KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (October 12, 2012) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization promoting and managing research on board the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, today announced a Request for Information (RFI) to gauge commercial interest in using the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO).
The purpose of this RFI is to assess the potential of using HICO for a wide-variety of hyperspectral imaging needs. HICO was developed to demonstrate the value of high resolution, hyperspectral imaging for ocean waters, but it has also proved useful in modeling photosynthetic pigments as well as dissolved and particulate matter in coastal waters. It operates with a specialized visible and near-infrared camera to detect, identify and quantify coastal features from the station.
CASIS believes that interested industries in HICO could include the petroleum industry, the mining industry, climate change analysts and the agricultural industry. Based on the response generated by this RFI, CASIS could fund additional research.
“CASIS is excited to gain insight into the commercial market’s interest in utilizing an established instrument that has provided many breakthrough images in the field of Earth Observation,” said CASIS Interim Executive Director Jim Royston. “We look forward to promoting the use of HICO and the opportunities that it might provide researchers in the near future.”
This RFI will be open for 31 days, closing at 5pm EST on November 12, 2012.
For additional information about this RFI, including instructions on submitting a proposal, continue to check the CASIS solicitations site: www.iss-casis.org/solicitations.
