KSAT recently signed a partnership agreement with the UNOSAT

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), Tromsø, Norway, recently signed a partnership agreement with the UN satellite organization, UNOSAT, Geneva, Switzerland

The agreement establish a common framework for cooperation between UNOSAT and KSAT, and aims at filling the needs UNOSAT and UN have for time critical information from satellites when humanitarian crisis and natural disasters occurs anywhere in the world. The agreement includes development of joint earth observation services for this purpose.

UNOSAT provides satellite imagery and geographical information system (GIS) services to the UN family, and has proven to fill a wide gap for cross-cutting earth observation services within the UN. To carry out its work, UNOSAT works in partnership with international organizations, public institutions and private industry. To fulfill its tasks, UNOSAT is in need of multiple satellite observation missions, i.e. data from several types of satellites, to support its sister agencies working in disaster management.

KSAT has a proven track record and is a world lead in providing operational services within the maritime sector, which is achieved through its unique infrastructure of receiving stations in polar regions (Svalbard, Antarctica, Tromsø and Grimstad). KSAT is providing ground station services from pole-to-pole, and is today the only integrated network concept with this capability. This makes KSAT operations both highly efficient, simplifies interfacing and provides a one-stop shopping point. KSAT is today downloading data from more than 30 polar orbiting earth observation satellites and its receiving station at Svalbard (SvalSat) is today the worlds largest of its kind, due to its capability to “see” all orbits (typically 14 out of 14 every day) of polar orbiting earth observation satellites.

UNOSAT is working hard to ensure that time critical information from satellites can be timely delivered whenever and wherever a humanitarian crisis or natural disaster occurs, and this partnership agreement with KSAT is an important element of improving and developing this capability. “Once UNOSAT’s operational services are implemented based on KSAT’s infrastructure, the humanitarian community will be able to receive satellite image derived information within hours after the satellite has acquired an image of for example an earthquake hit area” (Quote from UNOSAT e-news, October 2007).

This partnership, utilizing KSAT and UNOSAT capabilities, skills and network, could hence truly prove to be a very significant contribution to the humanitarian world community.

(07.11.07)

For further information, please contact:
 
Stein H. Støver
Market Development Manager
Kongsberg Satellite Services
Mobile: +47 95 08 03 32

Rolf Skatteboe
President (CEO)
Kongsberg Satellite Services
Mobile: +47 91 19 89 85