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	Gateway to the Antarctic - Science symposium in Punta Arenas commemorates the 20th anniversary of GARS O’Higgins November 14, 2011 Punta Arenas, Chile. Some 80 scientists from nine countries met November 13-15 in Punta Arenas in Chile for a symposium commemorating the 20th anniversary of the establishment of DLR’s German Antarctic Ground Station.
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HySpex delivery

20 December 2011
Right on schedule at the end of the year, the Norsk Elektro Optikk (NEO) company supplied DLR’s Earth Observation Center (EOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen with an airborne hyperspectral system, HySpex. Consisting of two imaging spectrometers for the 400 – 1000 nm and 1000 – 2500 nm spectral ranges, HySpex will be used on a regular basis starting in 2012 for optical remote sensing from airplanes.

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Steps toward Chilean-German cooperation in research on early warning systems for natural disasters and on environmental monitoring

November 14, 2011
A DLR delegation led by Prof. Stefan Dech held discussions on November 9 and 10 with Chile’s disaster control authority (ONEMI) and the army’s hydrographic and oceanographic service (SHOA). Both institutions expressed interest in cooperating in the area of research on early warning systems for disaster control in cases of natural hazards.

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CESAR campaign successfully started – GRIPS data available at WDC-RSAT

21 October 2011
With the installation of two airglow spectrometers in the Western Mediterranean region by employees of the Earth Observation Center in autumn 2011 the CESAR measurement campaign has successfully started. Its goal is the investigation of atmospheric wave signatures generated by severe weather. Daily quicklooks of the data are available at the world data center for remote sensing of the atmosphere, WDC-RSAT.

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EOC Symposium 2011 – A Forum for Remote Sensing in Germany

Oberpfaffenhofen, October 13, 2011
Building on the well-known tradition of DFD User Seminars, an EOC Symposium was held for the first time from October 11 to12, 2011 in Oberpfaffenhofen. Designed to take place every two years, this public event is a forum for current research and developments taking place at DLR and its partner institutions in Germany, Europe and further abroad. The program included presentations by DLR staff and by speakers from science and applications fields invited to share their expertise on specific topics.

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Federal Ministry of the Interior: "Parliamentarian breakfast" on Remote Sensing

Berlin, September 30, 2011
Jointly invited by the Ministry of the Interior (BMI), the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), numerous MPs from all political parties attended an information and discussion meeting about Remote Sensing on Sept. 30 in Berlin. This initiative is closely related to the Strategy Forum " Remote Sensing for Public Administration: Chances and Opportunities", which will be held on Oct. 13-14 at the Earth Observation Center EOC in Oberpfaffenhofen under the auspices of the Federal Minister of the Interior, Dr. Friedrich.

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The world’s first woman to climb all fourteen of Earth’s eight-thousand meter peaks without supplemental oxygen

25 August 2011
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to stand atop all of Earth’s eight-thousand meter peaks without using supplemental oxygen to get there. On August 23, 2011, Austria’s exceptional alpinist reached the top of 8611 meter high K2 via the seldom attempted and extremely challenging North Pillar. She was accompanied on the expedition by her husband Ralf Dujmovits, Tommi Heinrich of Argentina, Darek Zaluski of Poland, and Vassily Pivtsov and Maxut Zumayev of Kazakhstan. Darek, Vassiliy and Maxut also reached the summit of K2.

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Air Rescue for Fawns

July 14, 2011
For many years DLR‘s Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) has been developing and testing methodologies and systems for locating fawns in their natural environment. These young animals are particularly endangered when meadows are mown in early summer. Since they lie motionless in the meadow whenever danger threatens many of them are consequently killed by mowers. In May/June 2011 IMF staff tested a wildlife rescue system which detects these animals from the vantage point of a flying platform.

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THW President Broemme has visited the Earth Observation Center

May 31, 2011
A delegation of the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), lead by its president A. Broemme, has visited the Earth Observation Center in order to intensify the long term cooperation between the two organisations. The topics of the technical discussion were both focused on the experience of using data and maps provided by the ZKI service of EOC for the practical work of THW, and the options of extended future collaboration.

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GOME-2 instrument observes volcanic SO2 plume from Grímsvötn eruption, Iceland

25 May 2011
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is an excellent indicator for volcanic activity. Satellite observations of volcanic SO2 are used for aviation safety and early warning of volcanic activity. The SO2 retrieval for the GOME-2 satellite instrument is performed in near-real time at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen at the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) and German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) allowing the data to be distributed to users less than 2 hours after the measurements. An SO2 plume from the recent eruption of Grímsvötn volcano, Iceland, was detected by GOME-2 on 22 May 2011. The volcanic cloud has lead to a partial airspace closure in Scotland, Ireland and northern Europe.

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4th NDMC Meeting at DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen: NDMC contributes to the recently funded EU-project ARISE

18 May 2011
Scientists from around the world attended the 4th NDMC Meeting from 09-13 May, 2011, at DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen to present their scientific results and to discuss NDMC’s further development. Currently, scientists from 20 countries participate with their measurements at 50 sites around the globe.

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Extreme depletion of arctic ozone in March/April 2011
Total ozone over northern Scandinavia in 2010

April 12, 2011
Latest measurements suggest that atmospheric ozone levels are at a record low in the Arctic for March. Unusually low temperatures in the Arctic stratosphere at about 20 km altitude have recently initiated a massive loss of ozone, which was first detected by an international network of over 30 ozone sounding stations spread across the Arctic and Subarctic, and coordinated by the german Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

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Third RESA Workshop

April 05, 2011
A workshop of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DLR) took place in Neustrelitz on 23.03/24.03.2011. More than 70 scientists from universities, research centers, Member of the Helmhotz-Association and enterprises discussed diverse scientific possibilities of data application and aspects of the evaluation of data of the German satellite system RapidEye in the Orangerie Neustrelitz.

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Tsunami early warning system is transferred to Indonesia

March 29, 2011
The German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean (GITEWS) was handed over to Indonesia on March 29 by a German delegation led by the Parliamentary State Secretary (BMBF) Thomas Rachel. DLR’s German Remote Sensing Data Center played an important role in the development of basic components for this system, which is unique worldwide.

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	International Charter Space and Major Disasters – on the way to operational full membership March 01, 2011 Representatives of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters paid a visit to EOC’s Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information ZKI. The purpose was to prepare the qualifying process for DLR’s operational full membership in the Charter.
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SIMA Innovation Award for the Wildlife Finder Project

25. Februar 2011
At SIMA 2011, the international trade fair for agricultural suppliers which took place February 20-24, 2011 in Paris, the "Wildlife Finder" project received an innovation award for a “technical sensor system to detect wild animals during the mowing of agricultural land.” The Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) is decisively involved in the relevant development work and is responsible for the scientific coordination of the project.

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4th TerraSAR-X Science Team Meeting

17 February 2011
The 4th international meeting of the TerraSAR-X mission’s scientific users took place February 14-16 at the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen. TerraSAR-X is an innovative earth observation satellite which, since early 2008, has been supplying radar images at a resolution heretofore unavailable for nonmilitary purposes. With the help of its radar antenna it can monitor the earth’s surface independently of cloud cover and the availability of sunlight.

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Minister Soder presents grant notifications

15 February 2011
On February 15, 2011, the Bavarian State Minister of the Environment and Public Health, Dr. Markus Söder, formally handed over at the EOC the grant notifications for two DLR projects related to atmosphere and climate research. These grants are to promote the intensification of scientific collaboration in the field of atmosphere research between Bavaria and Norway.

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GOME-2 instrument detects volcanic SO2 plume from Etna eruption

25 January 2011
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is an excellent indicator for volcanic activity. Satellite observations of volcanic SO2 are used for aviation safety and early warning of volcanic activity. The SO2 retrieval for the GOME-2 satellite instrument is performed in near-real time at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen at the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) and German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) allowing the data to be distributed to users less than 2 hours after the measurements. An SO2 plume from the recent eruption of Mount Etna was detected by GOME-2 on 13 January 2011.

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Elevation models from SRTM now available for download free of charge

May 25, 2011
When Space Shuttle Endeavour launched on 11 February 2000 for the 'Shuttle Radar Topography Mission' (SRTM), it was carrying two radar antennas; one in the shuttle's payload bay and the other on the end of a 60-metre mast. Over the course of eleven days, researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) acquired data for a three-dimensional terrain model of large areas of the Earth. Now, DFD is making these data available for scientific purposes free of charge.

The German-Indonesian Tsunami early warning system is transferred to Indonesia by BMBF

	Forest fires in Romania November 08, 2011 On November 06, 2011, heath and forest fires broke out in the region of Sibiu in Romania at several unassociated locations in the mountains. The fires spread quickly and strong winds hampered the fire-fighting operations. A total of approximately 40 hectares of forest, grassland and heathland were burnt down.
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Earthquake in Turkey on October 23, 2011

October 23, 2011
On Sunday October 23, 2011 an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 at 5 km depth hit the province of Van in eastern Turkey, followed by a series of powerful aftershocks of magnitudes up to 5.6. The epicentre was located at 38° 37' 40.80"N, 43° 29' 9.60"E, at the village of Tabanli 19 km Northeast of the city of Van between the Van Lake and the Iranian border.

Importance of Remote Sensing: German Minister of the Interior Friedrich opens Strategy Forum at DLR

October 13, 2011
A Strategy Forum entitled “Opportunities and Possibilities of Remote Sensing for Public Authorities” was held on October 13, 2011 at DLR’s Earth Observation Center (EOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen. It was opened by German Minister of the Interior Dr. Hans-Peter Friedrich. The Strategy Forum was intended for representatives of public authorities at national and state levels and was organized by DLR together with the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG).

Traffic management on German Reunification Day - DLR supports Bonn police

October 05, 2011
During the celebration of German Reunification Day on October 2 and 3, 2011 the German Aerospace Center (DLR) provide traffic management support for Bonn’s police. In order to collect the necessary aerial data, the traffic researchers made use of the Cessna 208B aircraft in DLR’s research fleet. Several times per second, three high-resolution digital cameras installed on this research plane recorded three separate images from a flight altitude of some 1200 meters. The image and traffic data were processed on board the Cessna and transmitted via a microwave link to a mobile receiving station on the ground. The camera system design as well as the creation and operation of the image processing software was executed by the Remote Sensing Technology Institute.

GMES workshop in Neustrelitz successfully concluded

End of August the German Aerospace Center (DLR) extended an invitation to a workshop, "GMES Opportunities for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," to be held in the Neustrelitz Orangery. The 32 participants representing industrial, research, political and governmental interests discussed options available to companies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to cooperate with the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) in the context of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program.

EOC supports K2 expedition

August 04,2011
As part of the International K2 North Pillar Expedition 2011, German mountaineer Ralf Dujmovits and his wife Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner plus a small international team planned on climbing K2 at the end of June 2011, via the technically demanding north route, which has seldom been followed to date. EOC scientists supported the expedition with a highly accurate 3D model of the mountain. Thanks to the ability to explore the intended route virtually in advance, the mountaineers had a relatively clear idea of which route they would be taking.

Famine in East Africa

August 04, 2011
East Africa is currently hit by the worst famine in more than 60 years, affecting about 3.7 Million people in Somalia alone. Due to the instable political situation in the country, the distribution of relief goods is immensely hampered. As a result thousands of people are fleeing from famine and violence to neighbouring countries, such as the Dolo Ado region of Ethiopia, which shelters already about 120,000 people in developing refugee camps.

Satellite-based maritime security

July 27, 2011
Modern piracy, illegal fishing, and dense traffic confront maritime authorities with a growing challenge. Under a project entitled ‘satellite-based maritime safety and security’, scientists of the Earth Observation Center (EOC) are using innovative earth observation technologies that contribute towards protecting the oceans and enhancing the safety of navigation.

TerraSAR-X image of the month - Volcanic eruption in Chile

July 22, 2011
The crater of the Chilean volcano Puyehue displays a striking, circular outline in this image from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) TerraSAR-X satellite – so this was not the culprit when a volcano in the southern Andes erupted on 4 June 2011. Instead, as the images from the German radar satellite show for the first time, the new eruption centre lies 6.7 kilometres further to the northwest, in the Cordón Caulle region. A field of lava, appearing as a uniform, light blue surface, is currently forming there. Radar images acquired by TerraSAR-X have been providing valuable information to the staff of the Chilean Volcano Risk Programme since the eruption began, helping them to assess the situation and predict its future development.

The end of an era - ERS-2 retires after 16 years

07 July 2011
It was a moving event. On July 4, 2011 at 09:17 Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+02:00) the moment had arrived: the DLR ground station in the Antarctic received for the last time data from the European earth observation satellite ERS-2. Shortly before, at 06:28 CEST, the European Remote Sensing satellite sent the last data to Chetumal in Mexico, where DLR also operates a ground station.
Since the afternoon of July 4, 2011 the satellite’s familiar signs of life were absent. After 16 years and 84,720 orbits the earth observation instruments on board ERS-2 were turned off.

1. Strategy Forum „ Chances and Possibilites of Remote Sensing for Public Authorities“

13th – 14th of October, Oberpfaffenhofen
The first Strategy Forum “Chances and Possibilities of Remote Sensing for Public Authorities” will take place on the 13th and 14th of October in Oberpfaffenhofen. It aims at informing users from German federal and regional authorities about various application possibilities of remote sensing, like high resolution satellite images. The Strategy Forum is being organised by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the German Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG).

Virtual flight around K2

July 04, 2011
Considered one of the most beautiful mountains in the world and, at 8000 metres high, the most difficult to climb, K2 lies on the border between Pakistan and China. For scientists at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), it is the perfect place for testing the latest processes for converting satellite data into 3D models. For mountaineers Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Ralf Dujmovits, DLR's 3D model provides an ideal opportunity to plan and analyse their ascent of K2 at the end of June.

	Far away, but in close contact June 27,2011 The animation team of DFD has produced a 3-D animation of the PRISMA formation flight of the satellites Mango and Tango, based on real orbit data of centimetre precision, provided by the German Space Operation Center GSOC. Further information and the video can be found in the PRISMA blog of DLR.
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TerraSAR-X image of the month: Urban sprawl around Istanbul

May 18, 2011
Nobody knows exactly how many people live in Istanbul, but there are thought to be about 15 million inhabitants of this city on two continents. Images from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) TerraSAR-X radar satellite are giving urban planners a more accurate view of something slightly different – how much the city on the Bosphorus has spread out recently.

SAVE THE DATE
EOC Symposium 2011

October 11 – 12, Oberpfaffenhofen
The premises of the new Earth Observation Center EOC of DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen will soon be completed. One year after its inauguration, we would like to invite you to join the EOC symposium on October 11-12, a public forum for the exchange of ideas, concepts and opinions across the German Remote Sensing community. Presentation by invited experts and DLR scientist will highlight focal topics in parallel sessions. The evening of Oct. 11 will be reserved for a joint dinner and vivid discussions.
Further information and an invitation for the symposium can be requested from EOC-Info@dlr.de . The number of participants is limited.
We are looking forward to meet you in Oberpfaffenhofen.

From the development of the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System to the official handover

March 31, 2011
Prof. Dech reports in his blog about the development of the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System: Shortly after the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004, which caused the death of over 250,000 people, the federal government decided to provide at least 50 million euro for the establishment of a tsunami early warning system in Indonesia.

GITEWS: Results of tsunami risk and vulnerability assessment handed over to BNBP

April 01, 2011
Two days after the official transfer of ownership of the Tsunami Early Warning System to Indonesia, the final outcomes of the GITEWS (German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System) Tsunami Risk and Vulnerability assessment were handed over to the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNBP) in Indonesia during an official ceremony in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on March 31, 2011.

TerraSAR-X satellite data reveals destruction caused by tsunami in Japan

March 16, 2011
The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) and the German Space Operations Center, both of which are part of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are hard at work providing data from the two German radar satellites, TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X, for the assessment of damage caused by the recent tsunami in Japan. Radar data, in contrast to data from optical satellites, can be acquired independently of cloud cover or time of day and allow precise identification of the flooded and destroyed areas on the east coast of Japan.

DLR releases satellite images of Japanese disaster area

March 12, 2011
After the severe earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" was activated on the morning of the 11 March 2011. All participating institutions were asked to provide satellite imagery of the affected area. The Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the DLR is responding through its Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI), based at its site in Oberpfaffenhofen.

Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

11 March 2011 - last update on 18 March 2011
An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 hit north-east Japan followed by a series of powerful aftershocks and Tsunamis. The epicentre of the earthquake is located 400km away from the capital Tokyo at a depth of 32km. The earthquake occurred at 14:46 local time (05:46 GMT) on March 11. The areas most affected are the prefectures of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Iwate.

The German Aerospace Center supports the disaster management teams in the frame of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters. The Earth Observation Center EOC of the DLR provides its international partners with satellite images and derived analysis products, published continuously on this site.

Visit of an Indonesian delegation to EOC

03 March 2011
On March 3, 2011, 26 Members of the Indonesian Parliament and officials of BAKOSURTANAL, the Indonesian National Coordinating Agency for Surveys and Mapping, visited the EOC. The reason for this visit was an information tour of the delegation through Germany. Highlights were the German Satellite Data Archive and a visit to the ZKI facilities and the EOC reference platform, where the German- Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System GITEWS is being developed. The EOC’s long-standing collaboration with Indonesia was reaffirmed during the two-hour visit of the delegation.

	TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X Science Team Meeting 14 to 16 February 2011 From 14-16 February, 2011 the 4th TerraSAR-X Science Team Meeting will take place at DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen, followed by the 3rd TanDEM-X Science Team Meeting on February 17-18.
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Fresh talent for remote sensing: Prof. Dech invites the next generation of young scientists to Oberpfaffenhofen

26 January 2011
For over ten years Prof. Stefan Dech, Director of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) in Oberpfaffenhofen and Professor of Remote Sensing at the Department of Geography and Geology at Würzburg University, has regularly been inviting his students to visit Oberpfaffenhofen as part of his lecture course in Würzburg.

Turkish Minister of Structure and Urban Planning visits Oberpfaffenhofen

20 January 2011
On January 18, 2011 the Earth Observation Center (EOC) was honored by a visit from Mustafa Demir, the Turkish Minister of Structure and Urban Planning. Prof. Ulrich Wagner, Director of Energy and Transport for the DLR Management Board, Dr. Jutta Graf, administrative head of DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen and Prof. Stefan Dech, director of the German Remote Sensing Data Center, welcomed the delegation to Oberpfaffenhofen.

	Floods in Germany 11 January 2011 The combination of snow and ice melting as well as heavy rainfall in the upstream areas of the River Oder and its tributary Warthe caused flooding at a long reach of the Oder at the German-Polish border. Movements of ice increased the complexity of the hydrological situation and were reported to lead to quickly rising water levels at some localities.
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Podcast Space-time: Issue 6 on Earth Observation - For the Earth into space

07 January 2011
The Space-time podcast is a joint project of DLR and ESA, where the moderator Tim Pritlove interviews an expert discuss a specific aerospace topic. The space-time podcast is also published free of charge through iTunes, as Feed, by Twitter and on Facebook. In issue 6 Hans-Joachim Lotz-Iwen from the Earth Oberservation Center of DLR and Tim Pritlove explicate the various aspects of earth observation from space, such providing an introduction in both the history and the recent technologies and strategies applied.

Gateway to the Antarctic - Science symposium in Punta Arenas commemorates the 20th anniversary of GARS O’Higgins

HySpex delivery

Steps toward Chilean-German cooperation in research on early warning systems for natural disasters and on environmental monitoring

CESAR campaign successfully started – GRIPS data available at WDC-RSAT

EOC Symposium 2011 – A Forum for Remote Sensing in Germany

Federal Ministry of the Interior: "Parliamentarian breakfast" on Remote Sensing

The world’s first woman to climb all fourteen of Earth’s eight-thousand meter peaks without supplemental oxygen

Air Rescue for Fawns

THW President Broemme has visited the Earth Observation Center

GOME-2 instrument observes volcanic SO2 plume from Grímsvötn eruption, Iceland

4th NDMC Meeting at DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen: NDMC contributes to the recently funded EU-project ARISE

Extreme depletion of arctic ozone in March/April 2011Total ozone over northern Scandinavia in 2010

Third RESA Workshop

Tsunami early warning system is transferred to Indonesia

International Charter Space and Major Disasters – on the way to operational full membership

SIMA Innovation Award for the Wildlife Finder Project

4th TerraSAR-X Science Team Meeting

Minister Soder presents grant notifications

GOME-2 instrument detects volcanic SO2 plume from Etna eruption

Elevation models from SRTM now available for download free of charge

The German-Indonesian Tsunami early warning system is transferred to Indonesia by BMBF

Forest fires in Romania

Earthquake in Turkey on October 23, 2011

Importance of Remote Sensing: German Minister of the Interior Friedrich opens Strategy Forum at DLR

Traffic management on German Reunification Day - DLR supports Bonn police

GMES workshop in Neustrelitz successfully concluded

EOC supports K2 expedition

Famine in East Africa

Satellite-based maritime security

TerraSAR-X image of the month - Volcanic eruption in Chile

The end of an era - ERS-2 retires after 16 years

1. Strategy Forum „ Chances and Possibilites of Remote Sensing for Public Authorities“

Virtual flight around K2

Far away, but in close contact

TerraSAR-X image of the month: Urban sprawl around Istanbul

SAVE THE DATEEOC Symposium 2011

From the development of the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System to the official handover

GITEWS: Results of tsunami risk and vulnerability assessment handed over to BNBP

TerraSAR-X satellite data reveals destruction caused by tsunami in Japan

DLR releases satellite images of Japanese disaster area

Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Visit of an Indonesian delegation to EOC

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X Science Team Meeting

Fresh talent for remote sensing: Prof. Dech invites the next generation of young scientists to Oberpfaffenhofen

Turkish Minister of Structure and Urban Planning visits Oberpfaffenhofen

Floods in Germany

Podcast Space-time: Issue 6 on Earth Observation - For the Earth into space

Extreme depletion of arctic ozone in March/April 2011
Total ozone over northern Scandinavia in 2010

SAVE THE DATE
EOC Symposium 2011