26 October 2010 Károly Róbert College tasked Envirosense, Hungary, to acquire the first hyperspectral and Lidar imagery of the disaster area. First ever "red mud" hyperspectral images in remote sensing history enable to access the area of contamination with toxic spill in Hungary.
SPECIM´s AisaEAGLE hyperspectral system from the College has been chosen to provide the complete coverage of the territory with orthorectified imagery at 1m pixel resolution, taken over the period from 10-12th October, 2010. The ability to acquire more than 100 square kilometers of images daily with the know-how of Envirosense Hungary allows the authorities to meet their needs in just a few hours, after the image acquisition, processing and delivery of the data. Hyperspectral images of the disaster area will help determining the actual size and concentration of the pollution and to control the mud distribution, their effects in plant and water systems.
Toxic wastes from the aluminum refinery "Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt" got into the river system of Hungary after a reservoir burst its banks releasing a flood of some 1.1 million cubic meters of toxic residues on 4th October. Kolontar, the village nearest the reservoir, was immediately engulfed by a torrent of red sludge. On the next day, on 5th October, the Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in three regions, impacted by the toxic wastes spill: Veszprem, Vas and Gyor-Moson-Sopron. Hungarian authorities addressed to the European Committee on October 7 to activate the mechanism of civil protection.
Envirosense offered the in-flight operation, post-processing, field sampling and classification free of charge.
About Envirosense
Envirosense Hungary Ltd. is an advanced remote sensing technology company specializing in the collection and analysis of airborne hyperspectral data captured by AISA VNIR and SWIR sensors since 2007 world-wide. For large coverage missions, sensors are flown using a highly reliable base of fixed wing aircrafts. Complete service is available for commercial and research missions in Europe, Middle East and Africa. For more information please visit Envirosense Hungary Kft. Website http://www.envirosense.hu/?lang=en or contact Mr. Csaba Lenart lenart@bestcomp.hu
About SPECIM
SPECIM Spectral Imaging Ltd. is the world’s leading manufacturer of hyperspectral imaging instruments and systems. In addition to airborne remote sensing systems, SPECIM provides ImSpector Imaging Spectrographs, Spectral Cameras and Hyperspectral Imaging Solutions to an increasing range of demanding industrial and science applications like colour measurement, process analytical technology (PAT), life sciences, chemical imaging and forensics. For further information, please contact SPECIM, Spectral Imaging Ltd, tel. +358 10 4244 400, email: info@specim.fi or visit www.specim.fi.