News Mails - 2007
1. Final Selection of Mini-Project - An object-oriented training program in field of RS and GIS - 2007-08
2. Glacial Lake Discharge in the Himalayas
3. Total area of sea ice in Arctic Ocean smallest since observations started - Much faster pace of ice melting than forecasted - August 16
4. Workshop on Small Satellites - Selected Six Groups' Satellites for Launch - Tokyo, July 23
5. International Workshop on Early Warning and Monitoring Earthquake by Using Electromagnetism Detecting Satellite, Jakarta, July 25-27
6. The 6th annual Map Asia conference and exhibition, Kuala Lumpur - August 14-16
7. [[Event Information and APRSAF Website Updates - September - October 2007]]
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1. Final Selection of Mini-Project - An object-oriented training program in field of RS and GIS- 2007 - 08
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Since 1995, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been providing opportunities to develop technical capabilities in satellite remote sensing and other related technologies in Asia with the collaboration of the Geo-informatics Center (GIC) of the Asian Institute of Technology. Mini-Project is one of the JAXA's and GIC's training programs to solve the problems that all space and disaster-prevention organizations in Asia face.
This year, from May to July, in response to the announcement of the Mini-Project for 2007-08, GIC received as many as 28 project proposals and out of these 10 projects from 16 organizations in 10 Asian countries were selected to be carried out.
This project lasts nine weeks, made up of three weeks of training and preparations for the Mini-Project at GIC, one week of field research in the participating countries, and five weeks of final report writing at GIC. The participants are expected to work on the Mini-Project for the six months from September 2007 to February 2008.
For more details, visit GIC's Website:
http://www.geoinfo.ait.ac.th/index.php
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2. Glacial Lake Discharge in the Himalayas
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Nowadays, global warming is a serious issue all over the world and the eternally snow-covered Himalayan Mountains are no exception. As a result of global warming, there has been increased glacial melt in the Himalayas. The melted water cannot freely flow downwards and so new or larger glacial lakes are formed on the mountains. The walls of the glacial lakes can only hold a certain amount of pressure, and as more melted water flows into the lakes there comes a point when the walls fail. This is when a glacial lake discharges and it can destroy downstream settlements. This disaster not only affects the environment but also drinking water supplies, agriculture, livestock, and biodiversity.
The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is studying the impact of climate changes on glaciers and glacial lakes in the Himalayas by using remote sensing and satellite imagery. Mr. Basanta Shrestha, Head of Division at the Mountain Environment and Natural Resources Information Systems (MENRIS) of ICIMOD, said "Out of 9,000 glacial lakes in the Himalayas, 200 have been identified as being in danger of discharging. Since glacial lakes occur in cut-off and inaccessible areas, monitoring them remotely by a satellite is very helpful for disaster management and mitigation".
For more details, visit the ICIMOD website:
http://books.icimod.org/index.php/search/subject/3#toc286
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3. Total area of sea ice in Arctic Ocean smallest since observations started - Much faster pace of ice melting than forecasted - August 16
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The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC, led by President Yasuhiro Kato) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA, led by President Keiji Tachikawa) cooperatively analyzed oceanic and atmospheric observation data and sea ice data acquired by satellites, and found that the sea ice area in the Arctic Ocean has been decreasing at a much faster pace than expected compared to the previous worst record in the summer of 2005. After satellite observations started in 1978, the observed area shrunk to its lowest level on August 15, 2007. Ice melting normally continues until mid September, thus further shrinkage of the sea ice area is expected. The observed phenomenon significantly exceeded the forecasted model submitted in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fourth Assessment Report, and the big difference tells us that the model may not precisely reflect the actual situation in the Arctic Ocean.
For more details,
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/08/20070816_arctic_e.html
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4. Workshop on Small Satellites - Selected Six Groups' Satellites for Launch - Tokyo, July 23
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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is planning to launch a Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) onboard an H-IIA rocket in summer 2008. JAXA uses this opportunity for Japanese universities, industries, and other organizations to launch their small satellites of the weight between 1 kg and 50 kg as piggy-back payloads. Last year, in response to the announcement of this opportunity, JAXA received 21 applications and the satellites developed by six groups were chosen this May to be launched onboard the H-IIA.
Following the selection of these satellites for launch, on July 23, 2007, JAXA held a Workshop on Small Satellites in Tokyo attended by a large number of participants. The selected six groups made presentations on their small satellites, followed with lively discussions with the participants.
For more details, visit APRSAF hot topics:
http://www.aprsaf.org/interviews_features/features_2007/feature_20.php
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5. International Workshop on Early Warning and Monitoring Earthquake by Using Electromagnetism Detecting Satellite, Jakarta, July 25-27
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This workshop was held at Hotel Athlet Century, Jakarta, Indonesia from July 25 to 27, 2007. It was co-sponsored by the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA), and was supported by the Secretariat of the Asia Pacific Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications (AP-MCSTA).
The Workshop included 4 sessions: Space Environment and Ground Systems, Satellite Platforms and On-Board Instrument Technology, Data Processing and Delivering sessions, and Satellite Orbit and other topics.
According to Mr. Bambang Setiawan Tejasukmana Deputi for Remote Sensing of LAPAN, more than 130 experts, scholars and professionals from 12 countries and international organizations (UNESCAP, UNOOSA) attended the Workshop, exchanging views on the possibility of earthquake early-warning and monitoring systems using space technology.
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6. The 6th annual Map Asia conference and exhibition, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - August 14 - 16
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The overwhelming participation of over 1,500 delegates from 39 countries gave true meaning to the underlying aim at the 6th annual Map Asia conference, held in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia, from August 14 to 16, 2007.
The Map Asia 2007 exhibition was spread over an area of more than 1,500 square meters. The exhibitors in the conference were representing the geospatial industry from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
The conference was comprised of 4 keynote sessions: Asian Economic (The Spatial Perspective), Infrastructure Development and Engineering, Technology Trends, and the Return-on-Investment (ROI) in Geospatial Technology Applications. Well-known speakers and top ranking officials from the government, industry and academia delivered their keynote presentations to a packed house.
Mr. Sunil Ahuja, Regional Manager of the South East Asia and Pacific GIS Development Sdn. Bhd, commented that the presentations, which were insightful, informative and thought-provoking, opened the door for future deliberations.
For more details, visit Map Asia Website:
www.mapasia.org
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7. [[Event Information and APRSAF Website Updates - August - September 2007]]
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*September 5-7, 2007
The 4th Sentinel Asia Joint Project Team Meeting
Manila, Philippines
http://www.aprsaf.org/data/jptm4_pdf/JPTM4_1st_Announcement.pdf
*September 10-13, 2007
The Fourth International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation
Chengdu, China
http://4thdfhm.imde.ac.cn/
*September 10-17, 2007
International Workshop on Environmental Changes and Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-arid Regions
Inner Mongolia, China
http://www.iggcas.ac.cn/iw07/index.htm
*September 12-14, 2007
7th International Workshop of Geographical Information Systems (IWGIS '07)
Beijing, China
http://www.lreis.ac.cn/eng/kfjl/IWGIS/
*September 13-14, 2007
Location Asia 2007
Hong Kong
http://www.location.net.in/asia/index.htm
*September 21-24, 2007
The Fourth International Conference on Asian and Pacific Coasts (APAC2007)
Nanjing, China
http://www.apac2007.com/
*October 16-18, 2007
The Future of Forests in Asia and the Pacific: Outlook for 2020
Chiang Mai, Thailand
http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/39701/en
*October 16-19, 2007
3rd International Yellow River Forum (IYRF)
Dongying City, China
http://forum.yellowriver.cn/
*October 18-23, 2007
3rd Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.unescap.org/icstd/SPACE/3MC/3MC_index.asp
*October 22-24, 2007
4th International Conference on Agriculture Statistics (ICAS-4)
Beijing, China
http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/icas/
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Copyright 2007 The APRSAF Secretariat
APRSAF Secretariat