Scientists are invited to compete for the opportunity to use the DMC multi-spectral data in their research projects. Applications will be judged on their contribution to international environmental research by an international panel of scientists chaired by Professor Alan O’Neil from the National Centre for Earth Observation. DMC constellation data will be awarded to five U.K. and 5 Spanish science projects. The provision of data will be coordinated by DMCii in the U.K. and Spanish company Deimos Imaging in Spain, which will soon join the DMC with its new satellite DEIMOS-1.
Satellite imaging is a powerful tool for monitoring land use. It offers a valuable “eye in space” for monitoring and recording environmental change on a global basis. DMCii has previously provided free data to the science community, from which scientists have produced excellent results which include monitoring the burning of peatlands in Indonesia. The DMC constellation of five satellites work together to image large areas of the Earth. As several satellites and their respective owners (Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey, U.K.) cooperate together, the constellation can image a given geographical location frequently to identify changes or make the most of cloud-free periods. This unique combination makes the constellation highly effective for monitoring land use.
The multi-spectral sensors on-board the five spacecraft capture accurate images of the Earth, in visible spectral bands as well as infra-red. This additional information is used by scientists to identify specific detail, such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data which assesses whether the target being observed contains live green vegetation or not. For more than four years, DMCii has acquired images enabling Brazil to monitor deforestation in the Amazon Basin. The DMC constellation has also contributed to the EC’s landmark Global Monitoring for Environmental Security (GMES) project.
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