Pacific islands survival ‘depends on climate deal’

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

An aerial view of Tarawa atoll, part of the vast archipelago nation of Kiribati.

The survival of some of the world’s most vulnerable Pacific nations depends on world leaders taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd .

Leaders from the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum ended a two day summit , saying world leaders must urgently increase their “level of ambition” to reach a deal at talks in Copenhagen in December to set future emission levels.

The forum includes some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, including the atoll archipelagos of Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, which rise no more than a few metres above sea level.

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DubaiSat-1launched

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

DubaiSat-1, the first remote sensing satellite developed by UAE, has achieved optimal position in orbit around the Earth and has successfully connected with the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology’s (EIAST) earth observation station in Dubai. The earth observation team is now working on DubaiSat-1’s calibration and data transfer processes before the satellite becomes fully operational, said a statement. DubaiSat-1 was launched into space at 10:46 pm UAE time on July 29 from the launch pad/base in Baikonour in Kazakhstan by a Russian rocket under the supervision of UAE engineers and scientists.EIAST confirmed UAE engineers and scientists at the Dubai earth observation station were able to stabilise DubaiSat-1 in its 680 km orbit at 3:30 am local time after the satellite completed two successful orbits of the Earth. The team has also remotely deployed the satellite’s solar panels, which will power DubaiSat-1 for the next five years. The launch of DubaiSat-1 consists of two segments: space and ground. The space segment comprises the development, design and manufacture of satellite equipment and components of the measurement and imaging. The ground segment includes the mission control station, image receiving and processing station, antenna and RF subsystem. Images from DubaiSat-1 can be used for a variety of applications from urban development, scientific research, telecommunications, transportation to civil engineering and constructions, mapping and GIS. Source : http://www.tradearabia.com

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ISRO to launch satellites for US

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

BENGALURU: India will be able to launch smaller satellites for United States into space by indigenously developed rockets at one third of the cost charged by American firms. This is one of the significant feature of the space agreement signed with the US during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Delhi.”Space cooperation with the US has been the agenda of the government. The pact will enable US made satellites or with components of US to be launched from India,” Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Madhavan Nair said.ISRO offers satellite launching services for global customers at cost-effective price. India expects to bring down the cost of sending a satellite to space by half through its heavier rocket GSLV-MKIII, which will be ready by 2010. Source : http://www.sakaaltimes.com

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Brunei launched New Geocentric Datum

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

In Bunei the Survey Department under the Ministry of Development launched its Brunei Darussalam Geocentric Datum (GDBD 2009). Through the project, the department will gain the advantage of mapping GDBD coordinates that are immediately compatible with global coordinates obtained from GPS and with other coordinate systems adopted in many parts of the world. The system will also allow an efficient exchange of data and linking of products from various information systems. A global geocentric datum is supported and adopted by a growing number of international organisations like the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and the International Hydrographic Organisation. The key advantages of the GDBD over Brunei’s current datum are that GDBD 2009 is totally compatible with satellite-based navigation systems such as the GPS and with major international geographic systems. The GDBD 2009 will provide very significant and substantial benefits to those using satellite positioning, whether they are operating nationally or internationally.

Source : http://www.survey.gov.bn/

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