QinetiQ Support to Ice ServicesRobert FreemanA presentation to the IICWG Meeting 13-16 November 2001, Tromso, Norway

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Contents

1 Introduction to QinetiQ

2 The West Freugh facility

3 QinetiQ ice support activities

4 Discussion IICWG Concept Paper

6 Summary

Introduction to QinetiQ

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Who Are We ?• QinetiQ is Europe’s largest independent science and technology business

with 8,000 of the world’s top scientists.

• QinetiQ came into existence as a ‘plc’ on 1 July 2001. Prior to that, we were DERA, the UK Ministry of Defence’s research and development organisation.

• Specialist expertise in:

– telecomms aerospace / space

– transport security

– healthcare defence

– electronics finance

– marine environment

Introduction

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Space service solutions• Tailored Service Solution delivery to both civilian and military

customers

• Broad service base including:

– Payload communications

– EO data services

– TT&C

– System Design

– Consultancy

• New capabilities drawn from research strength across QinetiQ

Introduction

The West Freugh facility

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LocationsWest Freugh

West Freugh Ground Station

Farnborough Operations Centre

Defford Ground Station

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Introduction

• The West Freugh Satellite Ground Station is owned and managed by QinetiQ through Space Department: part of Knowledge & Information Systems Division

• The station opened in 1991 and was upgraded in March 1999 when facilities at the Lasham station were moved to West Freugh

• Thorn (SDS) are contracted to operate and maintain West Freugh 365 days per year 24 hours per day

West Freugh

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Facilities

• The facility comprises 7 dishes (2.4m - 13m diameter) with associated reception and processing chains including;

– 13m Datron X-band downlink head (Radarsat, ERS)

– 12m Marconi S-band down/uplink head

• Radarsat / ERS SAR processing capability

• Direct data capture storage and retrieval system

• 4 Mbits/sec megastream link to Farnborough (Level 0 ISP)

• Share high bandwidth trans-Atlantic pipe

• Full data archives (ERS/Radarsat & AVHRR)

West Freugh

11West Freugh

12West Freugh

Station Masks - 5 degree & horizon

Theoretical SCWA image coverage

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Products & services

• Earth Observation data distribution:

– Radarsat 1

– ERS 1 & 2

– NOAA AVHRR

– Feng Yun 1c

– ENVISAT

– Radarsat 2

– MSG

– NASA Terra / Aqua

• Information service provision:– Oil slick detection– Oil exploration– Ice monitoring– Ship detection– Urban change– Oceanography

West Freugh

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Customer base• Danish Meteorological Institute

• Department of Trade and Industry Oil & Gas Division

• European Space Agency

• Maritime and Coastguard Agency

• Meteorological Office

• Radarsat International

• Royal Air Force

• Royal Navy

• US Naval Ice Centre

• Space Technology Research Vehicle 1 programme

• Suite of EO ‘value adding’ commercial customers

• Internal research customers

West Freugh

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Facility upgrade plans

• 3 channel facility upgrade plan in development:

– new data reception chains (new processing capacity / direct data capture systems etc.) such as ENVISAT and RADARSAT2

– establishment of dual X / S band up/downlink capability on 12m & 13m

– new station control systems

• Expansion in information service delivery and TT&C services in partnership with industry

• Aim to cope with future technologies & requirements

West Freugh

Ice Support Activities

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Overview

• QinetiQ has been supplying support to a range of agencies and users for a number of years.

– Project Management of British National Space Centre sponsored research into ice work stations

– Support to Royal Navy on operational ice information– NRT imagery supply to US NIC– NRT imagery supply to DMI

Ice Support

Project management of BNSC ice projects.

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Project management

• QinetiQ (then RAE/DRA) provided project / programme management support to the BNSC Application Development Programme in the early 1990’s which came about after the launch of ERS-1.

• Projects included:

– Sea Ice Workstation (EOS)

– IPAPS (MRC)

BNSC

Operational support to Royal Navy

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Operational support

• QinetiQ has provided support to the UK Royal Navy in the provision of tactical routing information for the ice patrol vessel HMS Endurance on several deployments to Antarctica over the last few years.

– Provision of imagery

– assistance in feature extraction

– compression of imagery

– delivery of imagery and analysis direct to ship

• QinetiQ has worked with RSI on a Tactical Ice Routing offering.

Royal Navy

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BAS Base (Halley) - Weddell Sea - Antarctica

RADARSAT SCANSAR Wide B - 450kmx450km

Original Image was 100Mb, Compressed (x100) to 1Mb withMr Sid wavelet compression software

NRT imagery supply - US Naval Ice Centre

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NRT imagery supply

• QinetiQ has provided NRT RADARSAT data to the US Naval Ice Centre since Jan 1999.

• Since delivery started QinetiQ has been contracted to deliver 400 RADARSAT scenes in NRT from West Freugh.

• After NRT processing, data is delivered electronically by FTP over Internet.

• NIC is able to contract the service direct with QinetiQ.

US NIC

NRT imagery supply - Danish Meteorological Institute

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NRT imagery supply

• QinetiQ has been providing DMI with NRT RADARSAT data since November 1998.

• Under contract to RSI

• Working in conjunction with Gatineau and Tromso stations

• QinetiQ invested in changes to the SARP to allow Ice LUT to be applied to imagery to match Gatineau product.

DMI

IICWG concept paper

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Initial reaction

• The IICWG “consortia” concept paper provides a good basis to open discussions on a number of topics with satellite operator and data providers / ground stations.

• The document does not go far enough in specifying the actual service requirements and work needs to be done in this area.

Concept paper

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Volume pricing

• Operators and data providers/stations would look favourably at increased volumes of work/income and be likely to offer appropriate discounts for long term orders.

• However some IICWG consortia members may face higher prices than now due to the averaging effect.

– Issues of data pricing not straight forward

• NIC - US Allocation

• CIS - Canadian Govt satellite

Concept paper

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Data sharing

• Whilst not a new idea within the EO industry product offerings, this normally attracts a premium over the “list” price.

• The IICWG needs to show how sharing will not harm income to operators and providers. This is not clear from the concept paper.

Concept paper

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Service

• Work on unifying service standards should be viewed favourably.

– Data formats are however pretty standard now (RADARSAT, ERS) and are likely to be so for ENVISAT etc

– Issues such as processor upgrades and product specs needs to be addressed against cost.

– Backup and reliability of service requirements need to be looked at but not with just a view to lowering costs.

Concept paper

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Other• EUMETSAT has no role in any negotiations on behalf of the

consortia.

• Expansion suggestion for other concepts (eg pollution) cuts across other programmes and also commercial applications.

• The fact that ESA has paid for ENVISAT does not mean that a special Govt price will prevail.

• Consortia “negotiation” costs will be little reduced.

– different rates or breakpoints are applied

– station and operator and DE negotiations

Concept paper

Summary

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Summary1 Concept paper has provided some good issues for discussion

2 IICWG need to look at actual service requirements specs

3 a “Win-Win” scenario needs to be proven

4 QinetiQ look forward to further discussions on the concept paper and active participation in co-ordination of operational services requirements

5 QinetiQ continue to support current and future ice customers

6 QinetiQ continue to work closely with colleagues from satellite operators and ground stations

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Final ThoughtMembers of the IICWG provide a valuable service to a range

of maritime customers who need ice edge, type and thickness

information.

Perhaps there are still new customers to tap into:

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Further information

• Robert Freeman

Data & Information Services Manager

(Ground Segment & System Solutions)

tel: +44 (0) 1252 39 2288

fax: +44 (0) 1252 39 2657

email: rdfreeman@space.QinetiQ.com