (CNSA) German Aerospace Center (DLR)Korean
Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)Russian Federal Space Agency
(ROSCOSMOS)Brazilian National Institute for Space Reseach (INPE)
3. About DMC International Imaging Ltd
DMC International Imaging Ltd (DMCii) is a UK based supplier of
remote sensing data products and services for international Earth
Observation (EO) markets. DMCii supplies programmed and archived
optical satellite imagery provided by the multi-satellite Disaster
Monitoring Constellation. DMCii‟s data is now used in a wide
variety of commercial and government applications including
agriculture, forestry and environmental mapping.
DMCii was formed in October 2004 and is a subsidiary of Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), the world leader in small
satellite technology. SSTL designed and built the Disaster
Monitoring Constellation with the support of the BNSC and in
conjunction with the Disaster Monitoring Constellation member
nations Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey and Spain.
4. About the UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency is at the heart of UK efforts to explore and
benefit from space. It is responsible for all strategic decisions
on the UK civil space programme and provides a clear, single voice
for UK space ambitions.
Second only to the USA in space science, the UK's
thriving space sector contributes £7.5bn a year to the UK economy,
directly employs 24,900 and supports a further 60,000 jobs across
a variety of industries.
The UK Space Agency:
Co-ordinates UK civil space activity Encourages academic
researchSupports the UK space industryRaises the profile of UK
space activities at home and abroadIncreases understanding of
space science and its practical benefitsInspires our next
generation of UK scientists and engineersLicences the launch and
operation of UK spacecraftPromotes co-operation and participation
in the European Space programme
5. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press
notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It
also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See
http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Sally Catmull
Phone: 020 7215 6577
sally.catmull@bis.gsi.gov.uk