Over 700 participants from 50 countries will meet from 6-10 September in Salzburg, Austria, to review and discuss the early results of the ENVISAT and ERS satellite missions. High-level personalities from the political, industrial and research worlds will exchange ideas and discuss future perspectives for these important European Earth Observation (EO) initiatives.
ERS-1, launched in 1991, was Europe’s first EO satellite, carrying a comprehensive payload including an imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a radar altimeter and other powerful instruments for measuring ocean surface temperature and winds at sea. ERS-2 was launched in 1995 and included an additional sensor for atmospheric ozone research.
Launched in March 2002, ENVISAT is an even more powerful tool for monitoring the state of the planet and the global impact of human activities. It carries ten sophisticated optical and radar instruments for observing and monitoring the earth’s land, atmosphere, oceans and ice caps.
ENVISAT data provide a wealth of information on the workings of the Earth, including insights into climate change. The satellite also supports research activities in the fields of global change, pollution and disaster monitoring, and provides data for commercial applications.
Top-level exchange
The main objective of the ENVISAT & ERS Symposium is to allow investigators to present results of ongoing research activities and to review and assess the development of applications and services. Over 650 papers, selected by peer review, will be presented, including results from ENVISATon the Prestige oil spill, fires in Portugal in 2003, the Elbe flooding in 2002, the evolution of the Antarctic ozone hole since the launch of ENVISAT, the Bam earthquake and pollution in Europe.
Numerous demonstrations are planned in the ESA Exhibit area during the week. An industrial consortium exhibit on GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is also scheduled.
Eduard Mainoni, Secretary of State at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology will open the meeting, followed by European Space Agency (ESA) Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain and ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes José Achache.
The 2004 ENVISAT & ERS Symposium follows previous similar meetings in Gothenburg (2000), Florence (1997), Hamburg (1993) and Cannes (1992).
