[Satnews] Airbus Defence and Space and the German Ministry of Defence have signed a contract for the use of TanDEM-X mission data, to update the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Bundeswehr.
Artistic rendition of TanDEM-X Mission.
Image courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space and DRL.
The agreement includes both licenses for the utilization of the global elevation data set covering the 150 Mio km² of the Earth’s landmass, and support services for data-management and data-editing, helping to access, edit, store and disseminate the impressive volume of data. Additional support and training will also be provided under the agreement, so users can reap the full benefits of this unique and homogeneous global dataset.
The TanDEM-X Digital Elevation Model was acquired by the TanDEM-X Mission realized as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Airbus Defence and Space and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). It provides the first global, consistent, single-source and high-precision Digital Elevation Model, establishing a new standard for global elevation. Airbus Defence and Space holds the exclusive commercial rights for these data which are marketed under the name of WorldDEM and has developed a dedicated software tool for the adaptation of the elevation data to the needs of military and commercial users worldwide.
The 3D nature of the data provides an ideal visualisation tool indispensable for surveillance, reconnaissance and mission planning. The TanDEM-X Digital Elevation Model facilitates the interpretation of landscapes with exceptional detail, which is essential for military engineering projects and operational planning incl. mapping of obstacles, line of sight estimation and flight path/possible landing site planning.
