International Charter on Space and Major Disasters
Encyclopedia
The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters is a charter which provides for the charitable
retasked acquisition of and transmission of space satellite data to relief organizations in the event of major disasters. Initiated by the European Space Agency
and the French space agency CNES
after the UNISPACE III conference held in Vienna, Austria
in July 1999, it officially came into operation on November 1, 2000 after the Canadian Space Agency signed onto the charter on October 20, 2000. Their troika of space assets was, respectively, ERS
and ENVISAT
, SPOT
and Fomosat, and RADARSAT
.
The assorted satellite assets of various private, national, and international space agencies provide for humanitarian coverage which is wide albeit contingent. First activated for floods in northeast France in December 2001, the Charter has since brought space assets into play for numerous earthquakes, oil spills, forest fires, tsunamis, major snowfalls, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and landslides.
, via the Space and Major Disasters Charter.
Both COGIC (French Civil Protection) and the American USGS requested the activation of the charter on the behalf of MCDEM New Zealand, thus readily providing satellite imagery for aid and rescue services during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Japan, through its space agency JAXA, requested the activation of the charter on March 12, 2011 to help in managing the aftermath of 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
.
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
retasked acquisition of and transmission of space satellite data to relief organizations in the event of major disasters. Initiated by the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
and the French space agency CNES
CNES
The is the French government space agency . Established under President Charles de Gaulle in 1961, its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research...
after the UNISPACE III conference held in Vienna, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in July 1999, it officially came into operation on November 1, 2000 after the Canadian Space Agency signed onto the charter on October 20, 2000. Their troika of space assets was, respectively, ERS
ERS
ERS can refer to:* The Electoral Reform Society* Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske* Elevator Repair Service, a New York-based theater ensemble* Ellipsoidal reflector spotlight* ERS10, a share index of the Banja Luka Stock Exchange...
and ENVISAT
Envisat
Envisat is an Earth-observing satellite. It was launched on 1 March 2002 aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guyana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guyana into a Sun synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of...
, SPOT
Spot
The common noun or verb spot has many meanings in English.Otherwise, Spot or SPOT may refer to:-Fiction:* Spot the Dog, a series of children's books adapted for animation* Spot , a character in 101 Dalmatians: The Series...
and Fomosat, and RADARSAT
RADARSAT
The RADARSAT constellation is a pair of Canadian Remote Sensing satellites. The constellation consists of:* RADARSAT-1, launched 1995* RADARSAT-2, launched 2007-The Company:...
.
The assorted satellite assets of various private, national, and international space agencies provide for humanitarian coverage which is wide albeit contingent. First activated for floods in northeast France in December 2001, the Charter has since brought space assets into play for numerous earthquakes, oil spills, forest fires, tsunamis, major snowfalls, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and landslides.
Other signatories and satellites
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — (POES), (GOESGoesGoes is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands in Zuid-Beveland, in the province Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.-History of Goes:...
) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) (September 2001) — (the Indian Remote Sensing satellite series) - Argentine Space Agency (CONAE) (July 2003) — (SAC-C)
- February 2005 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — (ALOSAlosAlos can be:*Alos, Greece, an ancient city in Greece*Alos, Ariège, a commune of France*Alos, Tarn, a commune of France*ALOS , an initialism used in managed health care, meaning "average length of stay"...
) - ? 2005 – United States Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the U.S. team — (Landsat, QuickbirdQuickBirdQuickBird is a high-resolution commercial earth observation satellite, owned by DigitalGlobe and launched in 2001 as the first satellite in a constellation of three scheduled to be in orbit by 2008...
, GeoEye 1) - November 2005 – The British space agency BNSCBritish National Space CentreThe British National Space Centre was a British government body that coordinated civil space activities for the UK. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the UK Space Agency.-Structure:...
(UK-DMCUK-DMCThe UK-DMC satellite is one of a number of satellites in the Disaster Monitoring Constellation . It was built by Surrey Satellite Technology, who operate it via DMC International Imaging on behalf of the UK Space Agency...
) with the company DMCii - May 2007 – China National Space Administration (CNSACNSACNSA may refer to:* China National Space Administration* China National School of Administration* Canadian Nursing Students' Association* California Nursing Student Association...
) — (the FY, SJ, ZY satellite series) - ? – DMC International ImagingDMC International ImagingDMC International Imaging is the company that manages the Disaster Monitoring Constellation for the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters. It also sells satellite imaging services under contract. DMCII is a wholly owned subsidiary of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd...
- ? – The Algerian space agency Centre National des Techniques Spatiales — (ALSAT-1AlSAT-1A|Sat-1 is the first Algerian satellite and it is part of a group of satellites collectively known as the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. The satellite was built by a group of engineers from Surrey Satellite Technology and CNTS. It was the first DMC satellite to be launched, in November 2002. It...
) - ? – The Nigerian National Space Research and Development AgencyNational Space Research and Development AgencyThe National Space Research and Development Agency is the national space agency of Nigeria. It is a part of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and it is overseen by the National Council on Space Science Technology.-History:...
— (NigeriaSat) - ? – The Turkish space agency TUBITAKTÜBITAKThe Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey is the main body responsible for organizing research and development activities on the national level in Turkey, with headquarters located in Ankara.-History:...
— (BILSAT-1) - ? – The British company BNSC/Surrey Satellite Technology Limited — (UK-DMCUK-DMCThe UK-DMC satellite is one of a number of satellites in the Disaster Monitoring Constellation . It was built by Surrey Satellite Technology, who operate it via DMC International Imaging on behalf of the UK Space Agency...
) - ? – The British company BNSC/Qinetiq — (Top Sat)
Recent events
The French Civil Protection authorities, Public Safety Canada, the American Earthquake Hazards Programme of USGS and the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti requested a post-event map of Haiti on January 14, 2010, two days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
, via the Space and Major Disasters Charter.
Both COGIC (French Civil Protection) and the American USGS requested the activation of the charter on the behalf of MCDEM New Zealand, thus readily providing satellite imagery for aid and rescue services during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Japan, through its space agency JAXA, requested the activation of the charter on March 12, 2011 to help in managing the aftermath of 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.