Dear Colleague,

It has been a year since the publication of our most recent booklet, - Satellite Imagery Applications for the Real World. This short brochure is intended to update the information contained in that booklet especially in the area of satellite imagery as well as keep you informed of the major projects that GEOIMAGE has been involved with. It has certainly been a busy year with the completion of the state-wide phase of the NSW SPOT 5 Project, including the delivery of 60 x 250K mosaic tiles and the full resolution State Mosaic. GEOIMAGE has also been doing similar processing of SPOT 5 imagery over several large catchment areas within Queensland.

In the realm of the high resolution satellite operators, we have seen the acquisition of Space Imaging by ORBIMAGE, with the re-branding of OrbView and IKONOS imagery as GeoEye. This imagery, together with QuickBird imagery from DigitalGlobe, has been well accepted by Mineral and Petroleum exploration companies, and many other industries, who appreciate the speed with which world-wide imagery can usually be obtained. South Korea’s Kompsat-2 satellite was launched mid-year and has 1m pan /4m multispectral capability. New satellites from GeoEye and DigitalGlobe and the PLEIADES satellites promise sub-metre imaging capabilities within the next few years.

The SPOT satellites continue to provide excellent imagery from SPOT 2, 4 and 5 with a range of spatial resolutions from 2.5m to 20m. These satellites are the major source of medium resolution “on-demand” imagery with data still available from the ASTER and Landsat satellites. The recent availability of 2.5m Panchromatic and 10m Multispectral imagery from the Japanese ALOS satellite will provide archived imagery from a pre-planned Observation Scenario however, at present, there is no capacity for programmed new capture imagery except in the case of natural disasters.

The Landsat satellites 5 & 7 continue to capture imagery but have ongoing problems which limit the usefulness of the data. Landsat 5 has Bumper Mode problems while Landsat 7 has the ongoing failure of its Scan Line Corrector. Although plans for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission are gathering momentum, we are not likely to see another Landsat satellite launched until the next decade.

We thank you for your business during the last year and we will continue to offer you the best solution to your satellite imagery requirements.

If you do not have a copy of our 2005 Brochure - Satellite Imagery Applications for the Real World, either contact us and we will post you a copy or you can download a PDF version (18Mb) from www.geoimage.com.au

SYDNEY 250K tile of SPOT 2.5m colour imagery - courtesy of the NSW PANRIIE SPOT 5 Project.

Satellite Imagery Applications for the Real World

GEOIMAGE

NOVEMBER

Satellite Imagery Applications for the Real World

GEOIMAGE

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Imagery Applications - GEOIMAGE Case Studies

Introduction to Satellite Imaging

High Resolution Satellite Imagery

Medium Resolution Satellite Imagery

Radar Imagery

GEOIMAGE Services

GEOIMAGE Products

2006UPDATE

Queensland Catchment Groups - SPOT 5 Imagery

The NSW PANRIIE SPOT 5 Project

There are 14 Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) Groups in Queensland, which are responsible for protecting and managing Australia’s natural resources. A need for satellite imagery for their mapping and monitoring applications was identified amongst these groups in early 2005, and the Condamine Alliance was the first to take up satellite imagery technology (page 12 of GEOIMAGE brochure). SPOT 5 was chosen as the most suitable high-resolution imagery for covering such a large area. After successfully completing this project for the Condamine Alliance, GEOIMAGE has gone on to complete full SPOT 5 coverage of the Fitzroy Basin Association region, as well as sections of the Queensland Murray Darling Committee’s region. Image processing of SPOT 5 is currently underway over the SEQ Catchments and Burnett-Mary Regions.

All these NRM groups are utilising the SPOT 5 imagery for their regional planning projects and mapping requirements, as well as supplying the imagery, purchased under a multi-user licence, to all landholders within their region for property planning purposes.

GEOIMAGE has also completed the processing of 15m resolution ASTER imagery over the Northern Gulf Resource Management Group and the Southern Gulf Catchments areas, as a base for their planning needs.

Geoscience Australia and State and Local Government participation in many of these projects has greatly reduced the cost of the imagery to all stakeholders, and these examples are a great demonstration of how whole-of-government licensing can and should work.

Quicklook of the full 2.5m resolution NSW SPOT 5 mosaic.

Example of high resolution SPOT 2.5m colour imagery over Parliment House, Canberra. © CNES 2005.

In April 2005, GEOIMAGE was awarded the tender to provide image processing services to the NSW Department of Natural Resources (NSW DNR), the lead agency for the NSW Government’s high resolution

satellite imagery project. GEOIMAGE was contracted to provide spatially accurate 2.5m natural colour SPOT 5 satellite image products covering

the whole state of NSW, in formats that would suit a wide range of remote sensing and GIS applications.

GEOIMAGE worked closely with NSW DNR to process the raw SPOT 5 imagery supplied by Raytheon Australia. Approximately 340 x 2.5m panchromatic / 10m multispectral image pairs were required for full state coverage. The imagery was geocoded to the best available control, which included aerial orthophotos, GPS points and topographic datasets. Orthorectification was performed using PCI OrthoEngine, which employs a satellite orbital math model that takes into account all of the geometric distortions generated during image capture.

Each pair of orthorectified panchromatic / multispectral scenes was fused to produce a 2.5m multispectral image that contained the optimal spatial and spectral properties of the component datasets. SPOT 5 multispectral imagery consists of visible green, visible red, near infrared and shortwave infrared bands. As a visible blue band is required for true colour composites, GEOIMAGE developed techniques to produce pseudo-natural colour products from the pan-sharpened 4 band multispectral imagery. This produced natural colour imagery at 2.5m resolution over the entire state of NSW. The imagery was provided in various formats for ease of use by the numerous users of this data, including scene products as BIL files for remote sensing applications and as a 1:250,000 Image Map series and a seamless 2.5m resolution state mosaic in ECW Compressed format for GIS applications.

GEOIMAGE completed this huge project at the end of September 2006 and the imagery is currently being used for applications such as monitoring vegetation cover and clearing, emergency planning for bushfires, urban and rural mapping, engineering needs and executive decision making. This project is a prime example of the private sector and public sector successfully collaborating to make this the biggest SPOT project ever to have been undertaken in Australia.

Completed by GEOIMAGE in September 2006.

CTF Solutions, a prominent client of GEOIMAGE’s, continues to recommend the use of high-resolution IKONOS satellite imagery to clients. Over the past three years, over 600,000 ha of imagery has been captured for CTF Solutions, with some farmers now capturing imagery on a yearly basis to monitor changes on their property. Using IKONOS imagery, CTF Solutions have detected many issues relating to crop production including:

· Nutritional disorders (particularly nitrogen)

· Missed fertiliser striping

· Random wheel tracks and soil compaction from previous operations

· Water logging and poor drainage

· Sowing problems

· Pest damage

· Crop diseases (Rhizoctonia, Nematodes), as well as

· Consistent areas that are growing well

GEOIMAGE staff recently attended the Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) Conference in Ballarat in September 2006, and met up with many farmers to see some of the applications that CTF Solutions have found for IKONOS imagery.

The ideal method to examine the health of vegetation is using an NDVI which is a ratio of the Near Infrared (NIR) wavelength band and the visible red. Healthy vegetation reflects strongly in the NIR and absorbs red light to produce chlorophyll. Further details of the NDVI and how it is calculated are on Page 21 of the 2005 Brochure.

Pan-sharpened natural colour IKONOS image over a mixed cropping - orchard area near Bowen in North Queensland. © GeoEye 2006.

CTF Solutions can be contacted at CTF Solutions 56 Iona Tce Taringa Queensland 4068www.ctfsolutions.com.au

IKONOS Imagery for Agriculture

2004 NDVI IMAGE 2006 NDVI IMAGE

2004 NATURAL COLOUR 2006 NATURAL COLOUR

This example shows the benefits of using the NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) formula for agricultural applications. The imagery captured in 2004 detected areas of the paddock that required attention due to poor drainage and erosion. Simple drainage work was able to correct these problems and subsequent IKONOS imagery, captured in 2006, confirmed that optimal growth conditions had been restored. In these examples, the range from highest NDVI to the lowest is shown in red- orange - yellow - green - blue - magenta (See colour bar on 2006 image). © GeoEye 2004-2006.

Advanced Land Observation Satellite - ALOS

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was successfully launched on January 24, 2006. The satellite has three sensors i.e. two optical imagers(PRISM and AVNIR-2) and an L-band Synthetic Aperture (PALSAR). The mission objectives of ALOS include cartography, regional observation, and disaster monitoring. It has been designed to have a short revist capability such that in cases of natural disasters, ALOS will be able to capture images of the disaster area with AVNIR-2 or PALSAR within a few days. GEOIMAGE has been appointed as a Commercial Distributor of ALOS imagery and is thus authorised to sell Standard and Value-Added Products to clients in Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, PNG and Pacific Islands), and Value-Added Products to clients throughout the world.

Data Availability, Pricing and ApplicationsPRISM data is very exciting as it will allow excellent quality high resolution DEMs to be developed over large areas at relatively low cost. Merging or pansharpening PRISM data with AVNIR-2 imagery will create 2.5m high resolution multispectral datasets (see example on facing page).The price for Standard Data Products, such as individual scenes, regardless of sensor type and processing level will be approximately A$650 (inc GST) per scene depending on the Japanese Yen - Australian Dollar Exchange rate. Pricing of Value-Added products, such as DEMs and ortho-images, has yet to be confirmed. Commercial users are advised to check with GEOIMAGE for imagery coverage and firm quotes.The Standard Data Products will be in CEOS format and include-

The ALOS mission features a systematic observation strategy which comprises pre-launch, systematic global observation plans for all three instruments. The strategy is implemented as a top-level foreground mission and with a priority level second only to that of emergency observations. Copies of these observation plans for PRISM and AVNIR-2 are available athttp://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/obs/alos_scenario/avnir-2/avnir-2.htmhttp://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/obs/alos_scenario/prism/prism.htmACRES is the Oceania Data Node for ALOS and as well as having a reception and archiving role, will be distributing ALOS data to non-commercial customers. It hopes to release products by the end of the year, however customers wishing to purchase ALOS data from ACRES will first need to register their proposed use with ACRES so that they can validate and approve the use as non-commercial.

PRISM - Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo MappingThe Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM) is a panchromatic radiometer with 2.5-metre spatial resolution. The instrument has three independent optical systems for nadir, forward and backward looking to achieve along-track stereoscopy. Forward and backward telescopes are inclined + and - 24 degrees from nadir to realize a base-to-height ratio of 1.0. It is expected that the PRISM instrument will be capable of producing DEMs with less than 5m errors and with a 10m grid spacing.

PRISM data is collected in one of 9 possible Observation Modes - of which Mode 1 - Triplet observation mode with 35km wide simultaneous Forward, Nadir and Backward Views is expected to be the main operational mode. This means that 2 cycles of capture of 46 days each are required to get complete PRISM coverage of any area. Mode 3 which produces 70km wide Nadir PRISM imagery (corresponding to an AVNIR-2 Nadir scene) is not expected to be a significant mode of operation.

AVNIR-2 - Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2The Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2) is a visible and near infrared radiometer for observing land and coastal zones and provides better spatial land coverage maps and land-use classification maps for monitoring the regional environment. The AVNIR-2 is a successor to the AVNIR onboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) launched in August 1996. Its main improvement over AVNIR is its instantaneous field-of-view (IFOV). The AVNIR-2 provides 10-meter spatial resolution images compared with the 16 m resolution of the AVNIR in the multi spectral region. The higher resolution was realized by improving the CCD detectors (AVNIR: 5,000 pixels per CCD, AVNIR-2: 7,000 pixels per CCD) and their electronics. Another improvement is a cross track pointing function for prompt observation of disaster areas. The pointing angle of AVNIR-2 is + and - 44 degrees.

For more technical details on the ALOS imagery, including PALSAR, please see page 36 of the GEOIMAGE 2005 Brochure.

TEST DATA AND IMAGE QUALITYGEOIMAGE has only just received test PRISM and AVNIR-2 data over Brisbane at Levels 1B1 and 1B2 and will be using this data to trial the production of DEMs and Pan-sharpened 2.5m multispectral imagery. These data were collected on the same date and at almost vertical collection angles and the relative geolocational accuracy of the 1B2 data was very good. See the results of Initial Calibration results of JAXA standard products at-http://www.eoc.jaxa.jp/satellite/data_tekyo_setsumei/alos_hyouka_e.htmlSome striping noise is evident in the PRISM imagery and its removal has been identified as a future goal for JAXA/RESTEC.

PRISM/

AVNIR-2

LEVEL 1aUncompressed, reconstructed digital counts, with radiometric calibration coefficients and geometrical correction coefficients which are appended but not applied.

1B1 Radiometrically calibrated data

1B2 Geometrically calibrated data

PALSAR

LEVEL 1.0Uncompressed, reconstructed signal data, with radiometric calibration coefficients and geometrical correction coefficients which are appended but not applied.

1.1Range and azimuth compressed Complex data on slant range

1.5 Multi-look processed images projected to map coordinates

PRISM CharacteristicsNumber of Bands 1 (Panchromatic)

Wavelength 0.52 - 0.77 micrometers

Number of Optics 3 (Nadir; Forward; Backward)

Base-to-Height ratio 1.0 (between Forward and Backward looking)

Spatial Resolution 2.5m

Swath Width 70km (Nadir only) /35km (Triplet mode)

S/N >70

MTF >0.2

Number of Detectors 28000 / band (Swath Width 70km) 14000 / band (Swath Width 35km)

Pointing Angle -1.5 to +1.5 deg. (Triplet Mode, Cross Track)

Bit Length 8 bits

AVNIR-2 CharacteristicsNumber of Bands 4

Wavelength Band 1 : 0.42 - 0.50 micrometersBand 2 : 0.52 - 0.60 micrometersBand 3 : 0.61 - 0.69 micrometersBand 4 : 0.76 - 0.89 micrometers

Spatial Resolution 10m (at Nadir)

Swath Width 70km (at Nadir)

S/N >200

MTF Band 1~3 : >0.25Band 4 : >0.20

Number of Detectors 7000 / band

Pointing Angle -44 to +44 deg.

Bit Length 8 bits

ALOS 1B2 test images over Brisbane. Natural colour 10m AVNIR-2 image and greyscale 2.5m Nadir PRISM image. Date of collection 18 August 2006. Note: although the corners appear to be “cut-off”, the red and blue vectors show the extents of the nominal full-scenes i.e 70km by 70km for AVNIR-2 and 35km by 35km for PRISM. © JAXA(2006) DISTRIBUTED BY RESTEC

Enhanced natural colour AVNIR-2 image (10m pixel) of the Brisbane Port area with 2.5m pan-sharpening of the southern portion of the image. Image area is 2km by 2.8km giving a scale of approximately 1:15 000. Date of collection 18 August 2006. The image location is shown by the yellow box in the image on the facing page. © JAXA(2006) DISTRIBUTED BY RESTEC

ALOS IMAGERY NOW AVAILABLE.

ASK GEOIMAGE FOR A SEARCH TODAY.

The increasing availability of 1m resolution or better satellite imagery, even for the most remote locations, has been welcomed by the Mineral and Petroleum Exploration industries as an ideal tool to assist in all aspects of their exploration effort. The ability to source consistent digital, locationally-accurate, high-resolution colour imagery as a base for planning all aspects of exploration can only fast track the exploration process. Some of the applications for the imagery include-• Planning access into remote locations• Identification and digitization of previous exploration work• Seismic planning and field operations• Detailed identification of drainage for geochemical sampling• Detailed stratigraphic and structural mapping• Subsurface data integrationThe two main satellite sensors, IKONOS(GeoEye) and QuickBird(DigitalGlobe) were described on Pages 22-24 in our 2005 Brochure. The information contained here tries to emphasise the differences between the services and imagery offered by the two operators so that you can make a decision as to which data would best fit your requirements. GEOIMAGE will gladly help with information on archived imagery, pricing, etc. to aid in the decision process.

Pixel SizeThe pixel resolution of the QuickBird sensor is currently the highest at 61cm in panchromatic (black/white) and 2.44m in the multispectral. This is for nadir viewing and pixel size increases with the increasing off-nadir viewing angle. Panchromatic data is generally supplied at 60cm or 70cm and multi-spectral data at 2.4 or 2.8m. In the case of GeoEye, the IKONOS sensor has a 80cm/3.2m (pan/multi) nadir pixel size and the imagery is usually supplied at 1m/4m although it can be ordered at the nadir resolution if appropriate. New satellites with even higher resolutions are scheduled for launch in the near future.DigitalGlobe: • WorldView-I is expected to launch by mid 2007 and will have a 0.5m pan sensor.

With higher agility and more rapid targeting, efficient in-track stereo collection is planned.

• WorldView-II is scheduled to launch in 2008 with the same pan 0.5m sensor as well as a 1.8m resolution 8 band multi-spectral capability.

GeoEye:• GeoEye-1 is scheduled to launch in early 2007 and will have a 41cm

panchromatic resolution and a 1.64m 4 band multi-spectral resolution.

Areas of InterestBoth IKONOS and QuickBird imagery are purchased on a per sq km basis. Areas of interest (AOIs) can be defined by a polygonal Shape file or a bounding coordinate rectangle. The swathe width of an IKONOS capture is ~11 km and for a QuickBird capture is ~16 km. Where more than one date swathe is required to cover the AOI, this does not affect the purchase price of the imagery, although it may affect the processing costs. For IKONOS, minimum areas of purchase are 49 sq km for archived data and 100 sq km for fresh capture or new archive (archived data less than 6 months old). For QuickBird, minimum areas of purchase are 25 sq km for archived data and 64 sq km for fresh capture. For either imagery, the minimum width anywhere within the polygon or bounding rectangle must be 5 km.

Type of ImageryAll operators collect high resolution panchromatic and lower resolution 4 band multi-spectral imagery. These images can be ordered separately, as a bundled product over the same area or as a pan-sharpened multi-spectral image at the higher resolution of the pan image. The pan sharpened colour product is generally sufficient for most applications.

Location AccuracyThe high resolution imagery is generally collected at significant angles from nadir and so orthorectification to correct for height offset is required (See Page 46 2005 Brochure). Elevation Models required for the orthorectification process can be derived from the imagery itself (see stereo imagery below), from SPOT or hopefully in the future from ALOS. If a better resolution DEM is not available, the SRTM2 data with its 90m resolution but with height accuracies of about 5-8m is the best alternative. Ground control points which are identifiable on the imagery are essential to the accurate location of the orthorectified product. If available, several points with accuracies approaching the resolution of the data (and an accurate DEM) can result in a final accuracy of less than 2 pixels. Even with only one ground control point and an accurate DEM, accuracies of less than 10m should be obtainable using the Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPC) that can be acquired when purchasing the data. The accuracy of the final product when using a less accurate DEM such as the SRTM will depend on the angle of capture of the imagery and the slope of the terrain.GEOIMAGE has an information document that offers advice to clients for collection of ground control points or for the laying down of targets before the satellite collection.GeoEye offers several levels of products at various positional accuracies and these are described on Page 23 of the 2005 Brochure. Based on the type of ground control and DEM that the client can provide, GEOIMAGE can recommend the most suitable level of imagery to purchase. For example if the client has very accurate ground control over the imagery and a good DEM then the lowest price Geo product can be purchased, while if only a few ground control are available, the GeoOrtho-Kit which comes with the RPC Model would be preferred.

Cloud CoverCloud cover (and cloud shadow) will always be a problem especially in equatorial areas. All the operators have a similar stipulation for new collection, with less than 20% cloud being seen as a successful capture. In the case of GeoEye, customers can designate a single coordinate within the image that must be cloud free. In the case of QuickBird, lower cloud may be specified for some products for a price uplift.In the case of in-track stereo imagery for DEM production, cloud and shadow are a significant problem. Because of the different look angles for each part of the stereo pair, the projection of the cloud and shadow on the ground will be significantly different in each of the two images. Even with 20% overall cloud, the resulting DEM may have significantly greater than 20% unresolved elevation model.

Archive Imagery vs New Capture.GeoEye offer significant cost savings for imagery that has been in archive greater than 6months. Some price reduction may be available for archival QuickBird imagery. However, the main advantage of purchasing imagery from archive is that the extent and distribution of cloud is known prior to purchase of the imagery. Turnaround time from order to delivery for archival imagery is also significantly quicker.The satellite operators quote various time delays for the capture of new imagery and this will depend on a number of factors:• season of capture and therefore the cloud cover• the size of the area - if the required area has to be captured in several strips,

then IKONOS is more likely to be able to capture adjacent strips in a single overpass

• the existing programming orders in the same area, or on the same satellite trajectory.

DigitalGlobe allows priority ordering of new capture at a price premium.

High Resolution Satellite Imagery for Exploration Base Maps

Pan-sharpened natural colour IKONOS imagery, Wodgina Mine, Western Australia. Imagery collected 8th May 2002. Approximate scale 1:4,000. © GeoEye 2002.

ER Mapper is the leader in the development and deployment of patented geospatial imagery technologies throughout the world. Since 1989, ER Mapper has introduced many geospatial image technology breakthroughs including algorithm-based image processing, a patented large image compression and

decompression technique, the ECW file format (now a defacto standard), and a patented large image serving technique.The ER Mapper suite of software includes:Image Web Server - a high-performance, specialised server application that efficiently distributes large volumes of geospatial image data. For example, the NSW Department of Lands have chosen ER Mapper Image Web Server to serve imagery and maps to their clients, other NSW state departments and public clients via their Spatial Information eXchange. The NSW PANRIIE SPOT 5 Project processed by GEOIMAGE is a major component of this on-line service.ER Mapper Pro - a powerful, but easy-to-use geospatial imagery processing

application. ER Mapper Pro enhances your geographic data to make it more meaningful, to extract quantitive information and to solve problems.New features in the latest Version 7.1 include: · Reading and writing GeoTIFF files larger than 2 Gbytes. · Support for 32-bit TIFFs and JPEG compressed TIFFs. · JPEG 2000 files with alpha channel support. · New supported formats including ERDAS Imagine, ArcInfo ASCII grid, SDTS,

CGRA DEM and 24-bit PNG. · Enhanced printing support from Image Web Server. · Toggle re-projection on the fly. · Support for IRS-P6 Indian Satellite format. · New datums including NAD83 High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN)

and Oman Survey Datum 1993. · New projections including HARN Arizona Central (Feet), HARN Arizona

Central (Metres) and Idaho Tranverse Mercator. · Numerous enhancements and improvements to the ER Mapper Engine.ER Mapper MBC - a mosaic, balance and compress utility to create seamless image mosaics from image tiles and compress up to 10 Gbytes of imagery. Version 2 is scheduled for release later this year and enhancements will include:· Measure distance and get coordinates. · ER Mapper “Save As” function. · Re-projection of images in batch. · Import ESRI Shape file format. · Vectors to regions conversion, and Clip regions wizard.ER Viewer - an easy to use image viewer featuring interactive roaming and zooming with very large image files and supporting a wide range of image formats.Packaged solutions including some or all of the ER Mapper suite are available for:* Local government - the program provides a flexible budget-friendly option

for small and large local councils to manage, process and deploy their imagery assets. Included in the program are unlimited copies of ER Mapper MBC, ER Mapper Pro, Image Web Server, ECW JPEG 2000 and Web Map Framework.

* Educational Site License - the program provides a budget-friendly geospatial imagery solution for educational institutions. Included in the program is university-wide, unlimited access to the ER Mapper technologies, in and out of the classroom.

Natural colour pan-sharpened QuickBird imagery from Western Europe covering an area of 40km by 30km. Imagery was selected from archive and consisted of 4 date strips collected in 2004. Enlargement is at an approximate scale of 1:8,000 and is enhanced natural colour. © DigitalGlobe 2004.

High Resolution Satellite Imagery for Exploration Base Maps

STEREO Imagery for DEM ProductionAlthough both GeoEye and DigitalGlobe offer in-track stereo imagery capture, we have found that GeoEye are more likely to obtain capture because of the increased agility of the IKONOS sensor. While this commonly results in same day capture of both parts of the stereo pair, there is a possible disadvantage that GeoEye may capture the data at high angles off nadir. This increases the possibility that the angle of capture may be less than slopes in the image and produce “hidden slopes” not viewable by the satellite sensor. With IKONOS the angle of off-nadir viewing can be set to a maximum of 18deg by purchasing a precision stereo pair however this increases the cost of the imagery substantially.We have found that from IKONOS Stereo imagery the final prepared Digital Surface Model (DSM) can be prepared at 2m postings in X and Y but the actual accuracy of the DSM will depend upon many factors: • The accuracy and spread of the client supplied control (in X Y and Z). Points

should be spread evenly over the overlap region and there should be a good spread of values in elevation with points close to the minimum and maximum. The accuracy of points should be of the order of 1m.

• The accuracy with which we can identify the locations of the control points in the IKONOS imagery.

• Recognition of the fact that this is a surface model (hence DSM) and will reflect all surface features, including trees, buildings etc. These are not edited from the final product

• Where steep slopes are in shadow, or not visible to the satellite, no surface model can be created.

• Environment factors affecting the imagery (cloud, shadow, haze etc) will reduce the continuity of the surface

• Areas of the earth’s surface which are uniform, (e.g. water bodies, salt lakes, beaches, some alluvial wash areas) reduce the effectiveness of the auto-correlation process used to define the surface. This may result in either holes in the DSM or spikes which require editing out.

NOTE: GeoEye stereo imagery are not capable of producing a surface model where the requirement is for 1m contours to be used for pre-feasibility volume calculations.Every attempt has been made to verify the details presented here however many of the details presented are subject to change and it is best to contact GEOIMAGE for the most up to date information.

GEOIMAGE is pleased to be associated with PCI Geomatics as their Australasian Reseller.

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of geospatial software, specializing in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartographic production, and more recently, automated production systems. Today, with our trusted Geomatica® brand, PCI Geomatics provides all the image-centric solutions necessary to meet the expectations of a large and expanding industry. Since 1982, the company and its reputation have continued to grow as a result of innovative leadership, strong technology partnerships, active geomatics community involvement, and a dedication to earn the trust of customers who use PCI Geomatics technology.

With a library of over 250 powerful raster and vector processing transformations, along with its automation tools and advanced image processing capabilities, Geomatica offers the most complete geospatial software solution to support your organization’s geospatial data processing needs. The PCI Geomatics Generic Database (GDB) technology makes it possible to view and process over 100 geospatial data formats, including support for the web and Oracle 10g enterprise database.

PCI Geomatics has introduced a series of image-centric solutions designed to address geospatial industry needs for automation and production capacity.

Automated workflows enable gain operating efficiencies, reduce labour costs, and shorten throughput time for the delivery cycle in areas such as: Automated Orthorectification, Mosaicking, DEM Extraction, and Change Detection. In Geomatica V10, The Geomatica Desktop Production Engine allows efficient and robust automated custom workflow and batch processes to be built within either a visual modelling or scripting environment - saving your organization time and money by eliminating repetitive time consuming tasks.

Geomatica breaks down the conventional divisions in traditional remote sensing, GIS, photogrammetry, cartography, web and development tools, by offering all components in a single integrated environment, resulting in fewer errors and greater productivity. Some key features include: OrthoEngine, for automated ortho-correction, mosaicking, and DEM extraction of dozens of supported satellite and aerial sensors, and Focus, an advanced visualization environment for data analysis and map generation. Additional modules include value added image processing such as atmospheric correction and pansharpening, as well as specialized data processing, for your radar data and hyperspectral imagery.

PCI Geomatics offers various environments to conduct your analysis and processing, providing you with state of the art tools to extract information from your geospatial data. Geomatica X is our flexible development environment used for building production workflows and custom applications from our renowned technology in the form of PCI software components.

For further information, please visit www.pcigeomatics.com

Life has been very hectic at GEOIMAGE with the resources boom and the overall increase in interest in high-resolution satellite imagery keeping everyone very busy. There have been some changes as well.

DARWIN OFFICEThe Darwin office of GEOIMAGE is currently not staffed. Angus McCoy, who has looked after our interests in the Northern Territory for the last couple of years, has returned to big-business and as yet we have been unable to find a suitable replacement. So if you have ERMapper and MapInfo skills, and working knowledge of remote sensing and/or airborne geophysics, are a self-starter and think that Darwin might be just the place for you, then please give us a call. The Darwin Office phones, email and post are currently being serviced by our Brisbane Office, and using the resources of Perth and Brisbane we are committed to continuing to supply our very best service to clients in the NT.

BRISBANE OFFICEMike and Greg in Brisbane have been kept busy with the very large job of completing the SPOT orthorectification and mosaicing of NSW. Both are looking forward to taking a few deep breaths now that job is drawing to a close. Other work including detailed processing of High-resolution IKONOS and QuickBird and SPOT satellite imagery over local government and catchment areas have been very satisfying and it is good to see the continual growth in the recognition of the value and efficacy of these datasets to solve a range of real-world problems.

Lisa Dykes has left GEOIMAGE to broaden her experience, and we wish her all the very best. In the short term Shona, Greg, Mike and Syl will share parts of Lisa’s role. Lee, as ever, keeps us all on our toes and reminds us of all the things we should have done which we have neglected.

PERTH OFFICEPerth Office has been extremely busy, principally driven by the resources boom. Supply and processing of Landsat, SPOT, ASTER and high-resolution IKONOS and Quickbird for companies exploring world-wide has been exciting. Lyle has been the first port-of-call for most clients for this but Max, Joel and Bob (in Brisbane) have shouldered much of the processing load. Additionally we are continuing to process Landsat data for the Australian Greenhouse Office (Joel) and as a spin-off from the NSW SPOT work we have just completed processing four complete time-slices of Landsat data for all of NSW that have been orthorectified and co-registered to the NSW SPOT mosaic base. Tony continues to shoulder most of the geophysical workload, and his knowledge and attention to detail are legend.

SKILL SHORTAGEMany years of a boom economy, capped by a resources boom (and a lack of government investment in tertiary education?) has resulted in a significant shortage of skilled professionals in the fields of Engineering, Earth and Spatial Sciences. For some companies, this shortage has been used as a reason (excuse?) to export jobs overseas. GEOIMAGE are a proud independent Australian company and we will not be subcontracting image processing tasks to Asia. We take responsibility for what we do, and we will always work to the very highest standards.

GEOIMAGE do have vacancies for suitable skilled professionals in all offices, so please contact us if you think a career with Australia’s foremost satellite remote sensing company is for you.

NEWS

Your contacts:

Syl Michael sylvia@geoimage.com.auMike Peters mike@geoimage.com.auLee Anderson lee@geoimage.com.auShona Chisholm shona@geoimage.com.auGreg Madden greg@geoimage.com.auBob Walker bob@geoimage.com.au

Your contacts:

Max Bye max@geoimage.com.auTony D’Orazio tony@geoimage.com.auLyle Burgess lyle@geoimage.com.auJoel Bryant graham@geoimage.com.au

PERTH OFFICEPO Box 8013, Subiaco East WA 600827A Townshend RoadSubiaco WA 6008 AustraliaTEL: +61-8-9381 7099FAX: +61-8-9381 7399

BRISBANE OFFICEPO Box 789, Indooroopilly QLD 406813/180 Moggill RoadTaringa QLD 4068 AustraliaTEL: +61-7-3871 0088FAX: +61-7-3871 0042

GEOIMAGE PTY LTDwww.geoimage.com.au