Within the framework of the Arctic IAP project, you are invited to take part in the User Workshop & Webinar to raise awareness amongst potential users of improved space based situational awareness services to support the expanding economic activities in the Arctic. The webinar is to allow participation by those unable to attend in person.

Venue: Finmeccanica UK Ltd, 8-10 Great George St, London, SW1P 3AE, UK

Thursday, 8th May 2014

Workshop: 13:30 - 17:30

Webinar: 16:00 – 17:15

 See Workshop Programme

The aim of the event is to gain a greater understanding of user needs and to discuss the potential space solutions that are applicable to the Arctic. The project will build upon the outputs of the workshop to develop solutions that better satisfy the requirements of sectors active in the Arctic region including oil and gas, shipping and tourism. A Proof of Concept (PoC) activity is planned for summer which could include the delivery of satellite earth observation-derived information to Arctic operators. Scenarios for the PoC will be defined according to the users input and needs.
To attend the event or take part in the webinar please register as a member of the online ‘ARCTIC IAP User Group‘. Membership is free of charge. Having joined the group you will receive a link to register for the workshop/webinar.
The workshop will be chaired by Rear Admiral Nick Lambert, previous Hydrographer of the Royal Navy and captain of the Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship HMS Endurance.

Arctic IAP is a European Space Agency (ESA) project with the objective of developing and trialling a fast Integrated Situational Awareness Service for companies operating in the Arctic.

Munich 24.03.2014

GAF has developed and successfully demonstrated a new innovative approach for deriving bathymetry from space. With this method, GAF can generate bathymetric maps covering large areas by simultaneously using differential spectral attenuation and stereo-information from satellite imagery. The approach only requires the use of satellite stereo imagery with precise ephemeris data and is therefore not dependent on ground truth data like echo sounding or lidar depth measurements. As such time consuming and costly in-situ measurements are not required, the technique is more flexible and cost-effective than traditional approaches. This method has recently been used, for example, to successfully map a large area in the Caspian Sea. The results provide the company RWE Dea Azerbaijan with valuable information suitable for hydrocarbon exploration and for the performance of seismic surveys.

Bathymetry is the underwater topography of lakes or ocean floors and constitutes an important information layer on hydrographic charts. Traditional ways of acquiring bathymetry data include the carrying out of depth measurements using sounding lines, sonar or lidar. However, as ship-based or airborne measurements take time to prepare and perform and can only cover fairly small geographic areas in a single pass, quite significant expenditure is usually required in terms of time and money. Bathymetric information is of importance in offshore hydrocarbon exploration: knowledge of the seabed morphology and of subtle submarine features, such as so-called mud volcanoes, can provide valuable indicators to prospectors. Furthermore, accurate sea-bottom morphology facilitates the correct interpretation of 3D seismic surveys.

RWE Dea Azerbaijan tasked GAF with the performance of a bathymetric survey in its area of interest in the Caspian Sea. GAF made use of satellite remote sensing and its new stereo approach for this task and mapped an area of 230 sqkm. The bathymetric analysis was based on a stereo pair of very high resolution multispectral satellite images. First, stereoscopic measurements were performed, which provided depth information about clearly recognisable submerged features and topography. In a second step, a bathymetric model was created using these features and the satellite imagery, in order to provide area-wide bathymetric mapping of depths and seabed morphology. The bathymetric information was collected in a regular grid with a spatial resolution of 4m and had an absolute vertical accuracy better than 2m. The modelling approach utilises the spectral absorption of light in the water column, which is dependent on the water depth. The method is based on the amount of light penetration into the water column, which under favourable circumstances can reach depths of up to 20m. It should be noted, however, that strong sun glint, and dense accumulations of microorganisms, vegetation or suspended load can hamper the application of the method.

Dr. Christian Bücker, Manager of Research and Development at RWE Dea, states: "The satellite-derived bathymetry provides valuable information for our area of interest in the Caspian sea. The bathymetric analysis was performed successfully and has sufficient accuracy to detect and map mud volcanoes. The existing sparse bathymetry knowledge of the areas has thus been greatly improved."

Dr. Sebastian Carl, Head of the GAF Data and Products Department, adds: "A cornerstone of GAF`s philosophy right from its very beginnings in 1985 has been to develop and embrace new technologies and methodologies in order to benefit our clients and our business. The GAF stereo method is another example of this and provides innovative area-wide bathymetry in a rapid and cost efficient way".

About GAF AG – Germany

GAF AG is a leading solutions-provider with an international reputation as a skilled provider of data, products and services in the fields of geo-information, satellite remote sensing, spatial IT and consulting for private and public clients. GAF offers solutions in the sectors of mining and geology, natural resources, water and environment, security, land, agriculture, forestry and climate change. Over the past 28 years, the company has been active in more than 500 projects in over 100 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. GAF is also a one-stop-shop for the provision of Earth observation satellite data. The company is part of the Telespazio Group, which belongs to Finmeccanica and Thales, two European technology leaders. 

About RWE Dea AG

RWE Dea AG, headquartered in Hamburg, is an international company operating in the field of exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil. The company deploys state-of-the-art drilling and production technologies, and has many years of experience in the sector. RWE Dea has also set new standards in the fields of safety and environmental protection.

RWE Dea has stakes in production facilities and concessions in Germany, the UK, Norway, Denmark, Egypt and Algeria and holds exploration concessions in Ireland, Libya, Mauritania, Poland, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turkmenistan. Moreover, in Germany, RWE Dea also operates large subterranean storage facilities for natural gas. RWE Dea is part of the RWE Group, one of Europe’s largest energy utilities. The Caspian region, where the company has been active since 1995, is one of the focus areas of interest for RWE Dea.

To obtain more information, please contact:

 GAF AG

 Arnulfstr.199     D-80634 Munich

 Tel. +49 (0) 89 12 15 28 0    |    www.gaf.de    |    info@gaf.de 

Objective

To collect the views of the EO services industry and some of their main customers regarding an industry-wide certification scheme,
-to agree or not on the need for a scheme and establish its scope
-the key requirements based upon draft proposals
-to determine steps towards its implementation

Background

Certification implies that a company, a process or a service has been approved to a common, well-defined industrial standard. In any industry, certification and validation helps to reassure customers of the reliability of the product and is generally of most relevance for standard products and services. Certification can play a role in improving product quality and thereby getting users to trust the products and services helping to speed up customer acceptance of earth observation products. Certification can also play a role in reducing the cost of the earth observation products by introducing more streamlined processes
A study of a Quality Management System Certification scheme and/or a Product Certification Scheme has been issue by Hollidge Consulting Limited during 2011. This study should be used as reference background for the round table discussions. The workshop should provide an outcome input into the definition of scheme requirements and standards.

Approach

The workshop will bring together the key players from both EO service suppliers and customers. Each part of the EO service value chain will be represented; satellite operators, VA service providers, customers as well as other stakeholders; ESA, EC, EARSC. Representatives from customer sectors will include the O&G industry, insurance industry and the agriculture sector. A scheme will be proposed based on the work to date and the context of product and company certification will be addressed. The views of the various stakeholders will be presented representing differing needs at different stages of the value chain. Both institutional and commercial customers will present their views. The suppliers will be asked to present what they already do and working groups will be organised along thematic/market lines ie vertically, to examine the specific interests which will be presented to the workshop as part of a round table session. Conclusions will be drawn as to the next steps to be taken on the nature of the scheme, areas where pilot projects could be considered and linking activities between the various stakeholders.

Registration at: http://congrexprojects.com/13m22/objectives

Draft Programme

Linked to the OGEO platform, a workshop is being organised on 18th/19th February in Frascati to help identify capabilities for the O&G industry to respond to oil spills focusing on practical and technical monitoring capabilities from satellite, aerial and surface platforms.

The scope includes remote sensing technologies and capabilities, collaborating with other industry working groups to ensure international applicability. Lessons learned from recent incidents will be incorporated in the review (Macondo, Gannet, Bonga etc), including the need for additional planning, improved capabilities (e.g. response times across relevant locations) and further research to optimise monitoring and characterisation of oil spills using remote sensing techniques.

The overall objective is to provide the energy industry with an understanding of current and planned surface surveillance capabilities, along with gaps, and thus to improve industry readiness for future incidents. This will be facilitated by information gathering at the workshop, involving presentations (including industry requirements), break-out sessions and 1 to 1 interviews.

Any company with relevant observing capacity to offer that is interested to participate please contact us at secretariat@earsc.org

This agreement establishes Spatial Energy as the first global reseller of Astrium products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

"Astrium Services is the only geo-information data provider today with a full spectrum of satellites acquiring multi-resolution optical and radar imagery from which a variety of products and services are derived, including elevation data, global oil seeps, and geologic studies," said Bud Pope, Spatial Energy President. "A key advantage of Astrium Services is the large capacity of high resolution imaging open to the commercial market, resulting in faster acquisitions and deliveries."

With the full range of Astrium Services' products and services catalog added to the Spatial Energy content offerings and available through its Spatial on Demand cloud-based service, the Colorado firm is better positioned to provide oil & gas customers with detailed geospatial information throughout their entire exploration and production workflows, while benefiting from favored pricing and global oil/gas licensing.

"Spatial Energy is a recognized energy industry leader providing geospatial solutions to global oil and gas enterprises," said Greg Buckman, Head of Astrium Services' GEO-Information team in North America. "The breadth and scope of Spatial Energy's services make it an ideal partner for Astrium to work with in serving the global energy industry."

Astrium Services operates a constellation of Earth observation satellites unparalleled in the commercial market. Astrium Services' entry into the high-resolution imagery market came in late 2011 with the launch of Pleiades 1A, acquiring 50-cm images. A twin satellite, Pleiades 1B, is scheduled for launch this year. Launched in September 2012, SPOT 6 captures wide-area optical imagery at 1.5-meter resolution and will be joined in orbit by SPOT 7 early 2014.

"Pleiades 1A, Pleiades 1B, SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 will operate in a 90-degree phased orbit allowing for multiple acquisitions of a geographic area within a 24-hour period. The constellation is highly reactive thanks to multiple tasking plans per day and a tasking time of only four hours," said Spatial Energy's Pope. "No other satellite constellation offers repeat coverage within the same day on such short notice."

In addition to the optical SPOT and Pleiades imaging satellites, Astrium Services operates two synthetic aperture radar satellites, TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. Capable of acquiring highly accurate elevation data of the Earth's surface, both onshore and offshore, these radar platforms generate derived information for Astrium's Global Seeps Database, Onshore Geologic Studies, and GEO Elevation products, all now available through Spatial Energy.

About Astrium

Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and the third in the world. In 2011, Astrium had a turnover close to EUR5 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide, mainly in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.

Astrium is the sole European company that covers the whole range of civil and defense space systems and services.

Its three business units are: Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure; Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment; Astrium Services for comprehensive fixed and mobile end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security and broadcast satellite communications equipment and systems, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.

Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2011, the Group - comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter - generated revenues of EUR 49.1 billion and employed a workforce of over 133,000.

About Spatial Energy

Spatial Energy provides the world's best collection of energy-specific imagery, imagery analysis and online enterprise imagery and data management services for oil and gas companies operating globally. Over 50 of the Top 100 oil and gas companies worldwide use Spatial Energy to increase speed to drilling, maximize production, lower costs and monitor and protect their assets.

Imagery is available on demand from our data archives, by tasking satellites and aerial providers, by speculative collection and by hosting corporate imagery. Our data is tailored for use within geological and geophysical desktop applications, as well as web applications and geoportals. Our Enterprise Remote Sensing Solutions (ES2) provides one source for a full range of remote sensing services. We offer subscription programs such as the Spatial Energy Partner Program (EPP), BasinWatch and Spatial on Demand to provide simplified, cost effective access to acquiring and managing imagery as a corporate asset.

(source: Spatial Energy)

Toulouse, France – 20 September 2012 – Astrium Services launched the Pléiades Users Group during the ISPRS Conference held last month in Melbourne. This group has been created to offer opportunities to assess the utility of Pléiades data for applications and to allow users to share feedback and experiences. It is open to all satellite data users across any area of activity.

To this end, Astrium Services has issued a call for projects with a plan to share the first results by mid-2013 at a special seminar. To participate, applicants just need to register online at www.astrium-geo.com/PleiadesUsersGroup. There, they may submit a site for which reference terrain data is available - for example, ground control points, a DEM, 3D model, land-use/land-cover or cadastral data - and briefly describe their assessment project. Preference will be given to projects ready to make their reference terrain data available to the Pléiades Users Group.

Projects may be submitted until 30 September 2012.

Astrium Services will provide Pléiades products free of charge for all areas of interest in selected projects. In return, selected candidates agree to communicate their results to all members of the Pléiades Users Group before April 2013. Lastly, all images will be made available to users group members, so that users not in possession of terrain data or whose projects do not make the selection, may take part in the Pléiades data assessment effort.

For more information, contact PleiadesUsersGroup@astrium-geo.com or go to www.astrium-geo.com/PleiadesUsersGroup.

Through its GEO-Information business, Astrium Services is recognized as one of the leaders in the geo-spatial information market, not least thanks to the now fully integrated skills and resources of the former Spot Image and Infoterra. The company provides decision-makers with complete solutions enabling them to increase security, boost agricultural performance, maximize oil & gas or mining operations, improve their management of natural resources, and protect the environment. It has exclusive access to data from the SPOT, TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X and Pléiades satellites, coupled with a complete range of space-based data sources and airborne acquisition capability allowing it to offer an unrivalled scope of Earth observation products and services. This extensive portfolio covers the entire geo-information supply chain, from the generation of images to the provision of high added-value information to end-users.

By leveraging the synergies and expertise available across the whole of Astrium Services, its GEO-Information teams develop innovative, yet competitive, custom-made solutions based on the combination and integration of Earth observation, navigation and high-end telecommunications.

Source Astrium Services

After a successful pilot phase, the OGEO portal is opening its doors allowing qualifying companies from the Oil and Gas industry and the EO service provider industry to sign up.

The Portal initially top restrict the number of logins / per company to max. 5. But may revise that figure in the future depending on interest.

During the next OGEO Workshop 14th of Sept. in Perth (www.esa-ogeo.org) the announcement will be official.

And try to grant access subsequently … from 1st of October 2012 onwards

If yo want more information please contact info-at-earsc.org

3rd OGEO WORKSHOP:Utilizing opportunities Maximising the benefits.

After two successful workshops at ESA in Frascati, please join us in Sept. 2012 in Perth, Australia for the 3rd workshop on Earth Observation for the Oil & Gas industry.

The workshop is open to members of the oil and gas industry, service providers and researchers involved in Earth Observation and related geo-information technologies.

Preliminary program with confirmed speakers

Session 1: Overview

• OGEO, overview: Peter Hausknecht, Woodside, Australia
• ESA, GMES programme: Ola Grabak, ESA, Italy
• OGP, OilSpillResponse JIP update, Surface surveillance: Colin Grant, BP, United Kingdom

Session 2: Environmental

• Coastal area and water quality monitoring and using RS data: Arnold Dekker, CSIRO, Australia
• Change detection time series using WorldView2 high resolution satellite data: Leah Glass, GeoImage, Australia
• Remote sensing of the coastal transitional zone: Rasmus Borgstroem, Grass, Denmark
• The importance of the first 24hrs in oil spill monitoring: Paul Whitaker, KSAT, Norway

Panel Session
Lunch

Session 3: MetOcean

• Oil Spill Response: MetOcean and Satellite data integration: Cedric Michel, Total, France
• Mapping solitones with satellite data: Jan Flynn, Shell, Australia
• Looking ahead 5 years: What satellite data services do we need for MetOcean: Jason McConochie , Woodside, Australia
• Tbd

Feedback session: Open session in topic groups

Session 4: Geomatics and Infrastructure

• Coastal bathymetry from WorldView2 satellite data: Thomas Heege, EoMap, Germany
• Satellite assessment and monitoring for infrastructure, environmental and engineering applications: Michael Hall, Astrium, UK
• Satellite monitoring and airborne mapping integrated: Tbd , AAM, Australia
• Supporting Oil and Gas in WA from a distance: a View From Landgate: Mat Adams, Landgate WA, Australia
• The use of UAV technology to complement satellite imagery for benthic habitat assesments: Peter Mellor, WorleyParson, Australia

More information at www.esa-ogeo.org

Exciting new applications using space technologies and data are now able to be translated into end-user products for the offshore industries. As many will know, space derived technologies have a history of being spun out into numerous terrestrial applications over the years. Probably best known, is the use of global positioning and navigation technologies for transportation. Other examples include anti-corrosion coatings, scratch resistant lenses, tsunami tracking and identification of ancient sites in archaeology using radar images – to name but a few.

Satellite missions flown for science and environmental purposes are yielding valuable data on parameters ranging from wind, wave, sea surface topography and ice. Multi-purpose imagery of oceans yields yet more information including variations in water colour and temperature which affect circulation and currents, sea state and measurements of changes in ocean waves and winds. For those industries operating offshore – Oil and Gas, Renewables (wind and wave energy) and Maritime, such information is essential for the purposes of forecasting, navigation, planning, development and everyday operations. However, many end users have been unaware of the relevance and availability of Earth observation (EO) imagery and measurements. Whilst at the other end of the spectrum, suppliers of potential information solutions have themselves often been unclear of the particular needs of these industries.

The Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI) recently held a consultation to explore user needs. Senior industry stakeholders from the Offshore Renewables, Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration and Maritime Transport sectors, met with EO and marine science experts, geo-information solutions providers and systems integrators. The purpose of the meeting was to create a forum to discuss industry needs and how EO data and technologies could contribute towards providing solutions and services in these areas.

EO data is already playing a part in providing essential information services to the offshore oil and gas industry, but it is generally recognised that there is considerable untapped potential for its greater use. Some of the current applications of EO data in this industry include validation of hindcast wind, wave models and characterisation of historical geostrophic currents. Other physical oceanographic measurements are also possible and include water levels monitoring and provision of pollution information for modelling trace oil seepage. It is also used for security monitoring of platforms and vessels, as well as for iceberg tracking and ice mapping with increased detail.

The Offshore Renewables industry has a range of needs, covering information on forecasting for planning and energy fluctuations, to data services for collision avoidance with shipping. Numerous geophysical and ocean parameters measurements and information are required. These include wave and sea surface measurements, tidal stream and sea temperature. Wind speed, wave height and steepness were all identified in the consultation as areas needing better quality data.

In the Maritime industries, there is potential for EO data to provide solutions for shipping behaviour monitoring, such as for illegal fishing and piracy. It also holds promise for helping to optimise shipping routes, as part of vessel traffic management systems, thereby reducing fuel costs.

Industry representatives highlighted a requirement for user-friendly solutions which are timely and accurate. Continuity of data supply was also a concern as the future uptake of EO derived data services will be dependent on guaranteed long-term availability of the source data. A recent gap in provision of data on ocean surface winds (derived from scatterometer measurements) for instance, highlighted this problem. On the other hand, it is recognised that altimetry and SAR measurements, which are useful for sea-state measures (wave height, direction, wavelength and time period) and which have been continuously available since 1991, still lack a consolidated data product. The Committee on EO Satellites (CEOS) is proposing to address this by cooperating with the user community to support efforts aimed at building on the decade-long sea state records and making a more comprehensive use of the information in the future.

The Centre for EO Instrumentation needs to better understand the future technology needs of industry for monitoring the offshore environment from space. The consultation has already helped this understanding and will also assist end-users, data service providers and satellite operators to better understand how they can work together to develop innovative new products that meet evolving user needs. The outputs from the offshore industries consultation highlighted the challenges faced in reconciling the wealth of EO data into products and services which fit end user needs. These findings will be used to develop further recommendations and actions for the future. But in the meantime, work will continue to develop and build a network for the marine industries and the EO community so that better communication and understanding can be achieved.

Notes to Editors:

The Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI) is a catalyst for the development of technologies for environmental and security monitoring from space. The CEOI was created in 2007 and is jointly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Technology Strategy Board, and industry. The Centre has a key aim to develop the next generation of Earth observation instrumentation through the teaming of scientists and industrialists and the funding of leading edge projects. These projects reflect the imperatives associated with monitoring of climate change and the environment - investing in clearly identified gaps in instrumentation requirements, thus maximizing impacts of UK developed technologies in European programmes. The CEOI is led by Astrium Ltd, in partnership with the University of Leicester, Science and Technology Facilities Council / Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and QinetiQ Ltd.
For further information please contact the CEOI Director Professor Mick Johnson, email: mick.johnson@astrium.eads.net. www.ceoi.ac.uk

(4 June 2012) The Astrium Services GEO-Information team is pleased to announce that Pléiades imagery is now available to all users, notably through its GeoStore portal that opens today.

Astrium GEO-Information Services, which has already signed partnership agreements to supply Pléiades data with three leading players in the remote-sensing industry PASCO Corporation in Japan, Beijing Eastdawn Information Technology in China and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) in Canada is thus adding very-high-resolution products for precision mapping and photo-interpretation to its portfolio, available to customers worldwide.

Pléiades 1A, launched on 16 December 2011, is the first in a constellation of twin Earth-imaging satellites, the second of which is set for launch in the coming months. This constellation offers exceptional performance for civil applications. Besides their 50-cm resolution after resampling, the Pléiades satellites’ agility enables them to image points out to 1,500 km either side of nadir. The two satellites will be phased to guarantee daily revisits to any point on the globe.

Pléiades complements the SPOT satellites, the latest of which, SPOT 6, is set to be orbited in September this year. SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 will offer lower-resolution (1.5 m) wide-swath (60 km) data for mapping very large areas. The Pléiades (1A and 1B) and SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 constellations will be equally spaced in Earth orbit, giving Astrium Services a capability by 2014 to supply very recent imagery and multiscale, quick-response services unique in the civil market. These satellites will make Astrium Services the first operator in the world to offer customers a full palette of optical and radar Earth-imaging data at scales from medium to very-high resolution.

Through its GEO-Information services, Astrium is recognized as one of the leaders in the geo-spatial information market, not least thanks to the now fully integrated skills and resources of the former Spot Image and Infoterra. The company provides decision-makers with complete solutions enabling them to increase security, boost agricultural performance, maximize oil & gas or mining operations, improve their management of natural resources, and protect the environment. It has exclusive access to data from the SPOT, TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites and Pléiades, coupled with a complete range of space-based data sources and airborne acquisition capability allowing it to offer an unrivalled scope of Earth observation products and services. This extensive portfolio covers the entire geo-information supply chain, from the generation of images to the provision of high added-value information to end-users.

By leveraging the synergies and expertise available across the whole of Astrium Services, its GEO-Information teams develop innovative, yet competitive, bespoke solutions based on the combination and integration of Earth observation, navigation and high-end telecommunications.

More info at Astrium Services Geo-information

After last year’s great success, even more leading partners are supporting the European Earth Monitoring Competition in 2012. The prize pool has thus grown to a total value of EUR 335,000 – including cash prizes, technical support, data packages, and business incubation. Be part of the second GMES Masters and submit your innovative idea for the commercial use of GMES Earth monitoring data until 16 September 2012.

Learn more about the new Challenges and the prizes at www.gmes-masters.com.

Tech All Stars connects twelve of the best web entrepreneurs from accelerators and web camp competitions across Europe with top EU funding sources, successful entrepreneurs, and hot networking opportunities. Tech All Stars is THE event for Europe's best and brightest startups.

Tech All Stars is organized by the European Commission Information Society and Media and will be held in June 20th - 21st 2012 in London. The winner will also be invited to the Digital Agenda Assembly plenary on June 22nd in Brussels.

Startups must apply for a spot at Tech All Stars. 12 of the best startups will be selected to participate.

We are looking for tech startups that are registered within the EU and are ready to change the world! There are a few criteria that you must meet to participate:

Your startup is:
•registered within the EU
•less than 3 years old
•has raised less than 1,000,000 Euros in external capital

Tech All Stars is reserved for accelerator graduates and web camp winners. However, we're also taking 'wildcards'. Wildcards are hot tech startups that may not have gone through an accelerator or web camp, but have a FANTASTIC startup anyway. We want to give everyone a chance at glory!

*Why are we doing this?*

We want to foster an environment of growth for startups in the EU. Tech All Stars increases visibility for startups in the European market and provides a forum for presenting startup ideas to angel investors, top executives, mentors, and VCs. We're looking for tomorrow's startup superstars within the EU tech community. Tech All Stars is a good opportunity to engage with new startups that are working on innovative technologies.

[Check it out at]http://www.techallstars.eu

The 3rd OGEO, Oil & Gas Workshop will take plave in Perth, Australia on 14th September 2012.

After two successful workshops at ESA-ESRIN in Frascati, please join us in Sept. 2012 in Perth, Australia for the 3rd workshop on Earth Observation for the Oil & Gas industry.

With ever more Earth Observation systems (satellite and airborne) available, novel and advanced methods of working with the EO data are required. Extracting the maximum value from the derived products and integrating the results with other geo-information has become an opportunity for the Oil & Gas industry to improve business procedures and add value to existing approaches. Industry wide applied practises and commonly accepted procedures will help to standardize the Earth Observation methods and support their business value.

The one day workshop is scheduled to coincide with another Oil & Gas industry event in Perth from the 11th to the 13th of September, which will see many O&G industry professionals in Perth – with a number of them having an interest in Earth Observation as a tool to maintain and improve good business practises.

Starting at 8:30 – 17:00 ; Morning/Afternoon Tea and Lunch will be provided

Approx. 16 presentations @ 15 min + 5min question time

2* 30min Tea break
60 min Lunch break

Thur: 13th of Sept. 18:00+ – Ice-Breaker – details to follow
Fri: 14th of Sept. 19:30+ – Workshop Dinner – details to follow
Sat: 15th of Sept. – Social programs can be arranged

More information at www.esa-ogeo.org

Today, the OGEO Portal presents a new public face ;-)

We shall post news of the OGEO activities and maintain awareness of the group activities. For more information go to the links on this page and feel free to provide views and feedback via the contact link.