Constellation capacity providing daily Disaster response - the DMC and the Charter
- Paper number
IAC-05-B2.2.04
- Author
Mr. Paul Stephens, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Mr. David Hodgson, DMC International Imaging Ltd., United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Prof. Martin Sweeting, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Mr. Bekhti Mohammed, Centre National des Techniques Spatiales, Algeria
- Year
2005
- Abstract
The Disaster Monitoring Constellation of small low cost satellites was established to provide the capability to image anywhere in the world daily, and to thereby provide a unique capability for disaster monitoring. In 2004 the first 4 Member nations, Algeria, Nigeria, Turkey and the United Kingdom, coordinated their spacecraft in a 90º phased sun synchronous orbit and began to work together to respond to international disasters. In the last days of the year, the Indian Ocean Tsunami struck, and DMC was able to deliver daily images of the wide area of devastated coastline to humanitarian aid agencies, enabling the full extent of the devastation to be mapped. The DMC Consortium has agreed to contribute this capability to the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters, which coordinates the efforts of various space agencies. This paper presents the systems established by the DMC to deliver daily response to disasters, and the subsequent work carried out to integrate this into the established Charter response mechanisms. The paper draws lessons learned from the Tsunami response, and from subsequent experience working with the Charter, and reports on the first results from the 5th satellite launched into the DMC by China.
- Abstract document