International Charter Research Articles

Reflections on the value of ethics in relation to Earth observation

Earth observation is a science and technology with tremendous power to collect data over the whole of the Earth at many wavelengths and at many spatial resolutions. But does this science and technology, or rather the use of this science and technology, have an ethical dimension? This article explores the application of ethical concepts to Earth observation. Three main aspects of ethics are examined: duty theories of ethics, consequentialist ethics, and environmental ethics. These ethical ideas are then applied to the UN Principles on Remote Sensing, the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters and to Google Earth, and also to questions of security and privacy. The article concludes that there is no absolute ethical position in relation to Earth observation, but a dependency on the perspective of the observer.

Monitoring disasters with a constellation of satellites – type examples from the International Charter ‘Space and Major Disasters’

In the case of a major disaster, information derived from satellite observation is not only highly useful, it may at times be indispensable because of the damage caused by the disaster to ground infrastructure. The International Charter ‘Space and Major Disasters’ (‘the Charter’) has been one of the primary sources of satellite data for the past 11 years to cover events like floods, fires, tsunamis, ocean storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and oil spills. With the growing membership of the Charter, an increasingly large number of sensors are now available, which can be planned with the required temporal frequency and spectral range to cover a disaster event. Some of the type Charter activation cases are reported in this article to demonstrate the innovative use of multi-satellite imagery for disaster response.

Rapid Damage Assessment and Situation Mapping: Learning from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake

The paper reports on the activity of the Center for Satellite based Crisis Information (ZKI) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 12 January 2010. DLR/ZKI closely coordinated with the European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program and the International Charter Space and Major Disasters. All DLR/ZKI damage maps are based on a specific analysis approach, including pre-processing procedures and visual interpretation on a grid-basis. As the satellite-based response globally was so extensive for this event, problems resulting from the large number and inconsistency of satellite maps generated internationally are addressed. In order to avoid this kind of mapping challenge in future the setting-up of an international working group to elaborate global guidelines and cooperation procedures for better coherence of international satellite rapid efforts for extreme events such as the Haiti earthquake is suggested.

International Charter of Rights and Responsibilities of People with Diabetes

Introduction It is now appreciated that treatment of the person with diabetes goes beyond the use of pharmaceutics to achieve optimal glycaemic control and reduce vascular risk. In addition to optimal medical treatment it is important that patients are equipped with the knowledge and skills to cope with the condition. Education is a fundamental and ongoing feature of patient empowerment which enables them to master diabetes (to the extent that the individual experience of the condition permits) allowing participation in society on an equal platform to those without diabetes.

The History and Accomplishments of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance.

This article outlines the history, background, and accomplishments of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance. The LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance, a program of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, was developed as a vehicle for a strategic plan designed to implement the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Progress Review Group (AYAO PRG) recommendations. The AYAO PRG was co-sponsored by Lance Armstrong Foundation and the National Cancer Institute (NCI); both LIVESTRONG and NCI provide strategic oversight and guidance to the Alliance. Highlights and accomplishments: The Alliance accomplishments include the publication of disease-specific retrospective analyses, funding of an AYA cohort study and biorepository proposal, publication of two position statements on guidelines for care of AYAs with cancer and training for AYA oncology health professionals, promotion of an international charter of rights for AYA cancer patients, creation and distribution of a survey to college health professionals, creation and implementation of a Cancer Centers Working Group and Institutional Review Board Toolkit, and continued growth and collaboration through an annual meeting. The growth and success of the Alliance has coincided with the growth of AYA oncology as a field. The collaborative environment of the Alliance draws together a diverse group of individuals united in the effort to increase survival rates and improve the quality of life for adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer.

The International Charter of Rights for Young People with Cancer.

The International Charter of Rights for Young People with Cancer is a global internet-based initiative set up by five charities from across the world. They are calling on the international community to recognize that access to quality cancer care is a right, not a privilege, and to improve the services and support that young people diagnosed with cancer receive, regardless of geographical location.

Jus Ad Bellum: Comparing the 1979 Soviet-Afghan and 2003 US-Iraq Wars

Although separated by almost 25 years, the 1979 Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 US invasion of Iraq both contravened International Law of War and Armed Conflict (ILWAC) rules and principles. Both wars were illegitimate according to the customary international law principles and UN Charter provisions of Security Council authorization, self defence and humanitarian intervention. Both wars signify ILWAC's relative meakness in comparison to the economic and political aspirations of the world's most powerful nations, who are able to ignore ILWAC provisions for their desired goals.

Por uma carta dos bens fundamentais DOI:10.5007/2177-7055.2010v31n60p29

This article addresses the question of whether the stipulation of fundamental rights and obligations and prohibitions related to them is sufficient to properly ensure the needs and vital interests, especially those from collective interest. Fundamental goods are those whose access is guaranteed to each and every one since they are the object of fundamental rights, excluded from the logic of the market. The warranty for new goods and basic goods in the bottom of civilization requires a political decision to submit the right market relations. Thus, to the international charters and conventions and fundamental constitutional rights should be added Charters and international charter of basic goods. Hence the need for a new dimension ofthe constitutionally guaranteed: a constitutionally guaranteed in the long term, and global, apart from the individualistic logic of rights and shortsightedness and narrow localism policy of national democracies.

The effects of the July 2005 catastrophic inundations in the Siret River’s Lower Watershed, Romania

The Siret River originates from the Wooded Carpathians (Ukraine) and has a length of 559 km on the Romanian territory. The upper river course is set on the Ukrainian territory, the middle course flows through the Suceava Tableland, and then the limit between the Moldavian Subcarpathians and the Bârlad Tableland, followed by the lower course crosses the Inferior Siret Plain. The hydrographical network includes 1,013 water tributaries (representing the richest river from this point of view in Romania) and has a length of 15,157 km, which represents 19.2% of the total length of the Romanian river network. This materializes in a density of 0.35 km/km2, compared to 0.33 km/km2 which is the average for Romania. The Siret River has the greatest watershed area, with a total surface of 42,890 km2, which represents 18.1% of the Romanian territory. Its discharge is the highest of all internal rivers of Romania, with an average discharge of 210 m3/s at the river mouth, and this is caused by the fact that most of the tributaries come from mountainous sectors, namely the Eastern Carpathians. In the summer of 2005, the most powerful floods ever occurred in the Siret River watershed with significant negative effects on the country’s economy. Considering the multiannual average discharge of 210 m3/s, the maximum discharge recorded on July 16, 2005, was of 4,650 m3/s at Lungoci. The main cause of these events is the deforestation of the small watersheds located in the mountainous sector of the counties of Vrancea, Bacau and Neamt. The total surface affected by floods was of 58,323.936 hectares, of which: 34,142.349 ha (58.54%) arable land, 6,697.486 ha (11.48%) orchards and wine-growing plantations, 1,863.698 ha (3.20%) built areas, 2,866.313 ha (4.91%), forests 4,915.985 ha (8.43%), waters 2,081.047 ha (3.57%), and unproductive land 5,757.058 ha (9.87%). Besides the material losses (over 10,000 houses completely destroyed), 24 human deaths were recorded together with the loss of thousands of domestic animals, whose overall value exceeded two million Euros. The estimation of the extent of the flooding and its impact in the Siret River watershed has been performed using LANDSAT TM 2003 satellite images and the FAO-LCCS classification methodology, in the ASR-CRUTA remote sensing laboratory, with the images offered after activating the International CHARTER (Call ID-98).

Satellite-based damage mapping following the 2006 Indonesia earthquake—How accurate was it?

The Yogyakarta area in Indonesia suffered a devastating earthquake on 27 May 2006. There was an immediate international response, and the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” was activated, leading to a rapid production of image-based damage maps and other assistance. Most of the acquired images were processed by UNOSAT and DLR-ZKI, while substantial damage mapping also occurred on the ground. This paper assesses the accuracy and completeness of the damage maps produced based on Charter data, using ground damage information collected during an extensive survey by Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University in the weeks following the earthquake and that has recently become available. More than 54,000 buildings or their remains were surveyed, resulting in an exceptional validation database. The UNOSAT damage maps outlining clusters of severe damage are very accurate, while earlier, more detailed results underestimated damage and missed larger areas. Damage maps produced by DLR-ZKI, using a damage-grid approach, were found to underestimate the extent and severity of the devastation. Both mapping results also suffer from limited image coverage and extensive cloud contamination. The ground mapping gives a more accurate picture of the extent of the damage, but also illustrates the challenge of mapping a vast area. The paper concludes with a discussion on ways to improve Charter-based damage maps by integration of local knowledge, and to create a wider impact through generation of customised mapping products using web map services.

8531 Prediction of clinical radiation induced toxicity through study of radiation induced apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs)

The Yogyakarta area in Indonesia suffered a devastating earthquake on 27 May 2006. There was an immediate international response, and the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” was activated, leading to a rapid production of image-based damage maps and other assistance. Most of the acquired images were processed by UNOSAT and DLR-ZKI, while substantial damage mapping also occurred on the ground. This paper assesses the accuracy and completeness of the damage maps produced based on Charter data, using ground damage information collected during an extensive survey by Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University in the weeks following the earthquake and that has recently become available. More than 54,000 buildings or their remains were surveyed, resulting in an exceptional validation database. The UNOSAT damage maps outlining clusters of severe damage are very accurate, while earlier, more detailed results underestimated damage and missed larger areas. Damage maps produced by DLR-ZKI, using a damage-grid approach, were found to underestimate the extent and severity of the devastation. Both mapping results also suffer from limited image coverage and extensive cloud contamination. The ground mapping gives a more accurate picture of the extent of the damage, but also illustrates the challenge of mapping a vast area. The paper concludes with a discussion on ways to improve Charter-based damage maps by integration of local knowledge, and to create a wider impact through generation of customised mapping products using web map services.

8529 Pattern of locoregional failure after tomotherapy in head and neck cancer

The Yogyakarta area in Indonesia suffered a devastating earthquake on 27 May 2006. There was an immediate international response, and the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” was activated, leading to a rapid production of image-based damage maps and other assistance. Most of the acquired images were processed by UNOSAT and DLR-ZKI, while substantial damage mapping also occurred on the ground. This paper assesses the accuracy and completeness of the damage maps produced based on Charter data, using ground damage information collected during an extensive survey by Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University in the weeks following the earthquake and that has recently become available. More than 54,000 buildings or their remains were surveyed, resulting in an exceptional validation database. The UNOSAT damage maps outlining clusters of severe damage are very accurate, while earlier, more detailed results underestimated damage and missed larger areas. Damage maps produced by DLR-ZKI, using a damage-grid approach, were found to underestimate the extent and severity of the devastation. Both mapping results also suffer from limited image coverage and extensive cloud contamination. The ground mapping gives a more accurate picture of the extent of the damage, but also illustrates the challenge of mapping a vast area. The paper concludes with a discussion on ways to improve Charter-based damage maps by integration of local knowledge, and to create a wider impact through generation of customised mapping products using web map services.

Large-scale Disasters: Prediction, Control, and Mitigation

Preface M. Gad-el-Hak 1. Introduction M. Gad-el-Hak 2. The art and science of large-scale disasters M. Gad-el-Hak 3. Multiscale modeling for large-scale disaster applications R. M. Pidaparti 4. Addressing the root causes of large-scale disasters I. Kelman 5. Issues in disaster-relief logistics N. Altay 6. Large-scale disasters: perspectives on medical response J. Elkholy and M. Gad-el-hak 7. Augmentation of health-care capacity in large-scale disasters A. M. Radwan 8. Energy, climate change and how to avoid a manmade disaster A. F. Ghoniem 9. Seawater agriculture for energy, warming, food, land and water D. M. Bushnell 10. Natural and anthropogenic aerosol-related hazards affecting megacities H. El-Askary and M. Kafatos 11. Tsunamis: Manifestation and aftermath H. J. S. Fernando, A. Braun, R. Galappatti, J. Ruwanpura and S. C. Wirasinghe 12. Intermediate-scale dynamics of the upper troposphere and stratosphere J. J. Riley 13. Coupled weather-chemistry modeling G. A. Grell 14. Seasonal-to-decadal prediction using climate models: successes and challenges R. Saravanan 15. Climate change and related disasters A. S. Zakey, F. Giorgi and J. Pal 16. Impact of climate change on precipitation R. Rasmussen, A. Dai and K. E. Trenberth 17. Weather-related disasters in arid lands T. T. Warner 18. The first hundred years of numerical weather prediction J. Pudykiewicz and G. Brunet 19. Fundamental issues in numerical weather prediction J. Dudhia 20. Space measurements for disaster response: the International Charter A. Mahmood and M. Shokr 21. Weather satellite measurements: their use for prediction W. L. Smith Epilogue M. Gad-el-Hak Index.

India's EO infrastructure for disaster reduction: Lessons and perspectives

India has established a ‘critical mass’ in terms of EO infrastructure for disaster management. Starting from IRS 1A in 1980s to the most recent CARTOSAT-2, India's EO series of satellites are moving away from the generic to thematic constellations. The series of RESOURCESAT, CARTOSAT, OCEANSAT and forthcoming Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) satellites exemplifies the thematic characters of the EO missions. These thematic constellations, characterized with multi-platform, multi-resolution and multi-parameter EO missions, are important assets for disaster reduction. In the more specific term, these constellations in conjunction with contemporary EO missions address the critical observational gaps in terms of capturing the catastrophic events, phenomena or their attributes on real/near real time basis with appropriate spatial and temporal attributes. Using conjunctively the data primarily emanating these thematic constellations and all weather radar data from aerial platform and also from RADARSAT as gap-fillers has been a part of India's EO strategy for disaster management. The infrastructure has been addressing the observational needs in disaster management. The high resolution imaging better than one-meter spatial resolution and also Digital Elevation Models (DEM) emanating from Cartosat series are providing valuable inputs to characterize geo-physical terrain vulnerability. Radar Imaging Satellite, with all weather capability missions, is being configured for disaster management. At present, the current Indian EO satellites cover the whole world every 40 h (with different resolutions and swaths), and the efforts are towards making it better than 24 h. The efforts are on to configure RESOURCESAT 3 with wider swath of 740 km with 23 m spatial resolution and also to have AWiFS type of capability at geo-platform to improve the observational frequencies for disaster monitoring. India's EO infrastructure has responded comprehensively to all the natural disasters the country has faced in the recent times. As a member of International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, India has also been instrumental in promoting the related UN initiatives viz., RESAP of UN ESCAP, SPIDER of UN OOSA, Sentinel Asia of JAXA initiative and also of GEOSS initiative. The paper intends to illustrate India's EO strategy for disaster reduction.

Summer Holidaymaking in Greece and Spain: Exploring Visitor Motive Patterns

ABSTRACT This paper explores variation in motives among outbound holidaymakers traveling to typical summer season destination areas in Greece and Spain. The study reveals differences in self-reported motives between visitors to the two countries and also some differences in relation to their gender, level of education and previous experience of these destinations. Four holiday interest structures are identified: 1) place experience and contemplation; 2) family togetherness, romance and relaxation; 3) beach life and pleasant climate; and 4) nightlife and new acquaintances. The data are derived from a national year-long survey of international charter flights from Norway. By way of conclusion, the paper suggests some alternative perspectives on popular summer holiday trips from Northern to Southern Europe.

Japaness Contribution to the “International Charter Space and Major Disasters”

Japaness Contribution to the “International Charter Space and Major Disasters”

Taiwan's second remote sensing satellite

FORMOSAT-2 is Taiwan's first remote sensing satellite (RSS). It was launched on 20 May 2004 with five-year mission life and a very unique mission orbit at 891 km altitude. This orbit gives FORMOSAT-2 the daily revisit feature and the capability of imaging the Arctic and Antarctic regions due to the high enough altitude. For more than three years, FORMOSAT-2 has performed outstanding jobs and its global effectiveness is evidenced in many fields such as public education in Taiwan, Earth science and ecological niche research, preservation of the world heritages, contribution to the International Charter: space and major disasters, observation of suspected North Korea and Iranian nuclear facilities, and scientific observation of the atmospheric transient luminous events (TLEs). In order to continue the provision of earth observation images from space, the National Space Organization (NSPO) of Taiwan started to work on the second RSS from 2005. This second RSS will also be Taiwan's first indigenous satellite. Both the bus platform and remote sensing instrument (RSI) shall be designed and manufactured by NSPO and the Instrument Technology Research Center (ITRC) under the supervision of the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL). Its onboard computer (OBC) shall use Taiwan's indigenous LEON-3 central processing unit (CPU). In order to achieve cost effective design, the commercial off the shelf (COTS) components shall be widely used. NSPO shall impose the up-screening/qualification and validation/verification processes to ensure their normal functions for proper operations in the severe space environments.

Lapland's Airports: Facilitating the Development of International Tourism in a Peripheral Region

Using a case study on Lapland in Finland, this paper explores the way in which airports facilitate the development of international tourism in a peripheral region. The case study demonstrates how Lapland's airports act as spheres of influence for the development of tourism and support the competitive advantage of their region. Lapland's airports facilitated the movement of 206,731 international passengers in 2005, mainly from Great Britain and France and on aircraft operated by international charter carriers. It is estimated that airport‐related international tourism contributed 36 million Euros in direct income to the economy of Lapland in 2005. Demand for airport infrastructure and services is concentrated in the winter months and in order to meet demand at peak times, some of Lapland's airports have undertaken major development projects that have been partly financed by regional and European development agencies. Encouraging demand for airport‐related international tourism outside of winter is a focus for Lapland's airports. However, the sparse and fragmented nature of demand for tourism outside of winter acts as a major constraint to their ability to attract direct international services.

Architectural and acoustic restoration of the 'Benevento' Roman Theatre

Acoustics as well as the extraordinary architecture are substantial part of the heritage of ancient Greek and Roman theatres. These archaeological areas are more often used for classical and modern performing activities but to emphasise the original acoustics, restoration of the original shape, reconfiguration of the space and introduction of new technologies and materials may be needed. These activities must happen taking into account the "International Charter for The Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites" as main tools defining conservation, use and maintenance guidelines in matter of discipline for ancient performing places. This paper presents some proposals for the stage reconstruction of the Benevento Roman Theatre and examine the associated effects on the theatre acoustics. Design proposals, minded to preserve the place authenticity, improving the acoustics and keeping intact the surrounding atmosphere for spectators, are the result of archaeological data, contemporary performances requirements, state of the art in matter of stage setting design. Acoustic field prediction is based on numerical models and auralization aiming to reproduce the real listening conditions.

Space technology: a new frontier for public health

When former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan was seen leaving conference in Geneva in November 2005 clutching maps of the south Asia earthquake disaster, it was evidence that satellites--as key weapon in humanitarian emergencies--had arrived. In the hours and days after the October 8 quake struck killing more than 73 000 people and injuring some 150 000, experts from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United Nations scrambled gather and interpret images data from satellites assist rescue workers on the ground from local authorities nongovernmental organizations (NGO), like Telecoms Sans Frontieres. The maps (which can be seen at http://www.disasterscharter.orgl disasters/CALLID_110_e.html) compare the terrain before and after the disaster, and pinpoint the location and impact of landslides. Such photos, says Maarten Meerman, satellite designer at MacDonald Dettwiler in Vancouver, Canada, would be detailed enough to spot flooded roads, burning forests, washed out railways, etc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These relief crews and aid workers--with their boots knee-deep in mud and their laptops under plastic bags for protection from the rain--got the damage maps and reported that the information was useful, recalls Philippe Bally, an earth observation specialist from the European Agency (ESA) and member of the secretariat of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, seven-year-old commitment by 10 space agencies provide satellite-based data countries affected by disaster. This vote of confidence, he concluded, was a clear message when it comes from the end user. But it was the sight of Annan emerging with maps of the disaster that struck home for Bally, who through the Charter helped coordinate obtaining the images and their interpretation by experts from an ESA project called GMES RESPOND. Those maps, says Bally, the results of huge effort from the Charter alongside value-adding partners working on satellite data extract thematic Great advances have been made in space technology in the past decade, and these advances have become useful for addressing humanitarian crises. The chief of these, as the Pakistan earthquake illustrates, is using satellites obtain images of disaster zone quickly, so that rescue workers can focus their efforts where they are needed. But there are other uses of satellites: as way predict and monitor the spread of communicable diseases; as simple means of communication when land-based systems have failed; and as location and navigation aids when Global Positioning System--GPS--units locate and track public health information. In the outbreak of Rift Valley fever in Kenya (2006-2007), for example, GPS units were used link surveys an actual place on the earth, according Carl Kinkade, enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) coordinator for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ESA is collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) establish European user-driven Telemedicine via Satellite programme. Telemedicine is the use of information technology deliver medical services or information from one location another. The programme will aim provide telemedicine services, such as delivering medical care and treatment via satellite, and, for WHO, key element is training health workers in how use such health technologies in their work. WHO has already trained health workers in how use satellite images in 20 countries. The Satellites For Epidemiology (SAFE) pilot project, for example, is part of that collaboration. According SAFE coordinator Audrey Berthier, of the Institut de Medecine et de Physiologie Spatiales (MEDES) in Toulouse, France, the SAFE project attempts answer the question: how good are satellites for providing early warning of disease outbreaks? To explore this, SAFE conducted training exercise in November 2007 on the Greek island of Crete (http://www. …