************************************* T O P I C S ******************************************

1. [[APRSAF-13]]
The Second Announcement of the 13th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space
Agency Forum (APRSAF-13)

2. [[Disaster Management Support System]]
Sentinel Asia's website now open to public: http://dmss.tksc.jaxa.jp/sentinel/

3. [[Asian Space Update 1]]
Caravan Workshop/Training on Geospatial Technologies for Disaster Mitigation - Cambodian Perspective - Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 23-27 October 2006 -

4. [[Asian Space Update 2]]
UNESCAP Twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific and High-level Expert Group Meeting on the Preparations for the Third Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific
- At Korea Aerospace Research Institute on 17-19 October 2006 -

5. [[Asian Space Update 3]]
ALOS: Start of operations phase and data provision to the public

6. [[ Event Information and APRSAF Website Updates [November 2006 ]]

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1. [[APRSAF-13]]
The Second Announcement of APRSAF-13
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Following the first announcement of the 13th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space
Agency Forum, the Second Announcement was released on 20 October 2006.

To participate in APRSAF-13, please fill in the Registration Form attached to this Second Announcement and send it to APRSAF-13 Secretariat no later than Sunday 5 November.

< APRSAF-13 Secretariat >
Mr. Takeshi Hanyuda or Mr. Yoshinori Kobayashi
c/o Japan Space Forum (JSF)
Tel: +81-3-5200-1302 Fax: +81-3-5200-1420
E-mail: aprsaf13@aprsaf.org
Post: Shin-Otemachi Bldg. 7F 2-2-1, Tokyo 100-0004 Japan

The tentative program of the APRSAF-13 is also attached to this Second Announcement.

* The Second Announcement of the APRSAF-13 is also available at the following site.
http://www.aprsaf.org/data/aprsaf13_data/13th_2nd_Announcement_Ver2.pdf

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2. [[Disaster Management Support System]]
Sentinel Asia's website now open to public: http://dmss.tksc.jaxa.jp/sentinel/
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Sentinel Asia Project is an activity that shares, through the internet, disaster-related information such as images taken by earth observation satellites to contribute to disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region.

This is jointly promoted by space-related organization members of APRSAF and disaster-related organizations in this region such as the Asian Disaster Reduction Center with the collaboration of Keio University to provide an internet geographic information system called Web-GIS.

For more detailed information about Sentinel Asia Project, please refer to the following new website:
http://dmss.tksc.jaxa.jp/sentinel/

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3. [[Asian Space Update 1]]
Caravan Workshop/Training on Geospatial Technologies for Disaster Mitigation - Cambodian Perspective - Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 23-27 October 2006 -
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Organized by the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction of Cambodia (MLMUPC), the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Caravan Workshop on Geospatial Technologies for Disaster Mitigation - Cambodian Perspective - was held at Phnom Penh Hotel, Cambodia, on 23 October 2006.

The Workshop was attended by about 90 people from universities, research organizations and political departments of Cambodia.

The participants were welcomed by H.E. Dr. Chan Saphan, Secretary of State, MLMUPC, Dr. Lal Samarakoon, Director of Geoinformatics Center, AIT, and Mr. Naoki Saito, Director of JAXA Bangkok Office. Dr. Chan Saphan, in his opening speech, introduced the activities in Cambodia, in the field of disaster monitoring, water quality research, map creation, etc. and how they applied satellite data for those activities. He also emphasized the importance of disaster management activities especially for decreasing flood damages that occur every year.

During the presentation session on geospatial technologies, the participants actively questioned on applications of satellite data, training, and ways to cooperate among line ministries and related organizations. The participants had high expectations for applications of space technology and remote sensing in Cambodia.

The four-day training program on remote sensing/GIS also took place from 24 to 27 October.

Senior GIS/RS Officer, Geography Department of MLMUPC, Dr. Chharom Chin commented to the APRSAF Secretariat about the workshop:
" The caravan workshop is very valuable and useful for all Cambodian line agencies to become acquainted with both regional and countrywide space-technology activities, available technologies, data and experiences applied to disaster mitigation and disaster- related management activities. The caravan workshop also serves as a platform for all Cambodian line agencies to share their knowledge and experiences and so discusses cooperation towards disaster mitigation in Cambodia. Regarding outcomes of the workshop, we expect that after it the participants will be able to apply their knowledge to improve their current duties and better manage disasters, and that the co-operation between MLMUPC’s line agencies and the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) will be closer, stronger, and more positive towards disaster mitigation activities. We also expect that the participants will be able to understand how to use the high-resolution remotely sensed data such as ALOS for disaster mitigation purposes".

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4. [[Asian Space Update 2]]
UNESCAP Twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific and High-level Expert Group Meeting on the Preparations for the Third Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific
- At the Korean Aerospace Research Institute from 17 to 19 October 2006 -
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The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) at its sixty-second session held at Jakarta from 6 to 12 April 2006, welcomed the offer made by the Government of Malaysia to host the Third Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific and encouraged all members and associate members of UNESCAP to participate in the conference.

In preparation of above, the Twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee (ICC) on the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development and the High-level Expert Group Meeting on the Preparations for the Third Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific were jointly organized by UNESCAP as a regional preparatory meeting to the Ministerial Conference. The meeting, hosted by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), was held at Daejeon, Republic of Korea, from 17 to 19 October 2006 with 44 participants.

The meeting reviewed the implementation of the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific (RESAP) and the reports of the regional working groups on major space application sectors of RESAP in the preceding year. The meeting particularly reviewed the preparatory activities towards the Ministerial Conference, discussed the draft background documents and regional strategy and action plan that have been prepared for the Ministerial Conference, and the content of the draft ministerial declaration. The Third Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific is scheduled to be held from 5 to 10 February 2007 at Kuala Lumpur.

Thailand will host the thirteenth ICC session in 2007. Japan, the Philippines and the Islamic Republic of Iran offered to host the next ICC sessions respectively in 2008, 2009 and 2010."

For more information including the list of participants and meeting report
http://www.unescap.org/icstd/SPACE/resap/icc/icc2006/icc_egm2006.asp

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5. [[Asian Space Update 3]]
ALOS: Start of operations phase and data provision to the public
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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed both the initial functional verification and calibration and verification phases of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite "Daichi" (ALOS) and proceeded to the operations phase on 24 October 2006.

With the start of the mission operation, observation data (called "ALOS data") from the "Daichi" is now available to the public. In Japan, you can receive data from two Japanese organizations: the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC) and the Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center (ERSDAC) *1, and some local organizations abroad designated as ALOS node agencies*2 because they are ready to provide data. Some fees are required to receive the data.

JAXA also started providing data to Sentinel Asia, which JAXA and other related organizations are now establishing as a disaster management support system in the Asia-Pacific region.

For more details about data nodes abroad and contact point for data distribution in Japan, see JAXA Press Release of 23 October 2006.

*1: The ERSDAC provides only PALSAR data.
*2: System to process and provide data in each region by dividing the world into four areas.

JAXA Press Release of 23 October 2006
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2006/10/20061023_alos_e.html

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6. [[ Event Information and APRSAF Website Updates [November 2006 ]]
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< Event Information >
* Nov 2-4, 2006
Joint Conference of International Symposium on Remote Sensing & Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference
Busan, Korea
http://www.isrs2006porsec.com/

* Nov 5-7, 2006
International Conference on Applied Science
Vientiane, Lao PDR

* Nov 5-8, 2006
International Conference on Space Technology & Geo-Informatics 2006
Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand
http://www.gistda.or.th/Gistda/HtmlGistda/Html/index2.htm

* Nov 9-11, 2006
Geoinformatics for Spatial-Infrastructure Development in Earth and Allied Science (GIS-IDEAS) 2006
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
http://wgrass.media.osaka-cu.ac.jp/gisideas06/

* Nov 9-11, 2006
5th Conference of the Asian Federation of Information Technology in Agriculture (AFITA 2006)
Bangalore, India
http://www.insait.org/afita2006.php

* Nov 9-12, 2006
Open Science Conference
Beijing, China
http://www.essp.org/essp/ESSP2006/

* Nov 12-17, 2006
International Forum on Water and Food
Vientiane, Lao PDR
http://www.waterandfood.org/index.php?id=408

<APRSAF Website Updates >
- Interview at the 27th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS 2006)
http://www.aprsaf.org/interview/interview_05.html

- Previous Interviews
http://www.aprsaf.org/interview/pre_interview.html

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Copyright 2006 The APRSAF Secretariat

APRSAF Secretariat

c/o. Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan
Roppongi First Bldg. 12F, 1-9-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032,
Japan

Telephone: +(81 3)5572-6708
Fax: +(81 3)5572-6707