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Astrium’s subsidiary, Infoterra France, is coordinating operations
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SAFER is an emergency service that produces maps from satellite images as part of the GMES programme
Developed as part of the European Commission’s Global Monitoring for the
Environment and Security (GMES) programme, SAFER is an emergency service that
produces maps from satellite images to help the work of disaster and emergency
services. The European Space Agency will ask several satellite operators,
including Spot Image, to supply images of the Athens area. The Greek Civil Protection teams
will then receive a series of maps showing how the situation is developing on
the ground. The maps will also allow Greek authorities to accurately measure
the extent of the damage caused by the fires.
Introduced in January 2009,
SAFER is now operational with teams on standby 24/7. Astrium’s subsidiary,
Infoterra France,
is coordinating operations. The service draws on the skills and know-how of
many service providers and European research centres that specialise in Earth
observation and risk management, such as SERTIT, CNES, DLR and Telespazio.
Since early July 2009, the
GMES SAFER service has been called on four times: satellite images have already
been used to fight fires in Marseille, Sardinia and Aullène in southern Corsica.
Astrium, a wholly
owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space
systems and services. In 2008, Astrium had a turnover of €4.3 billion and more
than 15,000 employees in France,
Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain
and the Netherlands.
Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers
and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground
segment and Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
EADS
is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2008,
EADS generated revenues of €43.3 billion and employed a workforce of more
than 118, 000.
The
image shows the situation as viewed from the European Space Agency’s Envisat
satellite. The size of the plume of smoke, seen from an altitude of 800 km,
clearly indicates the extent of the fires.
Further information will be
available soon on www.emergencyresponse.eu
Press contacts:
Astrium
Daniel
Mosely (Astrium UK) Tel.:
+44 (0)1 438 77 8180
Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR) Tel.:
+33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
Ralph Heinrich (Astrium GER) Tel.: +49 (0) 89 607 33971
Francisco Lechón (Astrium SP) Tel.:
+34 91 586 37 41
www.astrium.eads.net
Infoterra
Fabienne
Grazzini (Infoterra FR) Tel.:
+33 (0)5 62 19 63 26
Gil Denis (Infoterra FR) Tel: +33 (0)5 62 19
62 53
www.infoterra.fr
