China Uses ERDAS Software for Environmental and Disaster Monitoring

Norcross, GA, USA — ERDAS has announced that the National Disaster Reduction Committee and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, both in the People’s Republic of China , are now using ERDAS IMAGINE and ERDAS APOLLO to monitor environmental changes and improve disaster planning and response.

This project will use remotely sensed data acquired from the HJ-1 satellite constellation, named for the Chinese word for environment, ‘huán jìng.’ HJ-1 consists of the optical satellites HJ-1A and HJ-1B, both launched in September 2008, and the SAR satellite HJ-1C, expected to launch later in 2011.

HJ-1A carries a hyperspectral camera, HJ-1B carries an infrared sensor, and both include wide-view CCD cameras. Data collected with the HJ-1 satellite constellation will be used to monitor and forecast environmental changes and natural disasters. ERDAS IMAGINE is processing data collected by the constellation, and ERDAS APOLLO is managing and serving this data. Together, they form a complete Geospatial Business System for authoring, managing, connecting and delivering geospatial data products across the organization.

“By enabling these agencies to accurately process satellite data and quickly and securely disseminate the geoinformation products, ERDAS IMAGINE and ERDAS APOLLO will enhance China’s ability to respond to disasters, or pre-plan to mitigate their impact on the population,” said Kaushik Chakraborty, Asia Pacific Vice President, ERDAS. “The real power of geospatial information is its ability to change lives for the better, and ERDAS is always pleased to be a part of that.”

ERDAS IMAGINE®, the world’s leading geospatial data authoring system, incorporates image processing and analysis, remote sensing and GIS capabilities into a single powerful, convenient package. ERDAS IMAGINE enables users to easily create value-added products such as 2D and 3D images, 3D flythrough movies, and cartographic-quality map compositions from geospatial data. ERDAS IMAGINE also provides advanced tools for parallel batch processing, spatial modeling, map production, mosaicking and change detection.

ERDAS APOLLO is the market-leading solution for managing and delivering geospatial data and imagery. ERDAS APOLLO consistently delivers more data, quicker, with less hardware than competing image serving products. An interoperable OGC/ISO based solution, ERDAS APOLLO easily delivers feature data, terrain and virtually any other digital object in an enterprise. ERDAS APOLLO is the most advanced data management and delivery solution on the market today, ensuring unprecedented performance even when handling massive data archives and many users.

The project has already assisted in the response to the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people in Yushu, Qinghai in April 2010. It also provides valuable information as the nation contends with a severe drought in the Guangxi and Yunnan provinces that has killed crops and left many people and animals without drinking water.

Beijing Digital LandView, an authorized ERDAS distributor in China, recommended ERDAS IMAGINE and ERDAS APOLLO for the project. Jane Wu, General Manager, Beijing Digital LandView, states, ”ERDAS software has been very valuable to the environmental and calamity monitoring forecast project. With powerful tools that enable users to swiftly meet all of the complex data processing, management and delivery needs in this project, ERDAS IMAGINE and ERDAS APOLLO have been a successful choice.”