SPOT 6, the high-resolution satellite built and operated by Astrium, has been chosen by IGN France International (IGN FI) to update basemaps of Mali. IGM, Mali’s national survey and mapping agency, will be receiving the most recent detailed data at a resolution of 1.5 metres from SPOT 6, which has covered the country’s entire 1 241 000 km². in less than 5 months.
Toulouse, France – 11 April 2013. In October 2012, IGN France International (IGN FI), the subsidiary of IGN, France’s national survey and mapping agency, won a bid to revise 1:200 000 topographic maps of Mali and support IGM’s modernization effort.
Starting in November 2012, Astrium Services kicked off a campaign—before the satellite had even completed in-orbit checkout—to acquire SPOT 6 imagery of the whole of Mali during the dry season, thus avoiding the period of sandstorms in the desert and Sahel regions, as well as the cloud cover of the rainy season.
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In less than 5 months, north-south strips up to 600 km long were acquired to obtain cloud-free coverage of Mali’s 1 241 000 km². These acquisitions are the most recent, uniform dataset of the country and provide the sharp detail required to interpret its not-very-contrasting landscapes. |
In March this year, IGN FI chose Astrium Services’ SPOT 6 satellite as its main source of photo-interpretation data to revise Mali’s maps. SPOT 6’s responsiveness, image detail and rapid acquisition of the entire country are what swayed the decision for IGN FI, which will be leading this project scheduled to last 4 years.
Maps will be produced in Mali under a technology transfer and training agreement to generate a full orthoimage of the country, cut into 138 topographic maps at a scale of 1:200 000 and distributed via a web portal. The programme has got off to a fast start, with a first batch of images already delivered to cartographers in Bamako.
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With this first national mosaic contract, the SPOT 6 satellite is proving its unrivalled performance at this level of accuracy. Its agile systems and optimized response to weather forecasts enabled this vast territory to be covered in record time, while assuring a very high standard of image quality.
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Bamako by SPOT 6 |
SPOT 6 will be joined early in 2014 by its twin SPOT 7. With SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 operated as a constellation by Astrium Services, the time taken to cover large areas will be reduced by half.
More information about SPOT 6 and SPOT 7
Through its GEO-Information business, Astrium Services is recognized as one of the leaders in the geo-spatial information market, not least thanks to the now fully integrated skills and resources of the former Spot Image and Infoterra. The company provides decision-makers with complete solutions enabling them to increase security, boost agricultural performance, maximize oil & gas or mining operations, improve their management of natural resources, and protect the environment. It has exclusive access to data from the SPOT, TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X and Pléiades satellites, coupled with a complete range of space-based data sources and airborne acquisition capability allowing it to offer an unrivalled scope of Earth observation products and services. This extensive portfolio covers the entire geo-information supply chain, from the generation of images to the provision of high added-value information to end-users.
By leveraging the synergies and expertise available across the whole of Astrium Services, its GEO-Information teams develop innovative, yet competitive, custom-made solutions based on the combination and integration of Earth observation, navigation and high-end telecommunications.
Dr. Fabienne Grazzini
Operational Marketing
GEO-Information Services
Astrium Services
5 rue des Satellites, BP 14359
F-31030 Toulouse Cedex 4 – France
Tel: +33 (0) 5 62 19 41 19 | Fax: +33 (0) 5 62 19 42 54 | Mobile: +33 (0) 6 76 08 39 72
fabienne.grazzini@astrium.eads.net
www.astrium-geo.com
