ESA : Improving land cover mapping with Sentinel-2 .- Mejora de la cartografía de la cubierta terrestre con Sentinel-2

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Improving_land_cover_mapping_with_Sentinel-2

Mapping African land cover

 

24 March 2017

With the pair of Sentinel-2 satellites now in orbit, users are looking ahead to mapping global land cover at 10 m resolution.  A vuelo

Land-cover mapping breaks down the different types of material on Earth’s surface, such as water bodies, ice cover, different forms of agriculture or forests, grasslands and artificial surfaces.

This information is important for understanding changes in land use, modelling climate change extent and impacts, conserving biodiversity and managing natural resources.

ESA has been coordinating global land cover maps since 2002 through its GlobCover and Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Land Cover projects at a resolution of 300 m. But with the Copernicus Sentinel-2 pair now becoming operational, the possibility of a global map at 10 m is just on the horizon.

If realised, this would improve the resolution of the land cover map by a factor of almost 1000: each single pixel from the older map would be replaced by 900 pixels.

 

Evaporation ponds, Namibia

The CCI Land Cover project is working on the first high-resolution prototype map of Africa using Sentinel-2A data. Sentinel-2B joined its twin in orbit on 7 March, increasing the temporal resolution of the mission.

Last week, the WorldCover2017 conference at ESA’s establishment in Italy brought together some 270 scientists, including representatives from US, Chinese and European organisations to discuss a coordinated action to build the first 10 m resolution global land cover map.

“From this conference we see significant technical advances,” said Professor Chen Jun, First Vice President of the National Geometrics Center of China, which is developing a 2015 land cover map at 30 m.

“The future of land cover mapping will rely largely on the benefits that the Copernicus Sentinel-2 constellation will bring in terms of spatial resolution, spectral coverage and revisit together with partner missions.”

He went on to say that his organisation is already using data from the Sentinel-2 mission for mapping smaller islands, where a 10 m resolution is necessary.

At WorldCover2017, the experts also discussed the importance of free and open data access – a policy at the heart of Europe’s environment monitoring Copernicus programme – and the wider economic benefits of such a policy.

 

Orange River agriculture, South Africa

 

“The idea is like the GPS systems in your phone: if you have to pay a dollar every time you used it, no one would use it. But because it’s free, they built industries off of that signal,” explained Matthew Hansen, professor at the University of Maryland in the US.

“When Landsat was provided free of charge, applications using it in the US paid for the system within the first year.”

ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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ESA : Etna erupts .- El Etna estalla o erupciona.....

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/03/Etna_erupts

(2.92 MB)
(20.89 MB)

Details

• Title Etna erupts
• Released 16/03/2017 4:54 pm
• Copyright contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA
• Description
  This image of the lava flowing from Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, was captured today at 10:45 GMT (11:45 CET) by the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite.
  Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and has one of the world’s longest records for continuous eruption. Today, however, there was a sudden explosion resulting in several people being injured.
  The red hot lava flowing from Mount Etna can be seen clearly in the image from Sentinel-2A. The surrounding snow has been processed in blue to distinguish from the clouds.
  Launched in June 2015, Sentinel-2A carries an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands to monitor changes in land cover and vegetation.
  The mission is designed as a constellation of two satellites and its identical twin, Sentinel-2B, was launched just a few days ago, on 7 March.
• Id 374715

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Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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ESA : Orbiting in sunshine .- Orbitando bajo El Sol

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Orbiting_in_sunshine

Mission control room

 

9 March 2017

Following three days of intensive work, mission control today declared the newly launched Sentinel-2B satellite fit and ready for commissioning. a vuelo

The 1100 kg Sentinel was launched on Tuesday atop a Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Joining its orbiting twin, the new satellite will double the high-resolution coverage from the Sentinel-2 mission for the EU’s Copernicus environmental monitoring system.

Information from the mission is helping to improve agricultural practices, monitor the world’s forests, detect pollution in lakes and coastal waters, and contribute to timely disaster mapping.

The Vega upper stage delivered Sentinel-2B into the targeted orbit just under an hour after a flawless lift off and powered flight.

 

Sentinel-2B liftoff

Access the video

 

Shortly after it separated from Vega, the satellite sent its first radio signals via the ground station at Yattaragga, Australia, to ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany.

Engineers could establish full data and command links and then shift into the most complex part of the challenging ‘launch and early orbit ’ phase.

Critical steps

During these three days, the mission control team worked shifts 24 hours per day, overseeing a critical series of initial actions. 

 

Engineers on console

 

These brought the satellite into a stable operational mode, started moving it into its final orbit and checked out the health of its systems.

“Our satellite is healthy and the entire mission control team supported by industry and colleagues from the Sentinel project have worked extremely hard to get Sentinel-2B into its planned configuration for the start of the mission,” says flight director Pier Paolo Emanuelli.

“We can declare this phase complete and, as of 20:00 GMT today, revert to routine working hours for flight control starting tomorrow.”

Fine tuning a complex system

Since the satellite’s arrival in orbit on Tuesday morning, the team has performed numerous tasks, including confirming the solar wing was fully deployed to generate power, verifying its star trackers and GPS receiver, releasing the protective cover of its multispectral camera and conducting a test manoeuvre by firing its thrusters for nine seconds.

 

Flying a two-ship constellation

 

This period for Sentinel-2B was all the more demanding because part of the team had also to maintain, in parallel, routine control of Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since June 2015.

“Everything’s functioning very well, and the team has completed all steps in the timeline as planned,” says Paolo Ferri, ESA’s head of mission operations.

“With support from specialists across our centre, the team worked together to fly not one but two satellites and I am proud of the contributions made by everyone.”

Commissioning the new ship

Now that the craft is stable and flying normally, teams will commission it over the next three months, starting with manoeuvres that will position it in the next few weeks in its final working orbit – the same as its twin Sentinel-2A but on the other side of Earth.

During commissioning, the two main objectives are to check the satellite’s performance and to calibrate and validate the camera.

In addition, the satellite’s ability to transmit its crucial images to the ground via its laser link will be tested and commissioned.

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07 March 2017

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Dressed to thrill
03 March 2017

 

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16 February 2017

Sentinel-2 teams prepare for space16 February 2017 Going to space is never routine, and Sentinel-2 mission controllers are leaving nothing to chance as they prepare for the critical days following next month’s liftoff.

ESA

Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui

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ESA : Drought to overflow .- De Sequía a desbordamiento

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/02/Drought_to_overflow

(3.43 MB)

Details

• Title Drought to overflow
• Released 16/02/2017 10:15 am
• Copyright contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2016–17), processed by ESA
• Description
  Almost 200 000 people were evacuated recently after channels draining the Oroville Dam in northern California were damaged because of unusually heavy rain.
  Images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite on 21 December 2016 and 30 January 2017 show the remarkable difference in the height of the dam water. Far more of the shoreline is exposed in the earlier image, for example. There are a couple of islands visible to the north of the dam in the first image but they are almost entirely submerged after the rains. The animation also shows that the water is much lighter in colour in December but is much darker in January owing to sediment washed into the dam. The ‘spillway’ appears dry in the first image but water can be seen clearly gushing down in the later image. It is the first time that water had ever run down the spillway. In turn, damage to this spillway caused by excessive water led to fears about safety and the area being evacuated.
  At a height of 235 m, Oroville is the highest dam and second largest reservoir in the USA. It provides an important water supply and is used to generate hydroelectricity. Until the recent rains it was a defining image of the state’s drought.
• Id 373404

•Descripción
Casi 200 000 personas fueron evacuadas recientemente después de que los canales que drenaban la presa de Oroville en el norte de California sufrieran daños debido a lluvias inusualmente fuertes.Las imágenes capturadas por el satélite Copernicus Sentinel-2A el 21 de diciembre de 2016 y el 30 de enero de 2017 muestran la notable diferencia en la altura del agua de la presa. Mucho más de la costa está expuesta en la imagen anterior, por ejemplo. Hay un par de islas visibles al norte de la presa en la primera imagen pero están casi enteramente sumergidas después de las lluvias. La animación también muestra que el agua es mucho más clara en diciembre pero es mucho más oscura en enero debido al sedimento lavado en la presa. El 'vertedero' aparece seco en la primera imagen, pero el agua puede verse claramente en la imagen posterior. Es la primera vez que el agua ha corrido por el aliviadero. A su vez, los daños a este vertedero causados ​​por el exceso de agua llevaron a temores sobre la seguridad y el área que se evacúa.A una altura de 235 m, Oroville es la presa más alta y la segunda más grande de los Estados Unidos. Proporciona un importante suministro de agua y se utiliza para generar hidroelectricidad. Hasta las recientes lluvias fue una imagen definitoria de la sequía del estado.

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De la sequía a la inundación

17 febrero 2017

Casi 200.000 personas tuvieron que ser evacuadas recientemente debido a los daños que las fuertes lluvias provocaron en los canales de desagüe de la presa de Oroville, en el norte de California, Estados Unidos.

Las imágenes capturadas los días 21 de diciembre de 2016 y 30 de enero de 2017 por el satélite Sentinel-2A de la constelación Copernicus de la ESA muestran una gran diferencia en el nivel de agua en la presa. Por ejemplo, en la primera imagen se aprecia claramente que la margen de la presa está mucho más expuesta. Además, hay un par de islas que pueden verse en la primera imagen, mientras que en la segunda se encuentran casi completamente sumergidas. La animación también muestra un color del agua mucho más claro en diciembre y más oscuro en enero, debido a los sedimentos arrastrados a la presa. El aliviadero auxiliar aparece seco en la primera imagen; no obstante, en la segunda se observa claramente cómo pasa el agua. Era la primera vez que este aliviadero drenaba agua. Sin embargo, el exceso de agua transportada causó daños en él, lo que disparó los miedos y provocó que las personas fueran evacuadas de la zona.

Con una altura de 235 m, la de Oroville es la presa más alta y el segundo mayor reservorio en los Estados Unidos. Goza de gran importancia en el abastecimiento de agua y también se utiliza para generar energía hidroeléctrica. Hasta estas últimas lluvias, esta presa constituía una imagen de la sequía en el Estado.

ESA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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ESA : Musa Bay, Iran .- Bahía de Musa, Irán

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/02/Musa_Bay_Iran

(3.54 MB)
(101.27 MB)

Details

• Title Musa Bay, Iran
• Released 03/02/2017 10:00 am
• Copyright contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA
• Description
  Iran’s Musa Bay on the northern end of the Persian Gulf is pictured in this image from the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite on 13 January 2017.
  Near the centre, we can see the port city of Bandar Imam Khomeini, situated at the terminus of the Trans-Iranian Railway – a route that links the Persian Gulf with Iran’s capital, Tehran.
  The dark area to the right of the port is Musa Bay, a shallow estuary. The large geometric structures along the top appear to be evaporation ponds for extracting naturally occurring minerals from the ground.
  The left side of the image is dominated by the marshes and mudflats of the Shadegan wildlife refuge. It is the largest wetland in Iran, and plays a significant role in the natural ecology of the area.
  The area provides a wintering habitat for a wide variety of migratory birds, and is the most important site in the world for a rare species of aquatic bird: the marbled duck. The northern part of the wetland is a vital freshwater habitat for many endangered species.
  This area is considered a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty for the sustainable use of wetlands.
  World Wetlands Day is observed every year on 2 February.
  This image is featured on the Earth from Space video programme.
• Id 372739

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Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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ESA : Botswana wetlands .- Humedales de Botswana

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/02/Botswana_wetlands

(10.53 MB)

Details

• Title Botswana wetlands
• Released 02/02/2017 9:30 am
• Copyright contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2016), processed by ESA
• Description
  A river delta usually leads to the open sea, but the delta formed by the Okavango River is different. After rising in Angola and flowing through Namibia, the river meanders into Botswana, where it branches out to create an inland delta – one of the world’s most important wetlands.
  Wetlands, both coastal and inland, are important for people and the environment. Their many benefits include acting as natural safeguards against disasters, protecting communities most vulnerable to the devastating effects of floods, droughts and storm surges. They also provide a habitat for a multitude of animals and plants, and filter and store water.
  Every year, 2 February marks World Wetlands Day. It commemorates the Convention on Wetlands also known as the Ramsar Convention, which was signed on 2 February 1971 to provide a framework for national and international cooperation for the conservation and use of wetlands and their resources. This year’s theme is ‘Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction’.
  Well-managed wetlands provide resilience for communities against extreme weather and help to minimise the damage from these hazards.
  Coastal wetlands such as mangroves protect against flooding and serve as buffers against saltwater intrusion and erosion. Inland wetlands such as floodplains, lakes and peatlands and deltas like Okavango can reduce the risk of drought.
  The Okavango Delta, a World Heritage site, includes permanent swamps that cover about 15 000 sq km during the dry season but can swell to around three times this size, providing a home for some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammals. In sharp contrast, the surrounding Kalahari Desert is a lifeline for local communities and wildlife alike – and therefore it is extremely important that it is well managed.
  Through the GlobWetland Africa project, ESA and the African team of the Ramsar convention help to use satellite observations for the conservation, wise-use and effective management of wetlands in Africa. Through the project, African stakeholders are provided with methods and tools to fulfil their commitments to Ramsar.
  The Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite captured this image of the Okavango Delta on 2 December 2016. It has been processed in false colour to highlight variations in the water cover and differences in vegetation.
• Id 372738

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Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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