2009
What Danger Floes Beneath the Satellites?
The Norwegian Coast Guard finds satellite imagery vital for identifying the exact location of icebergs and ice floes in order to protect ship traffic. Kongsberg Satellite Services provides satellite imagery of the Arctic Ocean captured by ESA’s Envisat satellite and Canada’s RADARSAT-1 satellite.
In-Flight Broadband Slowly Spreading
In-flight broadband internet, a concept brought to market over the past decade with limited initial success, is beginning to show promise. Using upgraded technologies including satellite solutions, the company Row 44 provides internet access, voice services, cellular roaming, and live television to specially-equipped aircraft.
Siting Solar Power Plants Based On Satellite Imagery
A new system developed by Flyby, an applied research company in Italy, uses information from weather satellites to estimate the power-generation potential of sites for proposed solar-cell power plants and to monitor the performance of established solar power plants.
Satellites Sense Miner Health and Location
Mining operations are often conducted in remote locations, making it difficult for corporations to monitor activity from a central facility. Mining equipment can break down unexpectedly, causing downtime that cuts into revenue.
Earth Observation Imagery in 3-D
DigitalGlobe, a high-resolution satellite imagery provider, and The AEgis Technologies Group, a modeling and simulation services company, partnered in early 2009 to develop a rapid 3D imagery development system.
City Governments Use Earth Observation Imagery for Land Management
Many public service applications require fusion of information from a variety of sources, including space. A few examples include emergency response, land use planning, and the monitoring of critical infrastructure.
On the SPOT Assistance for Outdoor Enthusiasts
The fusion of GPS and satellite-based communication technology has resulted in unique consumer applications. In one example, the SPOT Satellite Messenger, marketed by a subsidiary of telecommunications provider Globalstar, provides notifications when users need emergency assistance or simply want to tell friends or family of their location.
Indian Satellite-connected Classrooms
Satellite communications technologies are fast becoming an integral part of global education infrastructure. In an application known as tele-education, satellite communications are used to provide educational content to networks of schools and classrooms dispersed across countries and regions.
Global Search and Rescue Network Saves Thousands in Distress
The Cospas-SarSat program, another international partnership, relies on satellite communications to provide search and rescue services. The program uses an international network of receivers and transmitters aboard several satellites.
Telecommunications Support For Disaster Relief Efforts
In the hours and days after a natural disaster occurs, satellite communications serve a vital role in coordinating humanitarian response when terrestrial communications systems are overwhelmed with heavy call traffic or rendered inactive due to damage.