UK signs contract for UAE DubaiSat image applications
Above: The contract was signed by HE Mohammed Al Ahbabi, director general of the UAE Space Agency, (centre), UK Space Agency CEO David Parker (left) and Elecnor Deimos managing director, Philip Davies.
The project has been co-funded by MBRSC and the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Space Programme (IPSP).
The 'Smart Application for Feature extraction and 3D modelling using high resolution satellite Imagery (SAFIY) project will use Earth observation (EO) data to monitor, and detect changes in vegetation, water, road networks and buildings in support of Dubai's 'smart government' initiative.
The acronym 'Safiy' is a Muslim name that means 'best friend'.
The 300kg DubaiSat-2 satellite was launched aboard a Russian Dnepr rocket in November 2013 and provides worldwide one-metre resolution images.
Deimos has a portfolio of earth observation products including data from its two satellites, Deimos-1 (22 m resolution) and Deimos-2 (75 cm resolution).
Typical applications include products and services for agriculture, forestry, disaster monitoring, land use, surveillance and intelligence.
Elecnor Deimos' Philip Davies said: “DubaiSat's data is very similar to our own from the Deimos satellite, which makes it ideal for processing. We hope for more such cooperation in future.”
The MBRSC (formerly EIAST) was created and established by the Dubai Government in 2006 to drive the vision for a knowledge economy in the UAE and support its sustainable development.
The IPSP was launched by the UK Space Agency in November 2014 as a two-year £32 million pound programme designed to enable UK satellite and other space sector companies to develop international partnerships.
