TEIN3 and THEOS: Saving lives… with an eye in the sky

Thailand is subject to a disaster cycle that needs monitoring. From forest fire and drought in the dry season to landslide and flooding in the rainy season.

On 1 st October 2008 Thailand successfully launched the first Thai Earth Observational Satellite (THEOS) ‘Thaichote’ signifying the glory of Thailand Satellite technology enables scientists to monitor and mitigate the effects of natural disasters

THEOS collects high-resolution images for analysis and deployment in areas such as: cartography land use crop yield forecast coastal zone monitoring flood risk management disaster response

THEOS images were used to build flood maps to determine and predict the flow of water. This water map was combined with a terrain model for a more accurate prediction. There were serious flood risks in Bangkok in 2011.

THEOS images were used to issue flood warnings to the public. The images guided the opening and closing of water gates to control the flow of water THEOS images provided a visual display to describe the situation to senior government officials and the public.

THEOS is operated by Thailand’s Geo Informatics and Space Development Agency (GISTDA)

GISTDA’s Sriracha Ground Station can receive data over 17 countries in South Asia and South East Asia Thanks to Thailand’s strategic central position in Asia

Collaboration with Sweden Raw THEOS images are also transmitted to the Swedish Space Corporation’s Ground Receiving Station in Kiruna, Sweden and returned to Thailand for processing. Situated at a very high latitude of 68” N, the Swedish ground station can communicate with the satellite more frequently than GISTDA’s own ground station.

GISTDA needed guaranteed frequent, fast and reliable data transmission of large satellite images between Sweden and Thailand. This is particularly important in time-critical disaster mitigation and response applications.

The only way to transfer these large images quickly and reliably is through high-speed dedicated research and education networks between Sweden and Thailand.

The data is routed over inter-connected national and regional research and education networks

GISTDA transfers an average of 5GB daily With the TEIN3 and GÉANT links the transfer rate is almost 10Mbs end to end. Providing a high quality connection with no data-loss, research and education networks minimise the time needed to transfer the data between the two sites in response to an emergency situation.

‘We send satellite images downloaded in Kiruna back to GISTDA over the GÉANT and TEIN3 network. Stability and throughput is excellent.’ Ravit Sachasiri, Control Ground Station Administrator, GISTDA

The GISTDA team ‘ Without this link, we would have to resort to transferring the imagery data over the commercial internet which will be less secure and definitely more time consuming. Prior to the connection we had to copy the data to backup tapes and send it by airmail.’

This is just one example of how the TEIN3 high-capacity IP network for research and education enables researchers and scientists in Asia to connect to peers across the region and worldwide. TEIN3 enables regional scientists to respond to global challenges while addressing local concerns.

Crop research for food security Remote real-time access to specialist laboratories Telemedicine E-Learning Many of the applications supported by TEIN3 are of high societal benefit, bringing tangible benefits to the wider public. Other applications using TEIN3 include: Radio-Astronomy Distributed (grid) computing Preservation of cultural heritage And more…

Images courtesy of GISTDA, SSC, Paul Janecek and Jareeviboon Boonchanakosol TEIN3 is co-funded by the European Union and managed by DANTE