Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Information Technology Center ( AFFRIT ) of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ( MAFF ) has been developing the Satellite Image Database System ( SIDaB ) since 1999, and so far NOAA, DMSP, GMT, MTSAT, Terra / Aqua MODIS and Landsat TM / ETM data has been offered.

Weather Satellite Image Database system ( WeSIDaB ) is the basic system of the SIDaB and NOAA / AVHRR, DMSP / OLS, SSMI, MTSAT products have been provided for a long time. The system is useful for fisheries research activities because sea surface temperature image derived from NOAA can be used for catching fishing grounds and DMSP night time lights are for grasping squid-fishing activities in the Jpana Sea. On the other hand, solar radiation images from MTSAT may have capability of agricultural crop monitoring, and we are trying to develop a crop yeild prediction system.

The MODIS images have been offered from 2003, and in this April, we renewed the MODIS database system ( MoSIDaB ) to provide latest version products. A TeraScan RaMPS, the SeaSpace company's data processing system, is applied in this system to create reliable products such as land surface reflectances ( MOD09 ), vegetation index, ocean datasets, and so on.

Some MODIS products and cloud free composite images will be shown in the EM session.

Wataru Takeuchi ( Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo )
Tsugito Nagano ( Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency )
Lal Smarakoon ( Asian Institute of Technology )

This research focuses on a network based data distribution and visualization system of NOAA AVHRR, Aqua/Terra MODIS and MTSAT. Institute of Industrial Science ( IIS ) and Institute of Technology of Earthquake Research Institute ( ERI ) both at University of Tokyo along with Asian Institute of Technology ( AIT ) in Thailand and Mongolian National Remote Sensing Center ( NRSC ) have been receiving, processing, archiving and distributing of those imagery with a direct receiving since 1983. A software package is developed including radiometric correction, precise geometric correction and sptial subset, and they are available on a web-based data distribution and processing service accessed at http://webgms.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ ,http://webmodis.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/, http://webpanda.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/

A wide range of higher level product are available including aerosol optical depth, precipitable water vapor, land surface temperature, active fire and thermal anomalies, chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature. An unique thematic map product are generated based on high demand from Asian users including 10-days cloud free composite imagery over Asia, forest cover, rice paddy and land use and land cover change map, and urban heat island map in Asian mega cities. They are used by a number of scientists in Vietnam, Thailand, Lao PDR over a range of applications supported a capacity building program carried out at Asian Institute of Technology and University of Tokyo.

This system contributes to Space Applications for Environment ( SAFE ). SAFE is a voluntarybased initiative leaded by Japanese Space Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) under the umbrella of the Asia-Pacific SPace Agency Forum ( APRSAF ) which was established in 1993, to enhance the development of each country's space program and to exchange views toward future cooperation. It aims to encourage the environmental monitoring in longterm to grasp the environmental changes that may be useful to bring in risk reduction and adaptation programs for disasters risk related activities to other climate change associated problems using space applications, especially satellite remote sensing technology. Some of the changing environment parameters in water resources, river water level, land cover, deforestation, agriculture production, and ecosystem could provide through satellite remote sensing.

In recognition of the vital role of Information and Communications Technology ( ICT ) for improved and better governance, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development ( PCARRD ) continuously echances its efforts to ensure the availability and affordability of ICT products and services via the internet. PCARRD has electronically linked itself to various government agencies, the 14 regional consortia, the National Agriculture Resources Research and Development Network ( NARRDN ) and other stakeholders.
PCARRD also pursues the application of Geographic Information System ( GIS ) as a decision support system for sustainable use and management of agriculture, forestry, and natural resources. GIS is a computer-based system for the collection, storage, analysis and display of geo-referenced data to solve complex problems for planning and management activities to meet specific citeria.
Agencies within the NARRDN and the regional consortia has applied GIS in their project-based analysis using their own collected data. However, it is interesting to note that most of the time spent with the analysis is in the search for and collection of quality data and less in deriving benefits from them. It is because data are either stored independently, duplicated or are not current.
Banking on PCARRD existing networking facilities to support the need for quality and readily available data that are important in any GIS application, this pioneeting endeavor was designed to facilitate rapid access to and use of spatial data and information by establishing a web-enabled geo-based information system called PCARRD GeoCentral. The system will provide data service for the search and dissemination of geospatial data and information among our clients.
A metadata service will also be provided to allow users to have initial information about the data to prioritize retrieval of infomration needed. Partner agencies that will provide the data will be allowed to update the metadata to ensure the data currency and reliability and avoid any duplication.
The framework to operationalize the project, the policies and guidelines and institutional arrangements pertaining to rights of accessing, and updating the metadata and the intellectual property rights protection will be presented. Efforts to establish the system could also provide the better environment for collaboration and partnerships between and among GIS professionals, natural resources management experts from local and international agencies.

Accurate renewable energy ( RE ) such as solar, hydro, wind and biomass resources data are important to assess resources to mitigate global climate change and for the proper sizing and life cycle cost analysis of RE systems technologies. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of the RE resources allow for more cost effective design and operation of RE systems as well as meeting its requirements. The goal of this task is to develop web-based RE resource assessment for the Philippines that incorporates and builds upon current understanding of the sptial distribution of the resource using 1-KM resolution Global Map, Philippines constructed using data from the Digital Chart of the world ( DCW ), GTOPO3O elevation data, and ISCGM-Japan Global basemap database. This assessment provides data that researchers, planners, developers, and investors can use to help establish successful business activity on RE technologies in the Philippines. The use of geographic information system and global positioning system satellite remote sensing and internet mapping on RE sources and systems, as well as other geographic features of Global Map database are emerging dynamic decision support system to share statistical data, information and knowledge among stakeholders on geographicareas and related RE policy issues which could be shared in the world wide web. With the potential RE sources and systems in the Philippines, existing programs and projects will be presented that can be implemented as mitigation and adaptation strategies on variability of climate. Likewise, a case study is presented to demonstrate the use of such Global Map Philippines for RE assessment using Joomla, an open source content management system for publishing content on the World Wide Web and intranets as well as a model-view-controller web application development framework.

The ASEAN+3 Satellite Image Archive for Environmental Study project, so called ASIAES, is one of the projects recommended by the ASEAN+3 Economics Minister ( AEM+3 ) Meeting. One of its original objectives is to share the satellite archives for natural hazard management and environmental study among the ASEAN+3 member countries. The ASEAN+3 countries include the countries in South East Asia, China, Japan, and Korea. The ASIAES system is a designed web portal to share information of earth observation satellite products which can be applied for natural hazard management in the ASEAN+3 member countries region.

ASIAES applies the distributed network concept. Metadata in database systems from various sites will be linked to each other under a web service technology. In the other word, the ASIAES system can be considered as a one stop online catalogue of satellite images for natural hazard management. The ASIAES installed its system on the internet. Main services are System for satellite and information services and exchange index information ( Metadata ) among the relevant authorities.

The ASIAES system managed by GISTDA corresponds with the GEO DI 06-09 task and UNOOSA mission. This system can be consided as a prototype for developing a simple search and share satellite images catalogue wihch can be applied for natural hazard management.

Thailand Earth Observation Satellite ( THEOS ), fully owned and operated by Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency ( Public Organization ( GISTDA ) under the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology, was successfully launched into orbit on October 1st, 2008. It is designed to have high resolution data, large swath width, global coverage, and frequent revisit time in order to monitor and support an exploitation of resources for various applications such as cartography, agriculture, forestry, etc.

A single system situated in Thailand for mission control and image processing is implemented with a polar station for reception, and processing of THEOS data. This is foreseen to serve clients and users in the best way in order to strengthen the competitiveness of THEOS on the global market. The polar station would be deployed at Esrange Space Center, Kiruna under a contract with Swedish Space Corporation ( SSC ). The project is planned into two phases : "Telemetry Acquisition / Inventory phase" and "Image Processing phase".

To shorten processes of implementation and distribution license, the first phase is designed with a minimum configuration required for image data reception, image recording, local and central catalogue updating, level 0 processing / inventory and data delivery. Level 0 inventory file in Generic Exchange Raw Archive Level Data ( GERALD ) format containing all ancillary and auciliary data for further processing will be recorded on DVDs and delivered daily by post to Image Processing Centre at Ladkrabang as it is dedicated to be the catalogue and archiving centre to final THEOS image production. The Image Processing phase is dedicated to near-realtime data production service with a full implementation of THEOS image data reception and processing at the polar station.

GISTDA plans to serve available integrating data in an efficient and cost-effective manner with the capability of collecting THEOS data for 10 - 13 orbits' contact a day over the Kiruna polar station. This property makes it particularly attractive to the attentiveness of environmental disasters affected on agriculture, economy and human. In order to support such disaster management activities, DANTE ( Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe ) and GISTDA, have been exploring the potential of high-speed networks to facilitate THEIS data transfer. The network path between Sweden and Thailand would be over the GEANT and TEIN3 network. This cooperation provides assistance with setting up fast and reliable data transmission particularly in case of time-critical disaster mitigation and response applications