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news

Negotiations on a Framework Agreement for structured cooperation between ESA and the EuropeanCommunity have been concluded. On 12 November the ESA Council adopted the Agreement, which hadalready been endorsed by the EU Council on 20 October.

The ESA/EC Agreement marks a milestone in their relationship, emphasising that both partners have specificcomplementary and mutually reinforcing strengths, and commits them to working together while avoidingunnecessary duplication of effort.

The Framework Agreement has two main aims. The first is the coherent and progressive development of aEuropean Space Policy to link demand for services and applications using ESA space systems andinfrastructures in support of EU policies. The second aim of the Agreement is to establish a common basis andappropriate practical arrangements for efficient and mutually beneficial cooperation between ESA and theEuropean Union.

“This Agreement will facilitate the setting up of new joint projects and provide a stable framework for ESA-EUcooperation, and that will benefit the European citizens”, said ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain. TheAgreement also opens up new possibilities for cooperation, such as EU participation in ESA optionalprogrammes, or ESA management of EU space-related activities.

The European Commission also adopted its White Paper on space, drafted with the support of ESA. It presentsan action plan for implementing an enlarged European space policy, including proposals for joint ESA-EUspace programmes that will take the Framework Agreement as their basis. s

In Brief

ESA and the EU: the start of a new partnership

At its 105th meeting, on 5/6 November, ESA's ScienceProgramme Committee (SPC) decided to cancel theEddington mission and rescope the BepiColombomission due to the current financial exigencies and noprospect of a budget increase or other financial relief.

Eddington was supposed to look for Earth-like planetsoutside our solar system – one of the key goals in thesearch to understand how life came to be in theUniverse. At the same time it was going to follow thepath that the ESA-NASA mission SOHO had taken withthe Sun of using astroseismology to look 'inside' stars.

The loss of the BepiColombo lander is also hard to takescientifically. ESA, in conjunction with the Japanese spaceagency, JAXA, will still put two orbiters around Mercury,but the ground data provided by the lander is a big loss.

The origins of the problems were recognised at the ESA

Council meeting held in June. Several sudden demandson finance occurred in the spring, the most obvious beingthe unforeseen Ariane-5 grounding in January, delayingthe launches of Rosetta and SMART-1. A temporary loanof 100 million Euros was granted, but must be paid backout of present resources by the end of 2006.

With these decisions, the SPC has brought the scope ofthe Cosmic Vision programme down to a level thatnecessarily reflects the financial conditions rather thanthe ambitions of the scientific community.

A long and painful discussion during the SPC meetingresulted in the conclusion that only one new mission canbe started at this time, namely LISA Pathfinder, thetechnical precursor to the world’s first gravitational-waveastronomical observatory, LISA. The LISA mission, to becarried out in cooperation with the United States, isscheduled for launch in 2012. s

Critical decisions on ‘Cosmic Vision’

Artist’s impression of the LISAmission

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ESA and Rosaviakosmos sign up for two Foton flights

After a year of extensivenegotiations, a new procurementorder for two unmanned Fotoncapsule flights was signed on 21 October between ESA and theRussian Space AgencyRosaviakosmos. This order coversthe Foton-M2 and -M3 missions,which will have 660 kg of ESA-supplied scientific payloadsonboard.

The order binds ESA,Rosaviakosmos and two Russianpartner companies (KBOM inMoscow and TsSKB-Progress inSamara) for at least the next threeyears, with a first launch scheduledfor May 2005 and the second forautumn 2006. This will providereflight opportunities for almost theentire experiment programmeoriginally assigned to Foton-M1 but lost when that launch failed on15 October 2002. It will alsoreinstate a substantial part of ESA’sscientific objectives for the STS-107mission, unfulfilled following theColumbia Shuttle accident inFebruary with the tragic loss of itscrew, experiment samples and science/technology experiments.

Foton capsules, which first flew in 1985, are based on the design of the Russian Vostok capsule, in which YuriGagarin was put into orbit in 1961. But whereas the original Vostok design has been developed for mannedmissions into the Soyuz spacecraft, it has been very largely maintained for the unmanned Foton, which isprimarily used for physics and materials science experimentation. The typical length of a Foton mission is 15 days. The recoverable capsule is launched on a Soyuz-U and returned to Earth at the end of its mission,landing with the aid of a parachute system.

The Foton-M2 payload will include experiments in fluid physics (FluidPac, SCCO), exobiology (Biopan), fivematerial science experiments to be processed in Russia’s Polizon automatic furnace and further suchexperiments in the DLR Agat furnace, a technology experiment (Favorite) and the Autonomous experiments(Photo-Ii, Biofilter). Two further experiments will be embedded in the spacecraft’s heat shield, one concerningre-entry technology (Keramik), the other meteoritic science (Stone).

The preliminary Foton-M3 payload definition is planned to include various experiments in biology (Biobox,Kubik, Eristo/Osteo), exobiology (Biopan), fluid physics (SCCO, Gradflex), protein crystallisation, materialscience (Polizon), new re-entry technology (YES-2), plus other Autonomous experiments. s

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In Brief

Prestigiousaward for SOHO

The international SOHO teamhas been presented with theprestigious Laurels for TeamAchievement Award of theInternational Academy ofAstronautics (IAA).

The award recognises both theoutstanding achievements indesigning, building andoperating the mission, as wellas the science it hasperformed. It is a tribute to ateam that has contributed toone of the most successfulspace missions in history.

The International Academy ofAstronautics presents thisaward in recognition ofextraordinary performance andachievement by teams ofscientists, engineers andmanagers in the field ofastronautics. This honour hasbeen awarded only twicebefore – to the Russian MirSpace Station Team and theUS Space Shuttle Team. Nowthe SOHO team joins thisselect group.

Throughout the mission, theteam has continued to produceexcellent science, and SOHOhas revolutionised the wayscientists think about the Sunand how it might affect theEarth's environment. Morethan 1500 papers,representing the work of morethan 1500 scientists, havebeen published based onSOHO data. With SOHO stillgoing strong, the successstory is set to continue. s

Two Foton spacecraft will carry 660 kg of European payload

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SMART-1 ion enginefired successfullyAfter a flawless launch during the nightof 27/28 September on an Ariane-5,SMART-1's revolutionary propulsionsystem was successfully fired at 12:25UT on 30 September 2003, in orbitaround the Earth.

Engineers at ESOC, the EuropeanSpace Agency's control centre inDarmstadt, Germany, sent a commandto begin the firing test, which lasted forone hour. In space and in a true vacuum,the ion engine actually worked betterthan in pre-launch testing on the ground.Engineers will now analyse the data tosee exactly how much acceleration wasachieved and how smoothly thespacecraft travelled.

This is the first time that Europe hasflown an electric primary propulsion inspace, and also the first European useof this particular type of ion engine,called a 'Hall-effect' thruster.

The Solar Electric Primary Propulsionconsists of a single ion engine fuelled byxenon gas and powered by solar energy.The ion engine will accelerate SMART-1very gradually to cause the spacecraft totravel in a series of spiralling orbits –each revolution slightly further away fromthe Earth – towards the Moon. Oncecaptured by lunar gravity, SMART-1 willmove into ever-closer orbits of the Moon.

s

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Pedro Duque safely back on Earth

Cervantes mission concludes with Soyuz TMA-2 landing

Spanish ESA astronaut Pedro Duque landed in the command module of the Soyuz TMA-2spacecraft near the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan at 03:40 Central European Time (CET) on28 October, thus concluding the successful 10-day Cervantes mission to the InternationalSpace Station (ISS).

The mission proceeded flawlessly with the completion of the experiment programme, thechangeover of ISS Expedition crews and the exchange of the Space Station’s Soyuz TMA lifeboat.

The Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft undocked from the ISS with Duque as Flight Engineer, YuriMalenchenko (Rosaviakosmos) as Commander and Edward Lu (NASA) as 2nd Flight Engineer.

During his 8-day stay on the ISS, Pedro Duque had carried out an extensive programme ofscientific, technological and educational experiments as part of the Cervantes mission, themajority of which were sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.

“The experiment programme has been a complete success”, said ESA Mission Manager, AldoPetrivelli, “and results have been obtained for all 22 experiments. These included two physicalscience experiments, which utilised the European-built Microgravity Science Glovebox on theISS, four biological experiments, four human physiology experiments and a number ofeducational experiments and technology demonstrations.”

During the Cervantes mission Pedro Duque had numerous contacts with the media from Spainand Germany. He talked via amateur radio with primary schoolchildren, winners of the HablaISS competition.

In addition to the experiment programme, the Cervantes mission served to relieve the ISSExpedition 7 crew.Yuri Malenchenko andEdward Lu had been stationed on the ISSsince 28 April 2003. They have now beenreplaced by the ISS Expedition 8 crew,Michael Foale (NASA) and Alexander Kaleri(Rosaviakosmos), who arrived with PedroDuque at the ISS in the Soyuz TMA-3spacecraft on 20 October and arescheduled to return next April with DutchESA astronaut André Kuipers. The SoyuzTMA spacecraft are being used as crewchangeover vehicles due to the groundingof the Shuttle fleet following the Columbiaaccident in February.

This was Duque’s second spaceflight, as hewas a Mission Specialist on the SpaceShuttle Discovery, STS-95 mission (29October to 7 November 1998). s

Pedro Duque conducting the Cardiocogexperiment during the Cervantes Mission

Close-up view of SMART-1's plasma thruster

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Envisat radar altimetry tracks riverlevels worldwide

ESA has unvailed a new product range called River and Lake Level fromAltimetry that provides previously inaccessible information on the waterlevels of major lakes and rivers across the Earth's surface, derived fromEnvisat and ERS radar-altimeter measurements.

For over a decade ESA has used satellites to bounce radar pulses offthe Earth and precisely measure the height of ocean and land surfaces.But inland lakes and rivers have been effective blind spots for radaraltimetry – at least until now.

Hydrologists can use this new data to monitor river heights around the planet, assess the impact of global warming and help with waterresource management. Inland water bodies are important as key sourcesof both water and food for the people living round them. They are alsooften regions of maximum biodiversity and represent early indicators ofregional climate change.

The Radar Altimeter 2 (RA-2) flown aboard ESA's Envisat environmentalsatellite is the improved follow-on to earlier radar altimeters on the ERS-1 and ERS-2 spacecraft. From its 800 km-high polar orbit it sends1800 separate radar pulses down to Earth every second and then recordshow long their echoes take to return, timing their journey with nano-second accuracy to calculate the exact distance to the planet below.

A team from the UK’s De Montfort University team developed the riverand lake monitoring software by painstakingly combing through manygigabytes of raw data acquired over rivers and lakes, taking note of thetype of echo shapes that occurred.They sorted different echo shapes intodistinct categories, then created an automated process to recognise theseshapes within 'wet' signals and eventually extract usable data from them.

The plan is that global altimeter data for the last 12 years will bereprocessed to provide hydrologists with historical information, invaluablefor assessing long-term trends. ESA also intends to install operationalsoftware in its ground segment so eventually the product can bedelivered to users in near-real time, within three hours or less of itsacquisition from space. s

New China-Europe Global NavigationSatellite System Technical Training andCooperation Centre (CENC)The European Commission, the European Space Agency and theChinese Ministry of Science and Technology have decided toestablish a training, cooperation and information centre for satellitenavigation in China at the renowned Beijing University. The centrewill be staffed initially by one or two experts supported by twoadministrative and technical assistants.

Europe and China share a common interest in cooperating to bringthe benefits of satellite navigation, and Galileo in particular, totransport, science, land management, disaster prevention and otheruser sectors. s

measures are in place to adaptthe lander package to the newscenario," says Dr Philippe Lamyof the Laboratoire d'AstronomieSpatiale in France.

Mission scientists began lookingfor an alternative target when theRosetta mission's launch date waspostponed. The delay meant thatthe original target comet,46P/Wirtanen, was no longereasily reachable. But scientists didnot have enough information onthe back-up comet, 67P/C-G, andsought data from the largesttelescopes.

Rosetta's launch is currentlyplanned for February 2004, with arendezvous with the comet about10 years later. s

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In Brief

In another application,a sophisticated soft-ware model of stratos-pheric chemistry thatassimilates data fromEnvisat, BASCOE(Belgian AssimilationSystem of ChemicalObservations fromEnvisat) forecastsglobal concentrationsof ozone for ten daysahead.

Hubble assistsRosetta cometmission

Data from the NASA/ESA HubbleSpace Telescope have played amajor role in preparing ESA’sambitious Rosetta mission for its new target, comet67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Hubble has been used to makeprecise measurements of the size,shape and rotational period of thecomet. This information is essentialif Rosetta is to rendezvous withthe comet and then release aprobe. Observations made byHubble in March this year revealedthat comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) isapproximately five by threekilometres in size and shaped likea rugby ball. ESA missionscientists were concerned aboutthe exact size of the solid nucleus,knowledge that is needed to adaptthe mission to the comet’s gravity.

"Although 67P/C-G is roughlythree times larger than the originalRosetta target, its highly elongatedshape should make landing on itsnucleus feasible, now that

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The winners of competitive contracts for two of theESA Aurora Programme’s key robotic missions –ExoMars and the Earth re-entry vehicledemonstrator – have been selected. This marks amajor milestone in this long-term programme forSolar System exploration. Alenia Spazio (Italy),Alcatel Space (France) and EADS Astrium (France)are to head the three industrial teams selected tocarry out a full mission design for ExoMars, theAurora exobiology mission to Mars.

Similarly, two industrial teams, headed by EADSLaunch Vehicles of France and Surrey SatelliteTechnology Limited (SSTL) of the United Kingdom,respectively, have been selected for the pre-development phase of the EVD mission.

ExoMars

The ExoMars mission, to be launched in 2009, isthe first of the major Flagship missions in theAurora Programme. It includes an orbiter and adescent module that will land a large (200 kg),high-mobility rover on the surface of Mars. Afterdelivery of the lander/rover, the ExoMars orbiter willalso operate as a data-relay satellite between theEarth and the vehicle on the Martian surface.

The primary objective of the ExoMars rover will beto search for signs of past or present life on theRed Planet. Additional measurements will be madeto identify potential surface hazards for futurehuman missions, to determine the distribution ofwater on Mars and to measure the chemicalcomposition of the surface rocks.

The contracts cover the design of the entireExoMars mission, from launch, through the longinterplanetary voyage, to the landing of the roveron the planet’s surface.

Earth re-entry vehicle demonstrator

The second Aurora Flagship mission is a MarsSample Return mission planned for 2011. Its maingoal will be the retrieval of rock samples from theMartian surface and subsurface for subsequentanalysis in laboratories on Earth.

In order to ensure the success of this challengingmission, a number of new technologies will have to

be developed and tested. Conceived as a smalltechnology-driven mission, the Earth re-entryvehicle demonstrator will be used to validate thedesign of the small Mars sample-return capsulethat will bring back the precious samples ofMartian soil.

The Earth re-entry vehicle demonstrator isexpected to be launched in 2007. The baselinemission foresees the insertion into a highly ellipticalEarth orbit of a small spacecraft carrying a re-entrycapsule. In order to reproduce the final phase of atypical Mars return mission, the capsule will thencarry out a ballistic re-entry into the Earth’satmosphere at speeds of up to 45,000 km/h.

Two industrial teams have been selected for theparallel Earth re-entry vehicle demonstratormission studies. The concept presented by theindustrial team, under the leadership of EADS LV(France) with the participation of OHB System(Germany) and Plansee (Austria) is solidly basedon the experience of past projects.

The industrial team led by SSTL (UK) has devisedan innovative concept well adapted for a smalltechnology mission. The participation of highlyspecialised companies, Fluid Gravity Engineering(UK), Kayser Threde GmbH (D) and Vorticity Ltd.(UK) ensures excellent coverage of the mission’smost critical technologies.

The next Aurora contract for Phase-A studies willconcern the Mars Sample Return mission. s

First SpaceMedicineWorkshop at EAC

The first Space MedicineEducational Workshop took placeat the European Astronaut Centre(EAC) in Cologne, Germany, inOctober. It allowed 44 Europeanstudents, researchers and youngprofessionals to get to know eachother and learn more abouthuman spaceflight and medicine.

The Workshop was split intopresentations of project proposalsby the attendees and lectures byexperts. The week began with an opening ceremony duringwhich participants witnessed thedocking and hatch opening of theSoyuz TMA - Cervantes Missionvia live links to Mission Control inMoscow and Houston.

In order to participate in theWorkshop each student had topresent an idea or concept in thefield of space medicine, endorsedby a Professor, which hadapplicability both in space and onthe ground. Student presentationsranged from an exoskeleton suitthat just needs to be worn in orderto have an exercise effect, to usingremote-sensing data and speciallydesigned low-cost sensors topredict malaria risk based onrainfall temperature and the wing-beat frequency of the mosquito.

The list of experts and guestsincluded Jeff Davis (Director ofSpace & Life Sciences, NASAJSC), Martina Heer (AerospaceMedicine Institute, DLR), Marco Cardinale (University ofAberdeen), Beth Shephered(Responsible for exercise andcountermeasures, NASA), DietrichManzey (University of Berlin),Ernst Messerschmid (Head ofEAC and former astronaut),

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First Aurora mission design contracts awarded

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Vincenzo Costigliola (President of the European MedicalAssociation), Michel Tognini (Head of the ESA AstronautDivision), Ulf Merbold (ESAastronaut), Loredana Bessone(ESA/EAC), Oliver Angerer(ESA/ESTEC), Rupert Gerzer(Director of the AerospaceMedicine Institute, DLR), DavidRaitt and Niels Eldering (ESATechnology Transfer Office).

Each morning, a representative ofthe Crew Medical Support Officegave the students an update onthe status of the Cervantesmission and the role of theEuropean medical doctorsupporting the Mission. In theevening, groups were givenaccompanied tours of the actualmedical console facilities used formission support.

As an immediate outcome and ontheir own initiative, the participantshave started a web-based forum toprovide a focal point for both theeducational and professional

communities, at:www.spacesurgeons.com .

The Space Medicine Workshopwas part of a new ESA initiative,“The Health Care Network”,aimed at increasing its role ineducational activities, bysupporting other educationaloffices in ESA and externalpartners such as the DLR SchoolLab in Cologne. s

Parabolic flight veteransOn normal aeroplanes that get you from city A tocity B, you earn frequent flyer miles. On the A300Zero-G Airbus the number of parabolas you fly iscounted, and the real parabolic flight veteransearn medals! Sixteen of those – three gold, eightsilver and five bronze – were handed out duringthe 35th ESA parabolic flight campaign on 13 October. Parabola champion is Marcel Thierotwith 4242. Other gold medals went to PhilippeFourcade (3608 parabolas) and Christophe Mora(3022 parabolas). Silver medal winners wereGilles Le Barzic (2351), Pierre Vaïda (2323),Charles Dupart (2320), Thierry Gharib (2136),Pierre Bencheik (1424), Roland Dairiam (1350),Vladimir Pletser (1284) and Anneke van derGeest (1107). Süzel Bussieres (882), Frédéric Gai(863), Jean-Pierre Fouquet (822), Jean-CharlesDe Longueville (498) and Maurice Hinsenkamp(467) were awarded bronze medals. s

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In Brief

Participants in the SpaceMedicine Workshop at EAC

Mei Ling Doery’s project wonthe second prize

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ESA PayloadSafety ReviewPanel certified“Cervantes”payloadThe ESA Payload SafetyReview Panel, established incooperation with NASA in2002, met in September atESTEC for a TrainingWorkshop. October’s“Cervantes” mission was thefirst to carry ESA-certifiedpayloads to the ISS. s

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ZARM Drop Tower becomes an ESAExternal Facility

ESA has declared the ZARM Drop Tower, a 146-metre highlandmark on the campus of Bremen University, Germany, an ‘ESAExternal Facility’. The ‘Zentrum für Angewandte RaumfahrtMicrogravitation’ Tower offers 4.47 seconds of weightlessness up tothree times per day.

The Tower, which is unique in Europe and regularly used by ESA,offers the capability of conducting extensive research inmicrogravity, and it is an essential test bench for projects about tobecome operational. For both applications, ZARM has providedyears of invaluable access to reduced gravityconditions for thousands of experiments, in many ofwhich ESA has been involved.

The introduction of a catapult, planned for this year,will double the time available in reduced gravityconditions, opening broader research possibilities ingood time for the International Space Stationexploitation phase, and for microgravity applications inparticular.

The contract was signed on 2 October by the Mayorof Bremen and President of the City Senate DrHenning Scherf, Prof. Dr Hans J. Rath, ZARMDirector General, Dr Hans Kappler, ESA Director ofIndustrial Matters and Technology Programmes, andMr Gaele Winters, ESA Director of Technical andOperational Support. It was ‘sealed’ with a ceremonialdrop in the Tower. s Hoisting the ESA flag:

Bremen’s Mayor Henning Scherf

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More than 400 participants from22 European countries – most ofthem teachers – made the Physicson Stage 3 festival a roaringsuccess. After a year of activitiesin each of the participatingcountries, delegates selected fortheir outstanding and innovativeteaching projects came to ESTEC,in the Netherlands, from 8 to 15November, to exchange ideas andmethods and find ways of makingscience teaching attractive again.Physics on Stage is organised bymembers of the EIROforum andwas co-funded by the EuropeanCommission as part of theEuropean Science and TechnologyWeek 2003. s

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In Brief

Physics on Stage 3 – a great success for physics teaching

His Royal Highness Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands and Mrs vander Hoeven, Dutch minister of Education, Culture and Science, guidedhere by Wubbo Ockels, chairman of Physics on Stage 3, attended theOpening Ceremony

A team from Belgium presents “Playful Physics”

As a special treat, an Italian chef prepared a meal “cooked withphysics” – ice-cream made with liquid nitrogen, for example (left)

The most innovative and inspiring projects received the “EIROforum Teaching Awards”. RudolfZiegelbecker from Austria and his two students won the second prize for their “cat gymnasts”

Liftoff for the third edition of the Physics on Stage science teachingfestival! His Royal Highness Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlandslaunches a water rocket as the opening act

Two participants from Poland and Belgium exchange teachingideas at the fair

The Austrian performance “Eye Like Physics”

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www.esa.intesa bulletin 116 - november 200398

European Image Information MiningCoordination Group Gets to Work

The European Image Information Mining Coordination Group (IIMCG)was officially created on 26 May 2003 by its funding members: ASI,CNES, CNR, DLR, EC-IST, ESA, ETHZ, and EUSC.

At its first meeting, the IIMCG defined the IIM focus and areas ofinterest, as well as its own Terms of Reference.

IIM Focus and Areas of InterestIIM focus is on research and technological activities for automatedand user-centred extraction of information from Earth Observationimages and image archives in support of content understanding.The main areas of concern are:– Information modelling and processing for very large and

heterogeneous image sets– Mediating systems (e.g. learning, adapting themselves to user

conjecture, suggesting solutions, etc.)– Knowledge discovery concepts (including auxiliary data)– Communicable information and knowledge– Opportunities (e.g. usage scenarios, test cases, business

models, technology transfer, etc.)– Evaluation methods– Related standards also for interfaces.

The IIM research and technological axes are:– Automated and semi-automated processing – Advanced archiving/computing– Scalable systems– Advanced user interfaces – Content-aware networks– Data-fusion/assimilation – Soft-computing– GRID techniques.

IIMCG Terms of Reference

CharterFor Image Information Mining (IIM) applied toEarth Observation images, the IIMCG shall:

– Promote European research and development of IIM techniques– Interface with European and National programmes in the field,

like the O2 (Open and Operational) ESA initiative, the EC FP6 activities, etc.

– Foster, within the members, the possibility to:

• Share scientific and technical experience, data, information and applications

• Identify relevant scientific and technical issues • Suggest technical directions• Suggest solutions for funding and coordination of activities

– Provide a forum where interested bodies may:

• Constantly be kept updated on ongoing activities in the field and on relevant scientific and technical issues

• Exchange information (including gathering of suggestions and requirements)

• Be informed about available demonstrators, prototypes, products, etc.

– Identify and suggest/promote appropriate standards– Facilitate and promote the use of resulting products.

MandateFor IIM applied to EO, the IIMCG shall:– Establish and maintain liaison with other interested bodies and

with new sensors’ research and design (in particular for the identification of short / medium / long term needs)

– Identify research and technological issues– Define possible strategies and solutions– Suggest activities and coordination methods– Suggest standards and interfaces for possible technologies.

Modus operandiFor IIM the IIMCG shall:– Prepare periodical plans and reports for internal and European

distribution – Define methods for ensuring maximum participation from

European partners (e.g.: define rules for enlarging participation to the WG, foster the creation of Interest Groups or national contacts, gather input from research, institutions, industry, etc.)

– Meet at least twice per year– Organise the Knowledge Based IIM Workshop once per year – Establish as necessary internal Task Forces for specific areas – Provide feedback to the IIMCG members from participation to

other events – Identify information for IIMCG internal use only or for free circulation– Address and suggest approaches related to potential IPR issues – Keep an updated list of related events – Organise and update related Internet pages.

The necessary resources for participation inIIMCG activities will be provided by therespective parent organisations.

Coming EventThe IIMCG is currently organising the ESA-EUSC 2004 Conference on ‘Theory andApplications of Knowledge driven ImageInformation Mining, with focus on Earth

Observation’ The event is the second in the series jointly organisedby ESA and EUSC (the first was held in December 2002 atESRIN), and is merged with the 2nd Image Information MiningWorkshop (the first one took place in September 2002 in Zurich).The 2004 Conference will take place on 17/18 March, at theTorrejon de Ardoz Air Base in Madrid.Visit http://earth.esa.int/rtd/Events/ESA-EUSC_2004 for furtherinformation and registration details.

Further InformationFurther information about IIMCG projects, articles, documents,events, etc. can also be obtained via the Internet, by visitinghttp://earth.esa.int/rtd/IIMCG , or from the following Contact Points:

Giovanni Rum • giovanni.rum@asi.itAlain Giros • alain.giros@cnes.frFrancesco Lovergine • lovergine@ba.issia.cnr.itMihai Datcu • Mihai.Datcu@dlr.deDaniele Rizzi • Daniele.Rizzi@cec.eu.intSergio D'Elia • Sergio.DElia@esa.intKlaus Seidel • Klaus.Seidel@vision.ee.ethz.chLucio Colaiacomo • l.colaiacomo@eusc.org

Sergio D’Elia, ESA/ESRIN

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ESA-EUSC 2004 ConferenceTheory and Applications of Knowledge-driven Image Information

Mining, with focus on Earth Observation

17 – 18 March 2004 Torrejon de Ardoz Air Base, Madrid, Spain

Organised by:The Image Information Mining Coordination Group (IIMCG)

Objectives:To review the state of the art and identify R&Drequirements in the following fields of Earth Observationand other domains:– Theoretical foundation of information retrieval from very

large image data sets– Image syntax and image semantics– Knowledge-driven image information mining– Knowledge sharing and management– Multi-domain, multi-dimensional semantic information

indexing and retrieval– Multidimensional database systems– Exploratory image information extraction– Modelling user conjecture and

human/machine interaction.

Sponsored by:IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society

The main target audience includes the European spaceagencies and organisations, aerospace industry andresearch centres, and research and academic institutionsinvolved in one or more of the above areas.

Registration:The deadline for registration (no fee) for the Conference is16 February 2004.

Further information can be found by visiting:http://earth.esa.int/rtd/Events/ESA-EUSC_2004.

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