In early 2006, Vietnam will establish a satellite image reception station located in Tu Liem, Hanoi. Initially, this facility will provide free satellite images…
This will be the first satellite image reception station in Vietnam.
This satellite image reception station will be managed by a remote sensing center and will be part of the “Natural Resource and Environmental Monitoring System in Vietnam” located in Minh Khai Commune, Tu Liem, Hanoi.
Diagram of the satellite system, image reception station, data processing station, and users
According to Mr. Le Minh – Director of the Remote Sensing Center, the procurement of equipment and construction of facilities will be completed in 2006. By mid-2007, the station will be put into trial operation.
It is known that with the help and funding from the European Space Agency and France in building the “Natural Resource and Environmental Monitoring System in Vietnam,” the station will be equipped with three systems.
These include a reception station with images from France and satellite images from Europe.
The types of satellite images obtained will serve for map measurement, correction of national maps, assessment and management of land use status; and will assist in forest inventory, crop monitoring, and radar surveillance of ground changes due to natural disasters or landslides…
Additionally, a national data center (located in Central Vietnam) will be established to store and distribute images upon the request of various sectors that need to use them.
In particular, 15 application centers will be built to process data and information collected from satellite images to serve each sector that needs remote sensing images, such as: environmental resources, rural development agriculture, fisheries, disaster rescue committees, and the Vietnam Academy of Science…
In the long term, these 15 centers will be units providing images and technological solutions to develop applications for provinces and cities across the country, aiding in land inventory and monitoring the natural resource environment of each locality.
With the construction of this satellite image reception station, many experts have assessed this as a significant breakthrough in natural resource and environmental monitoring technology.
The station will help Vietnam become more proactive in providing remote sensing images.
Mr. Minh also mentioned that previously, when Vietnam did not have a reception station, the country had to spend millions of USD annually to purchase images from abroad. Some satellite images cost up to 4,000 USD each, yet Vietnam was still not proactive in warning about natural disasters or earthquakes… Therefore, the development of remote sensing imagery will gradually allow for the replacement of aerial images in map correction and the formation of thematic maps.
It is expected that initially, the center will provide free images, and later will sell images to the units in need (estimated at around 1-200 USD/image). This is significantly cheaper compared to buying from abroad, while maintaining equivalent quality. This is indeed good news for organizations that require remote sensing images.
Science and Development
