EOMasters Newsletter #011
19/11/2023
In this Issue:
EOMasters News
Custom EO Software for You
EO and RS News
Copernicus Thematic Hubs Launched
ESA and the EC Jointly Promote the use of EO Data to Combat Climate Change
First EO Summit
First Commercial CO2 Sensor in Orbit
ESA adds PlanetScope to its Archive
Software, Tools and Services
Point Density Visualisation in QGIS and R
Beyond EO
Improve Your Life by Knowing What Type of Bird you are
EOMasters News
Custom EO Software for You
Do you need custom piece of software?
In addition to off-the-shelf software for SNAP, I also offer custom software tailored to your needs. Whether you want to access, process or inspect data, get in touch with me and we'll find a solution together.
EO and RS News
Copernicus Thematic Hubs Launched
During this year's EU Space Week the launch of four Copernicus Thematic Hubs where announced. They cover the topics health, coastal regions, energy, and the Arctic.
They are single entry points to data and products from different Copernicus services on specific regional or thematic areas. They aim to improve and simplify the access for users to the wealth of information, data, and services provided by Copernicus.
The four topics were chosen based on user demand and policy relevance. They address important challenges and opportunities for Europe, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU Arctic policy, the RePowerEU initiative, and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive.
Two Copernicus Entrusted Entities oversee the first four thematic hubs. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) coordinates the Health and Energy Hubs, while Mercator Ocean International coordinates the Arctic and Coastal Hubs.
Discussions are underway to expand and develop hubs on other topics, such as cultural heritage, environmental compliance, and climate security.
ESA and the EC Jointly Promote the use of EO Data to Combat Climate Change
Earth-observing satellites and the data they provide already offer the tools and solutions to effectively support, understand, monitor, mitigate and adapt to climate change.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (CLIMA) are launching a new initiative to use space-based solutions for climate action. The initiative will exploit the complementarity between ESA’s and the EU’s programmes, such as Copernicus and the Climate Change Initiative.
Opportunities to develop and implement space-based solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation shall be explored and enhanced. This includes monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, methane leaks, renewable energy plants, and land use change.
Its primary objective is to help the European Union achieve its ambitious goal of becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050, as laid out in the European Green Deal.
First EO Summit
The first EO Summit was announced. It shall take place in summer 2024 in London. It's organised by TerraWatch and aims to bring together the EO industry and end-users, focusing on commercial, business and climate-related applications of EO. Not much is known at the moment other than what is in the announcement post. But it might be worth keeping an eye on.
First Commercial CO2 Sensor in Orbit
GHGSat C10 is a satellite that can measure CO2 emissions from individual industrial facilities at room temperature and normal pressure. It is the first of its kind and was launched last week from California.
It uses high-resolution technology that can detect greenhouse gas emissions from space. It has been used to monitor methane emissions since 2016 and is now applied to CO2 emissions. Independent, accurate and standardized CO 2 data can help industrial operators reduce emissions, improve reporting and optimize operations. It can also support national and international climate policies and carbon trading markets.
ESA adds PlanetScope to its Archive
The PlanetScope satellite constellation is a commercial mission that provides very high-resolution optical imagery of Earth. ESA has an agreement to distribute free data from this mission to its Third Party Mission data users. The PlanetScope ESA archive is a collection of data products that were previously requested by these users for various applications.
Software, Tools and Services
Point Density Visualisation in R and QGIS
Konstantin Müller, an EAGLE student, created a QGIS plugin and a corresponding R package for easy point density visualisation.
The Bestagon QGIS plugin allows easy density visualisations for points and also lines since the newest version. Through a simple UI and background threading it holds up to most plugins available and makes density visualization fast and reliable. https://github.com/KonstiDE/Bestagon
The Formizer R package mirrors what Bestagon does in QGIS, however, in R. Due to more self-made grids and algorithms, density visualizations are fast and easy, as well as uniquely customizable. Moreover, it provides exemplary data and 3d plot options. https://github.com/KonstiDE/FormizeR
Beyond EO
Improve Your Life by Knowing What Type of Bird you are
Your circadian rhythm is your internal clock that regulates your sleep-wake cycle and other biological processes. Your chronotype is your preference for being active in the morning (lark) or at night (owl).
Knowing your chronotype can improve your life by helping you synchronize your activities with your circadian rhythm. This can enhance your cognitive performance, such as memory, attention, and creativity, as well as your physical health, such as immune system, metabolism, and sleep quality. Knowing your chronotype can also help you prevent or manage cognitive disorders that are related to your circadian rhythm, such as Alzheimer's disease, depression, and bipolar disorder. By measuring your circadian rhythm and adjusting your lifestyle accordingly, you can optimize your well-being and productivity.
Newsletter Archive
For past editions of this newsletter, you can visit the archive.
That's it for this issue. I hope you enjoyed this collection of news. Stay tuned for the next edition, which will arrive in your inbox in about two weeks.
Tschüss and Goodbye!
Marco
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