Earth Watching Structure

The Earth Watching Team operates at two levels: on a daily basis for the planning activity and on a best effort basis to organise a fast data reception channel and edit the data for web publishing. 

The Earth Watching Team daily scans the news from various press agencies in order to have a quick alert on disasters from every part of the world. After an analysis of the disaster, the Earth Watching Team prepares a small dossier with the main information about the event and the possible acquisitions of the relevant satellites. This dossier is sent to the mission planners (if needed) in order to task the satellite for the acquisitions. Once the satellites are planned the dossier is sent to the web editor who creates the new planning page.

If the event is relevant, the Earth Watching Team organises a special delivery to receive the data quickly at the ESRIN processing facility. A full-resolution image is generated and, from this, a low resolution version (whole or part of the image) is prepared and published on this website. Sometimes it is more convenient to ask generation at a Ground Station of a low resolution image (a "Quick Look" or a "medium resolution image") that can be sent to us by electronic link. This image can be available within a few hours from acquisition. Prints of the images, also of high quality, could be made available to ESA/ESRIN Public Relations for distribution to interested newspapers, magazine, or TV stations. Normally the team is able to produce an image within 1 day from acquisition (full or low resolution, depending on the location and the links with the receiving ground station).

Earth Watching action flow diagram

Often the Earth Watching Team co-operates with other research institutes or national entities to offer a better service or result. An example is the flooding in Bezier (F) during 1996.