Download or read book Commercial Satellite Imagery as an Evolving Open source Verification Technology written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One evolving and increasingly important means of verification of a State's compliance with its international safeguards obligations involves the application of publicly available commercial satellite imagery. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) views commercial satellite imagery as "a particularly valuable open source of information." In 2001, the IAEA established an in-house Satellite Imagery Analysis Unit (SIAU) to provide an independent capability for "the exploitation of satellite imagery which involves imagery analysis, including correlation/fusion with other sources (open source, geospatial, and third party).^Commercial satellite imagery not only supports onsite inspection planning and verification of declared activities," but perhaps its most important role is that it also "increases the possibility of detecting proscribed nuclear activities." Analysis of imagery derived from low-earth-orbiting observation satellites has a long history dating to the early 1960s in the midst of the Cold War era. That experience provides a sound basis for effectively exploiting the flood of now publicly available commercial satellite imagery data that is now within reach of anyone with Internet access. This paper provides insights on the process of imagery analysis, together with the use of modern geospatial tools like Google Earth, and highlights a few of the potential pitfalls that can lead to erroneous analytical conclusions.^A number of illustrative exemplar cases are reviewed to illustrate how academic researchers (including those within the European Union's Joint Research Centre) and others in Non-Governmental Organizations are now applying commercial satellite imagery in combination with other open source information in innovative and effective ways for various verification purposes. The international constellation of civil imaging satellites is rapidly growing larger, thereby improving the temporal resolution (reducing the time between image acquisitions), but the satellites are also significantly improving in capabilities with regard to both spatial and spectral resolutions. The significant increase, in both the volume and type of raw imagery data that these satellites can provide, and the ease of access to it, will likely lead to a concomitant increase in new non-proliferation relevant knowledge as well.^Many of these new developments were previously unanticipated, and they have already had profound effects beyond what anyone would have thought possible just a few years ago. Among those include multi-satellite, multi-sensor synergies deriving from the diversity of sensors and satellites now available, which are exemplified in a few case studies. This report also updates earlier work on the subject by this author and explains how the many recent significant developments in the commercial satellite imaging domain will play an ever increasingly valuable role for open source nuclear nonproliferation monitoring and verification in the future.
Download or read book Commercial Satellite Imagery as an Evolving Open source Verification Technology written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One evolving and increasingly important means of verification of a State's compliance with its international safeguards obligations involves the application of publicly available commercial satellite imagery. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) views commercial satellite imagery as "a particularly valuable open source of information." In 2001, the IAEA established an in-house Satellite Imagery Analysis Unit (SIAU) to provide an independent capability for "the exploitation of satellite imagery which involves imagery analysis, including correlation/fusion with other sources (open source, geospatial, and third party).^Commercial satellite imagery not only supports onsite inspection planning and verification of declared activities," but perhaps its most important role is that it also "increases the possibility of detecting proscribed nuclear activities." Analysis of imagery derived from low-earth-orbiting observation satellites has a long history dating to the early 1960s in the midst of the Cold War era. That experience provides a sound basis for effectively exploiting the flood of now publicly available commercial satellite imagery data that is now within reach of anyone with Internet access. This paper provides insights on the process of imagery analysis, together with the use of modern geospatial tools like Google Earth, and highlights a few of the potential pitfalls that can lead to erroneous analytical conclusions.^A number of illustrative exemplar cases are reviewed to illustrate how academic researchers (including those within the European Union's Joint Research Centre) and others in Non-Governmental Organizations are now applying commercial satellite imagery in combination with other open source information in innovative and effective ways for various verification purposes. The international constellation of civil imaging satellites is rapidly growing larger, thereby improving the temporal resolution (reducing the time between image acquisitions), but the satellites are also significantly improving in capabilities with regard to both spatial and spectral resolutions. The significant increase, in both the volume and type of raw imagery data that these satellites can provide, and the ease of access to it, will likely lead to a concomitant increase in new non-proliferation relevant knowledge as well.^Many of these new developments were previously unanticipated, and they have already had profound effects beyond what anyone would have thought possible just a few years ago. Among those include multi-satellite, multi-sensor synergies deriving from the diversity of sensors and satellites now available, which are exemplified in a few case studies. This report also updates earlier work on the subject by this author and explains how the many recent significant developments in the commercial satellite imaging domain will play an ever increasingly valuable role for open source nuclear nonproliferation monitoring and verification in the future.
Download or read book Commercial Satellite Imagery written by Bhupendra Jasani and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2002-06-01 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This will be the first book that deals with the use of commercial satellite imagery to monitor non-proliferation of nuclear weapons non-intrusively from space by an international organisation. The book deals with both the technical as well as policy issues related to the nuclear weapons non-proliferation issues. The authors discuss how an international organisation such as the International Atomic Energy Agency can use information derived from satellites to enhance its policing task.
Download or read book Use of Open Source Information and Commercial Satellite Imagery for Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime Compliance Verification by a Community of Academics written by Alexander Solodov and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a great threat to world peace and stability. The question of strengthening the nonproliferation regime has been open for a long period of time. In 1997 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors (BOG) adopted the Additional Safeguards Protocol. The purpose of the protocol is to enhance the IAEA0́9s ability to detect undeclared production of fissile materials in member states. However, the IAEA does not always have sufficient human and financial resources to accomplish this task. Developed here is a concept for making use of human and technical resources available in academia that could be used to enhance the IAEA0́9s mission. The objective of this research was to study the feasibility of an academic community using commercially or publicly available sources of information and products for the purpose of detecting covert facilities and activities intended for the unlawful acquisition of fissile materials or production of nuclear weapons. In this study, the availability and use of commercial satellite imagery systems, commercial computer codes for satellite imagery analysis, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)verification International Monitoring System (IMS), publicly available information sources such as watchdog groups and press reports, and Customs Services information were explored. A system for integrating these data sources to form conclusions was also developed. The results proved that publicly and commercially available sources of information and data analysis can be a powerful tool in tracking violations in the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and a framework for implementing these tools in academic community was developed. As a result of this study a formation of an International Nonproliferation Monitoring Academic Community (INMAC) is proposed. This would be an independent organization consisting of academics (faculty, staff and students) from both nuclear weapon states (NWS) and non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS). This community analyzes all types of unclassified publicly and commercially available information to aid in detection of violations of the non-proliferation regime. INMAC shares all of this information with the IAEA and the public. Since INMAC is composed solely by members of the academic community, this organization would not demonstrate any biases in its investigations or reporting.
Download or read book Spies Lies and Algorithms written by Amy B. Zegart and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-02-28 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting account of espionage for the digital age, from one of America’s leading intelligence experts Spying has never been more ubiquitous—or less understood. The world is drowning in spy movies, TV shows, and novels, but universities offer more courses on rock and roll than on the CIA and there are more congressional experts on powdered milk than espionage. This crisis in intelligence education is distorting public opinion, fueling conspiracy theories, and hurting intelligence policy. In Spies, Lies, and Algorithms, Amy Zegart separates fact from fiction as she offers an engaging and enlightening account of the past, present, and future of American espionage as it faces a revolution driven by digital technology. Drawing on decades of research and hundreds of interviews with intelligence officials, Zegart provides a history of U.S. espionage, from George Washington’s Revolutionary War spies to today’s spy satellites; examines how fictional spies are influencing real officials; gives an overview of intelligence basics and life inside America’s intelligence agencies; explains the deadly cognitive biases that can mislead analysts; and explores the vexed issues of traitors, covert action, and congressional oversight. Most of all, Zegart describes how technology is empowering new enemies and opportunities, and creating powerful new players, such as private citizens who are successfully tracking nuclear threats using little more than Google Earth. And she shows why cyberspace is, in many ways, the ultimate cloak-and-dagger battleground, where nefarious actors employ deception, subterfuge, and advanced technology for theft, espionage, and information warfare. A fascinating and revealing account of espionage for the digital age, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the reality of spying today.
Download or read book Nuclear Non proliferation and Arms Control Verification written by Irmgard Niemeyer and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-03-12 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book strives to take stock of current achievements and existing challenges in nuclear verification, identify the available information and gaps that can act as drivers for exploring new approaches to verification strategies and technologies. With the practical application of the systems concept to nuclear disarmament scenarios and other, non-nuclear verification fields, it investigates, where greater transparency and confidence could be achieved in pursuit of new national or international nonproliferation and arms reduction efforts. A final discussion looks at how, in the absence of formal government-to-government negotiations, experts can take practical steps to advance the technical development of these concepts.
Download or read book International Cooperation for Enhancing Nuclear Safety Security Safeguards and Non proliferation written by Luciano Maiani and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book examines key aspects of international cooperation to enhance nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and nonproliferation, thereby assisting in development and maintenance of the verification regime and fostering progress toward a nuclear weapon-free world. Current challenges are discussed and attempts made to identify possible solutions and future improvements, considering scientific developments that have the potential to increase the effectiveness of implementation of international regimes, particularly in critical areas, technology foresight, and the ongoing evaluation of current capabilities.
Download or read book Commercial Observation Satellites written by John C. Baker and published by RAND Corporation. This book was released on 2001 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring numerous satellite images and case studies, this book brings together an impressive group of experts to assess the implications of this emerging information technology.
Download or read book U S Commercial Remote Sensing Satellite Industry written by Kevin M. O'Connell and published by Minnesota Historical Society. This book was released on 2001 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American firms have begun to operate their own imaging satellite systems, aiming to become an important part of the U.S. commercial remote sensing industry. To succeed over the long run, these new U.S. commercial remote sensing satellite firms need a combination of reliable technologies, government policies that encourage U.S. industry competitiveness, a strong international presence, and sound business plans to ensure their competitiveness in both the domestic and international marketplaces. The greatest risks for the these firms come from the challenge of transforming themselves from imagery data providers to strong competitors as information age companies; the need to master the technical risks of building and operating sophisticated imaging satellite systems; and the requirement to operate effectively in a complex international business environment. In addition, the government_s policymaking process has yet to achieve the degree of predictability, timeliness, and transparency that the firms need if they are expected to operate effectively in a highly competitive and rapidly changing global marketplace. The authors conclude with six recommendations that the U.S. Department of Commerce should adopt to best fulfill its responsibilities for promoting the U.S. commercial remote sensing industry and for encouraging the competitiveness of new private imaging satellite firms.
Download or read book The Final Frontier written by U. S. Military and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-11-22 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is a long-held belief the news media will go to almost any length to get a story. Television reporters have waded into the middle of civil-war firefights to show viewers and readers human suffering up close, used hidden-camera tricks to flush out stories on consumer fraud, and even laid down their lives to expose human-rights atrocities by international governments. Over the last 10 years, in the midst of a telecommunications revolution, the media can now gather and report stories in ways that once seemed impossible.The purpose of this research paper is to explore how the mass media uses satellite imaging to gather information during wartime and determine what impact this technology has had, and will have, on advancing the art of news telling during armed conflict. Does satellite imagery impact the U.S. military's ability to effectively wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq? What challenges does this technology present for future military conflicts?Because satellite imaging has only been commercially viable for the last 30 years, the news media is still trying to fully understand the utility of this imprecise science. With improvements in satellite imaging occurring at a lightning-quick pace, the media, the military and the U.S. government are trying to understand how this technology might affect media coverage during wartime. These issues and dilemmas are addressed in this paper.The paper is divided into four sections: (1) a technical primer for a broader understanding of exactly how these extraterrestrial cameras photograph and transmit images back to the earth's surface, as well as the history of satellite imaging; (2) the media's use of satellite images during recent U.S. armed conflicts, specifically Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom; (3) legal and regulatory issues facing both the media and the satellite-imaging industry in regards to the use of this technology during wartime, specifically the issue of the U.S. government's imposition of prior restraint; and (4) the ethical issues and responsibilities facing the media regarding the violation of national security, as well as the future of satellite imagery. The author's research involved a descriptive, qualitative methodology, using primarily documentation out of space-industry journals, books, newspaper and magazine articles, and speech transcripts from noted media and space experts.
Download or read book Very High Resolution VHR Satellite Imagery written by Francisco Eugenio and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2019-11-06 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently, growing interest in the use of remote sensing imagery has appeared to provide synoptic maps of water quality parameters in coastal and inner water ecosystems;, monitoring of complex land ecosystems for biodiversity conservation; precision agriculture for the management of soils, crops, and pests; urban planning; disaster monitoring, etc. However, for these maps to achieve their full potential, it is important to engage in periodic monitoring and analysis of multi-temporal changes. In this context, very high resolution (VHR) satellite-based optical, infrared, and radar imaging instruments provide reliable information to implement spatially-based conservation actions. Moreover, they enable observations of parameters of our environment at greater broader spatial and finer temporal scales than those allowed through field observation alone. In this sense, recent very high resolution satellite technologies and image processing algorithms present the opportunity to develop quantitative techniques that have the potential to improve upon traditional techniques in terms of cost, mapping fidelity, and objectivity. Typical applications include multi-temporal classification, recognition and tracking of specific patterns, multisensor data fusion, analysis of land/marine ecosystem processes and environment monitoring, etc. This book aims to collect new developments, methodologies, and applications of very high resolution satellite data for remote sensing. The works selected provide to the research community the most recent advances on all aspects of VHR satellite remote sensing.
Download or read book Commercial Satellite Imagery and Verification of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Commercial Satellite Imagery and Verification of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discussion paper considering the potential application of commercial satellite imagery in the verification of the biological and toxin weapons (BTW) related activities. The report includes an introduction to typical civilian applications of commercial satellite imagery and their limitations and strengths; their ability to differentiate between prohibited and permitted activity and to resolve ambiguities about compliance; the requirements for technology, manpower, material, and equipment; the financial, legal, safety, and organizational implications; and the impact on scientific research, cooperation, industrial development, and other permitted activities and implications for confidentiality of information.
Download or read book Modeling and Simulation of Commercial Satellite Imagery Processes written by David A. Shultz (MAJ, USAF.) and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book High Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery written by Ian J. Dowman and published by Whittles. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive guide to the characteristics and use of high resolution optical images from satellite-borne sensors, concentrating on sensors designed for mapping. It considers in detail the SPOT series of satellites and sensors with a ground sample distance (GSD) of less than 15m, operational since SPOT 1 and particularly the commercial sensors launched since 1999 with GSD of less than 1m. The book explains the way in which high resolution imagery is obtained and the issues which surround its collection and use. It deals progressively with the fundamentals of mapping from imagery, followed by the key features in the design of sensors and methods of data storage and transmission, including data compression. Subsequent chapters cover the sensors, calibration, sensor models and the methods of determining the orientation elements and extracting coordinates from the images. Rigorous orientation, use of rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs) and approximate methods are covered. Results from tests showing the accuracy which can be obtained, generation of digital elevations models, their accuracy and the production of orthoimages are included, as are image processing and data fusion. Finally, future missions and the issues which face further development are discussed. High Resolution Optical Satellite Imagery is written by a team of acknowledged international experts and is the only comprehensive text on the subject.
Download or read book U S Commercial Remote Sensing Satellite Industry As Analysis of Risks written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the advent of Earth observation satellites nearly four decade ago, governments have been the leading providers and users of satellite imagery data. However, this has recently changed as several U.S. and foreign companies have begun to acquire and launch their own imaging satellite systems. Some American firms are already operating their own imaging satellite systems (e.g., Orbimage's Orbview-2 and Space Imaging's IKONOS). These companies aim to become an important part of the U.S. commercial remote sensing industry, which today largely consists of aerial data providers and the value-added firms that play an important role in converting raw imagery data into the products desired by customers. Success for these new U.S. commercial remote sensing satellite firms heavily depends on both understanding and overcoming various risks (e.g., technical, market, policy and regulatory) that could diminish their prospects in the highly competitive global marketplace for geospatial information products and services. Within this context, U.S. government policies and regulations exert a major influence on the ability of U.S. remote sensing satellite firms to realize their competitive potential in both the domestic and international marketplaces.
Download or read book Secrets for Sale written by Yahya A. Dehqanzada and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
