German remote sensing data center

German remote sensing data center
abbreviation	DFD
management	Stefan Dech
founding	1980
Number of employees	approx. 230
Locations	Oberpfaffenhofen ; Neustrelitz
website	dlr.de

Oberpfaffenhofen

Neustrelitz

DFD locations

The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) is an institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with locations in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich and Neustrelitz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Together with the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF), DFD forms the Earth Observation Center EOC - the competence center for earth observation in Germany.

The DFD supports science, industry and the public equally. With its national and international ground stations, it provides direct access to the data of national and international earth observation satellites , processes the data into information products, distributes them to users and saves all data in the German satellite data archive for the long term. With geoscientific work on atmospheric, global change and civil security research, the DFD opens up access to remote sensing products and solutions and thus consolidates their application in the private sector and scientific environment. It operates topic-specific “User Services”, in particular the World Data Center for Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere (WDC-RSAT) and the Center for Satellite -Based Crisis Information (ZKI).

Core competencies

Conception, development, engineering and operation of multi-mission ground infrastructures for earth observation missions
Development and integration of information technology systems for the processing and management of large databases as well as the operation of the German satellite data archive
Development of methods and procedures for mapping crisis regions, for risk and vulnerability modeling and for developing decision support systems for environmental and crisis applications
Development of processors for high-quality data products, especially for the subject areas of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols , geophysical and biophysical variables of terrestrial ecosystems, parameters for land use, environmental indicators and parameters of urban agglomerations
Development of special procedures for the evaluation of hyperspectral optical data as well as for the derivation and mosaicking of elevation data from spatially high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and optical data
Development of special visualization methods for the representation and animation of complex geodata sets in our own geospatial center

The DFD trains young scientists by providing jobs for interns, diploma students, master's graduates, doctoral students and visiting researchers. Networking with universities is promoted in particular through extensive institutional cooperation with the University of Würzburg (terrestrial ecosystems) and the University of Augsburg (atmosphere). The DFD is internationally active to a high degree, with a focus on long-term research collaborations with global partner organizations.

The German Remote Sensing Data Center is ISO 9001 certified.

DFD specialist departments

Land surface
the atmosphere
Civil crisis information and geohazards
Information technology
National ground segment
International ground segment
Science communication and visualization

The director is also full professor of remote sensing at the Institute for Geography at the University of Würzburg. A working group located there is closely linked to the research and development tasks of the DFD.

chronology

1969

Establishment of the German Aerospace Research and Research Institute (DFVLR), the forerunner of DLR, through the merger of DVL with DFL and AVA

1974-1977

The Earth Science Aircraft Measurement Program (FMP) marks the beginning of remote sensing activities at DLR (Space Operations Department - GSOC). The geological photo laboratory with image conversion system is set up and operated.

1976

Restructuring of the DFVLR: Large-scale plants and scientific and technical facilities are combined to form the Scientific and Technical Operating Facilities (WT). GSOC and MORABA become the Space Operations Department (WT-RB)

1978

At the request of the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, the DFVLR takes on the role of National Point of Contact (NOPC) between ESA and users in the member countries of the ESA. Via the NPOC, users have access to the data from American earth exploration satellites Landsat, Seasat, HCMM and NIMBUS-7, which are received with ground stations in Europe as part of the ESA Earthnet program. The assumption of the NPOC function by WT-RB is the beginning of a close collaboration with ESA (ESRIN in Frascati), which continues to this day.
Seasat start on June 28, 1978, mission end on October 8, 1978 (106 days)

1980

From January, Seasat SAR data will be routinely processed on behalf of ESA
Founding of today's DFD as the main department Applied Data Technology, responsible for the development of data processing and system solutions for the processing and management of large data streams from national, European and international remote earth missions
The Space Operations Department (WT-RB) is divided into the Space Missions Department (WT-RM; Head: M. Gass) and the Applied Data Technology Department (WT-DA; Head: W. Markwitz)
The Department of Applied Data technology is commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology, service performance as mobile rocket and balloon base (MORABA) and the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) to provide

1981

European SAR-580 campaign from February to August

1985

Restructuring of DLR: Moraba changes from DFD back to GSOC
Consolidation: Completion of the work on the energetics focus
As the German remote sensing data center (now the official name of the main department WT-DA externally), the main department focuses primarily on information technology work in remote sensing with a high proportion of externally financed tasks and personnel

1986

Expansion of the DFVLR research center in Oberpfaffenhofen by the Bavarian State Government and the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology. DFD new building with office and operating rooms

1988

The Federal Ministry of Research and Technology commissions AWI, IfAG and DLR to set up a station in the Antarctic for receiving ERS-1 SAR data and for performing VLBI measurements

1989

The DFVLR becomes the DLR (still keeping the actual name). The area for project sponsorships is outsourced as the German Space Agency (DARA)
Construction of the DFD receiving station GARS-O'Higgins in the Antarctic

1991

Commissioning of the German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS-O'Higgins) for the reception of ERS-1 data, later also ERS-2 and Envisat
Launch of the first European earth observation satellite ERS-1 on July 17th

1992

The Neustrelitz satellite ground station of the Institute for Cosmos Research (IKF) will become part of the DFD as a Neustrelitz remote sensing station after the fall of the Berlin Wall at the recommendation of the Science Council
Structure of the "National Remote Sensing Data Library" (NRSDL)

1993

The Intelligent Satellite Data Information System (ISIS) was developed by the DFD with funds from the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMWF). Since 1993, ISIS has given interested users access to DFD data and operationally provides product descriptions, metadata and archive information as well as tools for visualization, online transfer and ordering data products as a client / server configuration.

1994

SIR-C / X-SAR, two flights with shuttle missions STS-59 Apr 9-20 and STS-68 Sep 30-Oct 11, 1994

1994-2003

Use of the transportable station in Libreville / Gabon, a total of 8 campaigns for receiving ERS data. After overhaul in Oberpfaffenhofen, it is used in Chetumal / Mexico.

1995

Launch of the second European earth observation satellite ERS-2 on April 21
Start of development of the "Data and Information Management System" (DIMS)

1997

Merger of DARA and DLR, henceforth called the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Foundation of the Applied Remote Sensing Cluster

1997-2001

Use of the mobile receiving station in Kitab (Uzbekistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) for the reception of ERS data and Landsat 7 data

1999-2000

Reorganization of the DFD and establishment of the institute network Applied Remote Sensing (the Cluster AF) with the two institutes German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD; Head: Stefan Dech ) and Institute for Remote Sensing Methodology (IMF; Head: Richard Bamler )

2000

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) February 11-22
ESA commissioned as Processing and Archiving Center (PAC) for the Envisat mission

2002

Launch of the European environmental satellite Envisat on March 1st
Construction of the third X-band antenna in Neustrelitz

2002-2003

Implementation of the phase A / B study for the TerraSAR payload floor segment by a joint DFD / IMF project team. Phase B was successfully concluded with the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in January 2003

2003

Foundation of the World Data Center for Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere
Commissioning of the IKONOS receiving station on the DLR site in Oberpfaffenhofen, start of cooperation with European Space Imaging (EUSI)
Establishment of the Service Center for Satellite-Based Crisis Information (ZKI); Practical test u. a. due to the tsuma catastrophe in the Indian Ocean in 2004

2005

Establishment of the German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS) with the participation of the DFD

2007

TerraSAR-X launched on June 15, 2007
successful evaluation of the applied remote sensing cluster (now EOC)
Founding of the virtual institute for the environmental research station Schneefernerhaus
Inauguration of the receiving station in Chetumal by the Mexican President

2009

WDC-RSAT becomes the official WMO world data center.
Construction and commissioning of the polar receiving station in Inuvik, Canada

2010

Conversion and expansion of the old building complex into the Earth Observation Center; Opening by Federal Minister of Economics Rainer Brüderle
Foundation of the Earth Observation Center (formerly Applied Remote Sensing Cluster)
Opening of the EOC Service Lab by Prime Minister Horst Seehofer
TanDEM-X launched on June 21, 2010

2011

Handover of the tsunami early warning system to Indonesia
Federal Interior Minister Friedrich opens strategy forum for Earth observation at the EOC
EOC Symposium 2011

2012

Commissioned by ESA as Copernicus Processing and Archiving Center for Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3 OLCI (July 24, 2012); Technical kick-off meeting in 2012
Commissioning S5P PAC by ESA
Orientation of IGARSS in Munich
Start of the virtual alpine observatory with the environmental research station Schneefernerhaus

2013

Commissioning of the ZKI by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (ZKI-DE)
Installation of the Alphasat Ka-band antenna in Oberpfaffenhofen
Inauguration of the new DFD building in Neustrelitz
successful evaluation of the EOC
Federal President Joachim Gauck visits the EOC

2014

Inauguration of the research center for maritime security in Neustrelitz by the Parliamentary State Secretary Brigitte Zypries

2015

Organization of the ISRSE in Berlin
Direct reception and processing of Sentinel-1 data in Neustrelitz; Licensing for Radarsat-2
With the “Sentinel-1 Processing and Archiving Center”, DFD will become part of the Copernicus Sentinel ground segment.
First reception of laser-transmitted earth observation data (Sentinel-1 - Alphasat) in Oberpfaffenhofen

literature

Winfried Markwitz: The new tasks of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD). In: The Geosciences. Volume 8, No. 11-12, 1990, pp 354-356, doi: 10.2312 / geoswissenschaften.1990.8.354 .

Web links