Australia shows its good side from space 12 February 2008
Australia uses ‘public-good’ Earth observation satellite imagery
to monitor changes in the land, such as tree cover for carbon
budget estimation, and changes in the coastal zone. The imagery
is also utilised during times of emergency response to natural
hazards such as bushfire and flooding. Geoscience Australia
entered into a three-year contract with the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) in January to receive data from
their most advanced remote sensing satellite, and will begin
receiving and storing data from February 2008. Geoscience
Australia will use ground-stations at Alice Springs and Hobart
to receive moderate resolution data from two of the cameras on
board the Indian satellite: the Linear Imaging Self Scanner
(LISS-3); and the Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS). The AWiFS
has a resolution of 50 to 70 metres with a 740km swath, enabling
repeat images to be captured on a weekly basis. The Australian
Government currently uses US Landsat