HUNTSVILLE, AL. – March 10, 2016 – The Alabama Remote Sensing Consortium (ARSC) has signed an agreement with Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) for the provision of hyperspectral data from the company’s Multi-User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES), an Earth-observation platform built for use on the International Space Station (ISS). The ARSC, comprised of researchers from Alabama A&M University, Auburn University, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville, will use the data to pursue collaborative opportunities in education, research, and outreach with emphasis on remote sensing technology and applications.
“Teledyne Brown is privileged to be able to contribute this important data to the members of the ARSC,” said Jan Hess, President of Teledyne Brown Engineering. “By providing Alabama university researchers and students with unique data, we are able to help advance understanding of the Earth while continuing our company’s long tradition of giving back to the community.”
The first instrument to be installed on the MUSES platform is a hyperspectral sensor, an advanced imaging spectrometer sensing reflected light in the visible through near infrared wavelengths. The spectral data collected by the instrument will allow scientists and students to examine the distinct materials that make up objects on Earth, each of which has their own unique spectral signature. Through the agreement, ARSC researchers will have unprecedented access to volumes of unique data for a variety of applications, including forestry and agricultural management, atmospheric research, and other areas of scientific and humanitarian importance.
Teledyne will provide up to 450,000 square kilometers of imagery as an in-kind contribution at no cost to the universities.
“This consortium represents a joint effort by industry and higher education to advance Alabama’s competitiveness in emerging fields like next-generation satellite remote sensing,” said Dr. Rob Griffin, a faculty member in Earth System Science at UAH who leads the Consortium with Mike Ogles from Auburn University and Dr. Wubishet Tadesse from Alabama A&M University. “With applications as wide-ranging as disaster response, precision agriculture, and weather forecasting, these new data will help promote Alabama’s universities through the integration of research and education and so position our students for careers in cutting-edge fields.”
Initially, the ARSC will focus on linking researchers and Principal Investigators at Alabama universities with data and resources made available through Teledyne. It will also coordinate funding opportunities within government and industry organizations to benefit the state of Alabama. In addition to the data, the Consortium will leverage existing research facilities and capabilities at each university to foster engagement and retention of undergraduate and graduate students in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines at Alabama colleges and universities.
The data is expected to be available after launch of the MUSES platform to the ISS in early 2017.
About Teledyne Brown Engineering
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. is a full-spectrum engineering and advanced manufacturing company with operations in the United States. The company provides engineering services, systems and manufactured products to the space, defense, marine and energy markets. Find out more about Teledyne Brown Engineering at http://www.tbe.com.
