Cartosur II: Ortho Radar Images of the Rainforest
Press release by Infoterra
Friedrichshafen, 17 May 2002
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Stocktaking by Astrium subsidiary in Venezuela
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World-wide largest SAR flight campaign starts in late summer
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Biomass determination by the use of two radar frequencies
Infoterra GmbH (Friedrichshafen), a subsidiary of the European space group Astrium, is going to start mapping of the Venezuelan rainforest in late summer of this year. The company has been awarded a corresponding contract with a total volume of U.S.$ six million by the Ministry of Environment of this South-American country.
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The flight missions of the project, called Cartosur II, will have a duration of about four months and will be conducted in with the South-American Partners Orbisat, and Mercator. From an altitude of approx. 10,000 metres, a "radar sensor" will cover more than 250,000 square kilometres, i.e. about one fourth of the country's surface. The use of radar is the only possibility for obtaining high-quality data as the tropical and subtropical forests are often hidden by cloud cover. However, this is not a problem for the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) sensor: it ensures all-weather- operation and penetration of clouds.
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The SAR sensor employed by Infoterra's partner Orbisat da Amazônia S.A., operates in two frequencies, i.e. X- and P-band. The X-band data will deliver the first visible surface elevation model, the P-band data the terrain elevation model (bald earth model), due to the unique vegetation penetration possibilities of this frequency. Only the combination of both frequencies allows biomass determination.
Image evaluation will last for a further six months. Infoterra and Orbisat will produce geo-corrected images (orthophotographs), a digital elevation model and a digital terrain model. These, for example, are the basis for infrastructure, land-use and supply planning in the covered area.
Infoterra GmbH was founded in 2001 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astrium GmbH. It has a workforce of approximately forty employees in Friedrichshafen. Infoterra Ltd., its affiliate company in Great Britain, has about 150 employees in Barwell and Farnborough.
Infoterra collects and processes data obtained from Earth observation satellites and flight missions. The tailor-made information products are being used in agriculture and forestry, urban and regional planning, cartography and resource management.
Friedrichshafen, May 17, 2002/02013
For further information:
Mathias Pikelj
Tel.: +49 7545 / 8 - 9123
Fax: +49 7545 / 8 - 5589
Infoterra GmbH
88039 Friedrichshafen
Tel. +49 (0) 7545/ 8 - 9969
Fax: +49 (0) 7545/ 8 - 5650
www.infoterra-global.com
