Flood mapping: ITHACA78 is an Italian non-profit association devoted to support humanitarian activities in response to natural disasters by means of Earth observation systems. In collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Turin, ITHACA undertakes comprehensive operational and research activities in the field of analysis, evaluation and mitigation of damages caused by natural or manmade catastrophes and supports the United Nations’ World Food Programme by providing highly detailed satellite maps for helping its humanitarian operations (see Figure 26);
Mapping of burnt areas: SErvice Régional de Traitement d'Image et de Télédétection (SERTIT) is a technology transfer center of the University of Strasbourg79. The center participates in emergencies worldwide, through its rapid mapping service during crises caused by natural or industrial disasters. SERTIT is capable of mobilizing expert teams 24/7, 365 days a year, to deliver crisis mapping within 6 hours based on satellite images covering emergency events and their consequences. With respect to international aid, SERTIT supports humanitarian missions, epidemiological surveillance, development aid, reconstruction, and territorial management (see Figure 27).
Land monitoring: The Remote Sensing Applications Center (ReSAC)80 is a Bulgarian non-profit organization involved in fast-track mapping on the emergency response and land monitoring. In the beginning supported by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, ReSAC’s mission is to facilitate local, national and international authorities, as well as private enterprises, to introduce Earth observation-based products into agricultural and environmental management, land cover and land use mapping, soil and forest inventory, water resources, environmental hazards, disaster management and urban planning (see Figure 28).
Monitoring of refugee camps: The Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI)81 is a service of the German Remotes Sensing Data Center at the German Aerospace Center. It provides a 24/7 service for the rapid provision, processing and analysis of satellite imagery during natural and environmental disasters, for humanitarian relief activities and civil security issues worldwide. In case of humanitarian crises, ZKI assists relief efforts in cooperation with international partner organisations and provides user specified information and map products, such as
78 http://www.ithacaweb.org/. 79 http://sertit.u-strasbg.fr/.
80 http://www.resac-bg.org/index_en.html. 81 http://www.zki.dlr.de/.
refugee camp and situation maps, used for logistic support and operation planning (see Figure 29).
Figure 26: Satellite-based map of flood occurred in Romania and Ukraine in July 2008
Figure 27: Satellite-based map of burnt areas occurred in Maido Massif (Reunion Island) in October 2011
Source: ITHACA
(http://www.ithacaweb.org/maps/romania/).
Source: SERTIT (http://sertit.u- strasbg.fr/applications_en.html). Figure 28: Satellite-based land cover
map of Bulgaria Figure 29: Map illustrating the risks in case of a tsunami in Indonesia
Source: Bulgarian Spatial Data Infrastructure
(http://bsdi.asde-
bg.org/data/Lccs/pdf/lccs_RL_2010_v02_EN.pdf).
Source: ZKI (http://www.zki.dlr.de/image/939).
Market opportunities and threats
Emergency management may seem the typical case of business-to-government or government-to-government services. In fact, at present time the main customers of Earth observation-based services are government agencies and NGOs. Consequently, today public funds and donors drive the market.
However, natural and manmade disasters also affect the private insurance business. While from a technical point of view there are no limits or constrains in using satellites for timely
helping insurers to assess the impact of hazards and extreme events, the use of Earth observation data in the European insurance industry is still in the early stages. An example is PERILS AG, a Swiss insurance company aimed at improving the availability of catastrophe insurance market data. PERILS offers industry exposure and event loss data and an associated industry loss index service for Europe windstorm, UK flood and Italy earthquake and flood. In 2012, within ESA’s activities to develop the industrial use of Earth observation-based services, a consortium of insurance companies including PERILS, Swiss Re, Munich Re, Allianz, Willis and Guy Carpenter, has tested the use of real-time flood extent information based on data from a constellation of six European and Canadian remote sensing satellites82. Nevertheless, it was a sporadic case study and it is possible this specific market sector needs some ad hoc stimulus for developing the use of Earth observation and GNSS products for its business.
82 http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Insurance_industry_adopts_Earth_observation_for_ass essing_floods.
ANNEX 3. A SYNTHESIS NOTE ON THE US MARKET AND POLICY CONTEXT
OF SATELLITE DATA AND INFORMATION
The US space program has historically placed a high value on the development of a commercial space sector; this is reflected by the 2010 US Space policy, which lists as one of the five basic principles: “A robust and competitive commercial space sector is vital to continued progress in space. The United States is committed to encouraging and facilitating the growth of a U.S. commercial space sector that supports U.S. needs, is globally competitive, and advances U.S. leadership in the generation of new markets and innovation-driven entrepreneurship.” Undoubtedly, the development of the US commercial sector is the primary focus; US private companies benefit from privileged access to public sector contracts, and enjoy the support of government entities such as the Office of Space Commercialization83. However, this principle has resulted over the years in a set of policies of open, unrestricted and free access to US space data, with no discrimination users (public or private US users, or international users), hence playing a vital role in the establishment of the USD 314 billion global space market (Space Foundation, 2014). This note summarizes some of the aspects of the US GNSS and Earth Observation programs, that more directly provide a benchmark of the potential impacts of the Galileo and Copernicus programs on the European Space Market.