TerraSAR-X Virtual Ground Station - Malaysia

Infoterra and its Malaysian partner IMS have now installed a TerraSAR-X Virtual Ground Station at the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) in Kuala Lumpur: Following the delivery and installation of all necessary technical equipment as well as thorough training on the planning and ordering tool, Nikolaus Faller, Chief Operations Officer of Infoterra GmbH, officially handed the access key to Nik Mazlina Nik Mustapha, Head of Remote Sensing Data Services at MRSA, on Friday, Dec 4.

"From today, the MRSA will be able to access the ordering system, plan acquisitions, and task the TerraSAR-X satellite directly," states Azhar Salleh, Chief Executive officer of IMS. Describing the concept of a Virtual Ground Station, Nikolaus Faller adds: “At Infoterra, we will ensure the immediate processing and delivery of any data requested by the MRSA through our established ground segment. The data will be accessible for MRSA on our servers the minute the processing has been finalized“.

The contract includes not only the Virtual Ground Station, but large volumes of TerraSAR-X data that will be acquired and delivered throughout 2010. This data will be used for flood management purposes, as Malaysia is regularly affected by severe
flooding along its coasts as well as inland, and damages are often significant.

Based on TerraSAR-X data, Malaysians experts will create an up-to-date database for those regions regularly affected by flooding. “Based on this database, we will be able to initiate appropriate prevention measures and – in case disaster strikes – react more quickly and target our emergency response effort more effectively," says Nik Mazlina Nik Mustapha, outlining the purpose of acquiring this data. "The unique reliability of the weather-independent TerraSAR-X satellite, along with its excellent geometric accuracy, will surely be a key advantage in such time-critical situations. Its data will help us to prevent damages and maybe even save lives."

The privileged access to TerraSAR-X acquisition capacities via a Virtual Ground Station is exclusively provided by the German EADS Astrium subsidiary Infoterra GmbH, holder of the commercial marketing rights for the satellite's data and services. Around the globe, particularly customers that receive large amounts of data and/or require a quick and flexible tasking option, make use of this access concept.