SpatialNews Press Release
RSI Awarded CAD 738,500 in Agriculture-Related Projects
www.rsi.ca
Richmond, B.C. - RADARSAT International (RSI) has been awarded two
agriculture-related contracts - the first by the World Bank, and the second
by the European Space Agency (ESA) - totaling CAD 738,500.
The World Bank contract requires RSI to assess the advantages of
Earth-observation satellite data as a tool for verifying the occurrence of
extreme weather events. The project focuses on the capabilities of
RADARSAT-1 and optical satellite data for use as effective tools for
detecting drought, flood and frost events in Mexico, Nicaragua, Morocco,
Tunisia, Ethiopia and Cambodia.
This information will be used by re-insurance and risk management companies
who require unbiased information for measuring weather-related damage
claims. This project supports the World Bank's efforts to assess and develop
index-based weather insurance programs to mitigate the socio-economic and
food-source effects of natural disasters.
The European Space Agency (ESA) award is a two-year business development
contract that funds the design and development of a crop information system.
This system will use RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT data, related agronomy
information, and modeling to provide timely and unbiased crop production
figures. This information is used by insurance and re-insurance companies,
as well as by governments and aid organizations, for food supply and
security management.
The ESA project will be carried out by a consortium led by sarmap (of
Switzerland), and in collaboration with RSI (of Canada), Synoptics (of The
Netherlands), and Bolton Associates (of Malaysia).
"Both contracts emphasize the impressive capabilities of Earth-observation
satellite data to provide unbiased information that is essential to proper
decision making," said Phil Gray, President of RSI.
About RSI: www.rsi.ca
RSI, a subsidiary of MacDonald Dettwiler (TSE-MDA, www.mda.ca ) has been
providing Earth-observation data and derived information products, as well
as leading-edge services to our global clients since 1989. The company
combines its experience and service with the strengths of its worldwide
partners-(and the capabilities their sensors represent)-to support global
applications ranging from environmental monitoring and natural resource
management to marine oil surveillance, defence, and mapping.
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