Photonics for monitoring flood and climate

If you're going to be in Toulouse later this month... from Photonics Online: Two collocated events featuring photonics advances in next-generation satellites, remote sensing of the Earth and the environment, LIDAR, infrared, electro-optical remote sensing, sensors, and more will draw international researchers and developers to Toulouse this month. More than 800 are expected to attend SPIE Remote Sensing -- in its 17th year -- and SPIE Security and Defence -- in its 7th year -- at the Centre de Congrès Pierre Baudis in Toulouse, 20-23 September.

A sold-out exhibition of 40 companies associated with the security and defence industry will be held 21 and 22 September. Access to the exhibition and all conferences is included with registration to either the Security and Defence or the Remote Sensing congress.

Remote Sensing will include a special session on LIDAR measurements including those used last spring to monitor the composition and movement of the ash cloud resulting from the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.

Another session will focus on the European SMOS satellite. Its innovative sensor system currently is being used to track the saturated soils of flood-stricken Pakistan. Information gathered by the sensor helps to identify soil closest to saturation, enabling advance warning of coming floods. (Read the BBC News story on the SMOS technology.)…

Saint Louis flooded in 1993, viewed by satellite