The Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) at the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) has developed "ZKI-DE", a service specifically for federal institutions. It has been successfully operated for eight years. At the end of 2020, this ZKI-DE service will be handed over to the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG). For German authorities, the federal continuation is an important step.
Since 2013, the ZKI-DE service has enabled the rapid acquisition and analysis of up-to-date geoinformation for federal authorities. This innovative collaboration between the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) provided government users with up-to-date, refined Earth Observation data for crisis management and in support of civil and public security.
In addition to providing crisis information products, consulting, training and continuous development, the ZKI has enabled the BKG to take over the standard tasks of the ZKI-DE service over the past four years. In close cooperation with the BMI and the BKG, all challenges were overcome and the establishment of an operational remote sensing operation in the BKG was successfully realized.
With the so-called satellite-based crisis and situation service (SKD), an infrastructure now exists in the BKG that will in future offer the entire federal administration individual and rapid consulting, production and provision of map and situation products. The SKD service will take over all operational services of the ZKI-DE service from the first of January 2021.
ZKI delivers new insights and applications directly from research
DLR's ZKI is increasingly focusing on the research and development of new remote sensing methods and technologies in the areas of crisis management, civil security and humanitarian aid, and for this it can draw on the considerable expertise of the Earth Observation Center (EOC), among others. Additionally, ZKI's core competence is the transfer of new findings and developments from science to operational use. The successful cooperation with BMI and BKG is to be continued in the future.
Greetings from DLR
On the occasion of the handover of the ZKI-DE service, Prof. Dr. Stefan Dech, Director of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), conveys the greetings of DLR in a video message.
From the side of the BMI, State Secretary Dr. Markus Kerber sends an official message. The President of the BKG, Prof. Dr. Paul Decker, has also published a greeting. Here is the video with background information, statements and greetings: