Norcross, GA — ERDAS announces that it will collaborate with Infoterra GmbH, a leading provider of radar satellite data and services and exclusive holder of commercial exploitation rights to TerraSAR-X data. Together, they will develop operational applications for TerraSAR-X radar satellite imagery and strengthen the knowledge of SAR data analysis within the user community.
In recent years, the use of radar imagery has greatly increased. New sensors like TerraSAR-X offer high spatial resolution, excellent geometric accuracies, short revisit times and a variety of polarizations and imaging modes. At the same time, innovative techniques have been developed to extract and process information from radar data.
Radar data is consequently making a rapid transition from research and development applications to solving real-world problems. ERDAS and Infoterra plan to work together to rationalize this plethora of data into clearly defined application scenarios. A key component of this transition is dedicated software that enables the problem solver to extract the needed information from the imagery without deep domain knowledge. Experts at intelligence and military agencies, state and local governments, civil organizations, crisis response organizations and non-governmental organizations will easily be able to transform TerraSAR-X imagery into timely, relevant and accurate geoinformation.
“Radar image processing commonly involves extensive and sophisticated signal processing algorithms,” said Derrold Holcomb, Senior Radar Scientist, ERDAS. “There is a need to separate the decision maker from radar and mathematical theory. Our goal is to understand the information needed for specific applications and offer a software solution that automatically extracts that information product.”
According to Marek Tinz, Head of Development & Innovation, Infoterra GmbH, there are tremendous opportunities for the TerraSAR-X data. "With the unique features our satellite has to offer, there is a significant potential for applying its data in specific applications. We are already serving a truly diverse user community today, and are convinced that with an increased automated information extraction through ERDAS Software, we will be able to improve our services even further."
The new agreement is effective immediately and includes the creation of dedicated training material for ERDAS users. In addition, there will be joint evaluation of existing tools and potentials with regard to stereometric and interferometric data sets.
For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.
About ERDAS
ERDAS – The Earth to Business Company – helps organizations harness the information of the changing earth for greater advantage. ERDAS creates geospatial business systems that transform our earth’s data into business information, enabling individuals, businesses and public agencies to quickly access, manage, process and share that information from anywhere. Using secure geospatial information, ERDAS solutions improve employee, customer and partner visibility to information, enabling them to respond faster and collaborate better. It also means better decision-making, increased productivity and new revenue streams. Welcome to ERDAS: a trusted name, with a new energy, and a new vision. Earth to business starts here. ERDAS is a part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden. For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com.
About TerraSAR-X
The TerraSAR-X Earth observation satellite is a joint venture being carried out under a public-private-partnership between the German Aerospace Center DLR and EADS Astrium GmbH. At DLR, a team of four institutes is responsible for implementing the mission in collaboration with the space agency. Astrium GmbH developed, built and launched the satellite; the exclusive commercial exploitation rights are held by the geo-information service provider Infoterra GmbH. TerraSAR-X was launched on June 15, 2007 and has been in operational service since January 2008. For a collection of TerraSAR-X imagery, please visit: http://www.infoterra.de/image-gallery/images.html
About Infoterra
Infoterra GmbH (Germany) is one of the leading providers of radar satellite data and services worldwide. The company holds the exclusive commercial exploitation rights for TerraSAR-X, the uniquely precise high-resolution radar satellite in operational service since 2008. Building upon the satellite’s outstanding capabilities, the company provides customers around the globe with imagery and direct data reception as well as a range of sophisticated products and services such as mapping, monitoring, or elevation models. The upcoming TanDEM-X mission, collecting data for a global homogeneous elevation model, will mean yet another significant enhancement of this portfolio. Infoterra GmbH is headquartered in Friedrichshafen and operates a production centre in Potsdam, currently employing an overall workforce of more than 150 employees. The company is a 100% subsidiary of EADS Astrium and part of the Astrium Services Geo-Information Division, with companies and offices in 14 countries worldwide. www.infoterra.de