Dear Visitor,
DLR’s Applied Remote Sensing Cluster of institutes was established at the beginning of 2000 as the major result of an extensive external review of two DLR research fields, “earth observation” and “communication and navigation.” It is composed of the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) and the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), plus a joint unit with financial controlling responsibilities (AF-CO). In addition to the activities of DFD and of the former Institute of Optoelectronics (IOE), parts of the former DLR Institutes of Microwave Technology (IHF) and of Space Instrumentation and Planetary Research (IWP) were incorporated into these two institutes. DFD’s technical components in the field of navigation were transferred to the newly established Institute of Communication and Navigation (IKN). Today, the Cluster AF is the core of DLR’s earth observation activities. Its responsibilities comprise basic research and algorithm development as well as data acquisition, processing, archiving and delivery of complex products for scientific use and in land surface, marine, atmospheric and security applications.
Mission
The mission of the Cluster AF is to establish remote sensing as an indispensable tool for obtaining geoinformation relevant to the environment, planning and security to meet scientific, economic, social and national needs. We devote our research activities, development efforts and services to this goal, since we are convinced that only remote sensing from space can adequately satisfy the continually growing global demand for geoinformation. The research and development activities of the Cluster AF focus on:
- Urgent, socially relevant issues like environmental and climate protection, sustainable development, well-being and security of the population;
- The specific information requirements of our customers and partners in science, industry, the public sector and government.
Challenges
The major tasks being accomplished by the Cluster AF are:
- Basic research on remote sensing principles and the involved physical-mathematical and information-theory problems;
- Developing algorithms for information retrieval from remote sensing data and implementing them in operational processing systems;
- Processor development, system integration and operational mass processing of remote sensing data, as well as development of the information technology required to manage extensive data inventories;
- Defining and generating value-added geoinformation products for environmental research and the associated management tasks, for climate and atmosphere research, and to meet national responsibilities in the realms of civil security, natural catastrophes and humanitarian aid;
- Developing and operating customized service centers for rapid and sustainable access to relevant data, value-added products, and information;
- Conceiving, designing and operating multimission ground infrastructure in support of national, European and international earth observation missions to assure worldwide access to primary remote sensing data;
- Operating, calibrating and validating optical sensor systems for airborne remote sensing as precursors of spaceborne systems and for the development of novel information products;
- Contributing to the design of new sensor systems and missions (SAR, infrared, multispectral and spectrometric).
Expertise of the Two Institutes
The expertise and activities of the Cluster AF cover the entire system chain of remote sensing ground segments. While IMF is primarily concerned with sensor-related algorithm and methodology development, DFD is more oriented toward creating customized data products.
Methodological priorities at IMF are retrieval methods, SAR signal processing, image understanding and spectrometry. DFD methodology concentrates on land surface characterization using optical data as well as on data assimilation for applications related to the atmosphere. Focal points of IMF’s applied research are marine remote sensing, traffic monitoring, and security and safety. DFD’s applications portfolio relates to the land surface, security, and the atmosphere. Both institutes are engaged in processing SAR and atmospheric spectrometer data as well as aerial data, each in its own area of expertise. IMF operates the Cluster’s optical sensor suite and a sophisticated calibration lab for these instruments; DFD operates DLR’s payload ground segment including the requisite information technology for national and European earth observation missions.
The Cluster AF supports many DLR, national and international research projects in the geosciences and the atmospheric sciences by processing and making available the data and information which are a prerequisite to knowledge gain. To fulfill this interdisciplinary challenge, the Cluster AF puts to work its expertise in physics, mathematics, information technology and engineering, as well as its technical know-how. Processing feedback from the relevant user disciplines is critical for assuring the quality of the information products which are made available.
Locations and Structure
The Cluster AF is to be found at three DLR locations, in Oberpfaffenhofen (ca. 200 staff and the headquarters of both institutes), Neustrelitz (ca. 45 staff) and Berlin-Adlershof (ca. 15 staff). In addition there are teams at work at DLR endowed chairs at the Technical University of Munich and at Würzburg University (ca. 20 staff in all). The Cluster AF is structured into 12 units, whereby the financial controlling and logistics unit (AF-CO) performs a central function for both institutes (see organigram on the previous page). A spokesman function alternates between the two directors. Other cluster-wide functions are performed by the “Information Technology“ and “Science Communication and Visualization“ units of DFD as well as by the staff allocated to “Business Development.“ The cluster is led by a team of two directors, each of whom is assigned to lead one institute, for IMF Prof. R. Bamler and for DFD Prof. S. Dech.
Program
The research and development program of the Cluster AF is subject to the program-dependent funding of the Helmholtz Association, as is the case with all DLR institutes. Its activities are part of the Helmholtz research field “Transport and Space.“ DFD works almost exclusively within the thematic focus “Earth Observation,” of the “Space” program, whereas IMF also substantially contributes to the “Transport” and “Aeronautics” programs. The Cluster AF institutes finance large parts of their activities with third party projects, the major customers being the European Space Agency (ESA), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and private industry.