*************************************
T O P I C S ******************************************
1. Final Selection of Mini-Project - An object-oriented
training program in field of RS and GIS - 2007-08
2. Glacial Lake Discharge in the Himalayas
3. Total area of sea ice in Arctic Ocean smallest since observations
started - Much faster pace of ice melting than forecasted
- August 16
4. Workshop on Small Satellites - Selected Six Groups' Satellites
for Launch - Tokyo, July 23
5. International Workshop on Early Warning and Monitoring
Earthquake by Using Electromagnetism Detecting Satellite,
Jakarta, July 25-27
6. The 6th annual Map Asia conference and exhibition, Kuala
Lumpur - August 14-16
7. [[Event Information and APRSAF Website Updates - September
- October 2007]]
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Final Selection of Mini-Project - An object-oriented training program in
field of RS and GIS- 2007 - 08
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since 1995, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
has been providing opportunities to develop technical capabilities
in satellite remote sensing and other related technologies
in Asia with the collaboration of the Geo-informatics Center
(GIC) of the Asian Institute of Technology. Mini-Project
is one of the JAXA's and GIC's training programs to solve
the problems that all space and disaster-prevention organizations
in Asia face.
This year, from May to July, in response to the announcement
of the Mini-Project for 2007-08, GIC received as many as
28 project proposals and out of these 10 projects from
16 organizations in 10 Asian countries were selected to be
carried out.
This project lasts nine weeks, made up of three weeks
of training and preparations for the Mini-Project at GIC,
one week of field research in the participating countries,
and five weeks of final report writing at GIC. The participants
are expected to work on the Mini-Project for the six months
from September 2007 to February 2008.
For more details, visit GIC's Website:
http://www.geoinfo.ait.ac.th/index.php
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Glacial Lake Discharge in the Himalayas
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nowadays, global warming is a serious issue all over the
world and the eternally snow-covered Himalayan Mountains
are no exception. As a result of global warming, there
has been increased glacial melt in the Himalayas. The melted
water cannot freely flow downwards and so new or larger
glacial lakes are formed on the mountains. The walls of
the glacial lakes can only hold a certain amount of pressure,
and as more melted water flows into the lakes there comes
a point when the walls fail. This is when a glacial lake
discharges and it can destroy downstream settlements. This
disaster not only affects the environment but also drinking
water supplies, agriculture, livestock, and biodiversity.
The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD) is studying the impact of climate changes on glaciers
and glacial lakes in the Himalayas by using remote sensing
and satellite imagery. Mr. Basanta Shrestha, Head of Division
at the Mountain Environment and Natural Resources Information
Systems (MENRIS) of ICIMOD, said "Out
of 9,000 glacial lakes in the Himalayas, 200 have been
identified as being in danger of discharging. Since glacial
lakes occur in cut-off and inaccessible areas, monitoring
them remotely by a satellite is very helpful for disaster management
and mitigation".
For more details, visit the ICIMOD website:
http://books.icimod.org/index.php/search/subject/3#toc286
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Total area of sea ice in Arctic Ocean smallest since
observations started - Much faster pace of ice melting
than forecasted - August 16
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
(JAMSTEC, led by President Yasuhiro Kato) and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA, led by President Keiji
Tachikawa) cooperatively analyzed oceanic and atmospheric
observation data and sea ice data acquired by satellites,
and found that the sea ice area in the Arctic Ocean has
been decreasing at a much faster pace than expected compared
to the previous worst record in the summer of 2005. After
satellite observations started in 1978, the observed area
shrunk to its lowest level on August 15, 2007. Ice melting
normally continues until mid September, thus further shrinkage
of the sea ice area is expected. The observed phenomenon significantly exceeded the forecasted model submitted in
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fourth
Assessment Report, and the big difference tells us that
the model may not precisely reflect the actual situation
in the Arctic Ocean.
For more details,
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/08/20070816_arctic_e.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Workshop on Small Satellites - Selected Six Groups'
Satellites for Launch - Tokyo, July 23
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is planning
to launch a Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)
onboard an H-IIA rocket in summer 2008. JAXA uses this
opportunity for Japanese universities, industries, and
other organizations to launch their small satellites of the
weight between 1 kg and 50 kg as piggy-back payloads. Last
year, in response to the announcement of this opportunity,
JAXA received 21 applications and the satellites developed
by six groups were chosen this May to be launched onboard
the H-IIA.
Following the selection of these satellites for launch,
on July 23, 2007, JAXA held a Workshop on Small Satellites
in Tokyo attended by a large number of participants. The
selected six groups made presentations on their small satellites,
followed with lively discussions with the participants.
For more details, visit APRSAF hot topics:
http://www.aprsaf.org/feature/feature_20.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. International Workshop on Early Warning and Monitoring
Earthquake by Using Electromagnetism Detecting Satellite,
Jakarta, July 25-27
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This workshop was held at Hotel Athlet Century, Jakarta,
Indonesia from July 25 to 27, 2007. It was co-sponsored
by the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia
(LAPAN) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA),
and was supported by the Secretariat of the Asia Pacific
Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications (AP-MCSTA).
The Workshop included 4 sessions: Space Environment and
Ground Systems, Satellite Platforms and On-Board Instrument
Technology, Data Processing and Delivering sessions, and
Satellite Orbit and other topics.
According to Mr. Bambang Setiawan Tejasukmana Deputi for
Remote Sensing of LAPAN, more than 130 experts, scholars
and professionals from 12 countries and international organizations
(UNESCAP, UNOOSA) attended the Workshop, exchanging views
on the possibility of earthquake early-warning and monitoring
systems using space technology.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. The 6th annual Map Asia conference and exhibition, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia - August 14 - 16
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The overwhelming participation of over 1,500 delegates
from 39 countries gave true meaning to the underlying aim
at the 6th annual Map Asia conference, held in the Kuala
Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia, from August 14 to 16,
2007.
The Map Asia 2007 exhibition was spread over an area of
more than 1,500 square meters. The exhibitors in the conference
were representing the geospatial industry from Asia, Australia,
Europe, and North America.
The conference was comprised of 4 keynote sessions: Asian
Economic (The Spatial Perspective), Infrastructure Development
and Engineering, Technology Trends, and the Return-on-Investment
(ROI) in Geospatial Technology Applications. Well-known
speakers and top ranking officials from the government,
industry and academia delivered their keynote presentations
to a packed house.
Mr. Sunil Ahuja, Regional Manager of the South East Asia
and Pacific GIS Development Sdn. Bhd, commented that the
presentations, which were insightful, informative and thought-provoking,
opened the door for future deliberations.
For more details, visit Map Asia Website:
www.mapasia.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. [[Event Information and APRSAF Website Updates - August
- September 2007]]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*September 5-7, 2007
The 4th Sentinel Asia Joint Project Team Meeting
Manila, Philippines
http://www.aprsaf.org/data/jptm4_pdf/JPTM4_1st_Announcement.pdf
*September 10-13, 2007
The Fourth International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards
Mitigation
Chengdu, China
http://4thdfhm.imde.ac.cn/
*September 10-17, 2007
International Workshop on Environmental Changes and Sustainable Development
in Arid and Semi-arid Regions
Inner Mongolia, China
http://www.iggcas.ac.cn/iw07/index.htm
*September 12-14, 2007
7th International Workshop of Geographical Information
Systems (IWGIS '07)
Beijing, China
http://www.lreis.ac.cn/eng/kfjl/IWGIS/
*September 13-14, 2007
Location Asia 2007
Hong Kong
http://www.location.net.in/asia/index.htm
*September 21-24, 2007
The Fourth International Conference on Asian and Pacific
Coasts (APAC2007)
Nanjing, China
http://www.apac2007.com/
*October 16-18, 2007
The Future of Forests in Asia and the Pacific: Outlook
for 2020
Chiang Mai, Thailand
http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/39701/en
*October 16-19, 2007
3rd International Yellow River Forum (IYRF)
Dongying City, China
http://forum.yellowriver.cn/
*October 18-23, 2007
3rd Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development
in Asia and the Pacific
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.unescap.org/icstd/SPACE/3MC/3MC_index.asp
*October 22-24, 2007
4th International Conference on Agriculture Statistics
(ICAS-4)
Beijing, China
http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/icas/
+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2007 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
Tel:+81-3-5572-6708 / Fax:+81-3-5572-6707
| 
