SciDev.Net

The Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) is a small constellation of remote sensing satellites, built by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology but individually owned by partner countries including Algeria, China, Nigeria and Turkey.

The DMC satellites provide daily coverage of the earth and were specifically designed to support the logistics of disaster relief. Each partner country gives five per cent of its capacity to free daily imaging of disaster areas for aid agencies. The group as a whole is also signed up to the International Charter for Space in Major Disasters.

NanoChina offers a range of information services on nanotechnology in China. They include: a news service, advertising for nanotechnology products, business networking opportunities in China and trade directories in English and Chinese, reports on nanotechnology developments in China and the rest of the world, event planning for conferences, meetings, workshops and visits taking place in China. NanoChina also offers a specialised translation service from Chinese to English and vice-versa for reports, articles, news stories, newsletters, press releases, advertisements, conference and marketing literature. NanoChina was launched in February 2006 by the U.K. based Institute of Nanotechnology.

Sentinel Asia, a project led by the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, provides a platform for promoting remote sensing data for disaster management and for sharing information on disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.

The project draws on data from a range of satellite sensors, including MODIS and AMSR-E among others, to distribute imagery and publish information on wildfires and floods as they occur. Sentinel Asia also offers training and coordinates emergency observation requests for a number of satellites.