Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing
Encyclopedia
The Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing (ISARS/NOA
) is a research institute in Greece
with expertise in multidisciplinary space
and environmental
sciences, and one of the five research Institutes of the National Observatory of Athens
(NOA
). Member scientists of all its research groups have broad knowledge of Space Science
and Earth observation
techniques and their applications. They collaborate with other research groups in Europe
and USA, and have been internationally recognized through editorship in scientific journals, invited talks at international conferences, invited review papers in top journals, high rate of citations and coordination of EU-funded research projects.
and the Theseion. The significant increase of staff members and R&D projects made it necessary for the institute to move to new modern facilities at the NOA campus north of Athens, on Mount Penteli.
The Institute is supervised and supported by the General Secretariat of Research and Technology of the Greek Ministry of Education.
, Central Greece
and the Peloponnese
. Each station is equipped with a state-of-the-art vector fluxgate magnetometer. In the near future another station will be installed in Macedonia
or Thrace
, and there are plans for the installation of an additional station in Crete
by mid-2010. One of the primary research objectives assigned to ENIGMA is the study of geomagnetic field line resonances (FLRs).
s with the results of the automatic scaling, preview some recent ionograms and download daily SAO files using the SAO Data Base. For more information visit the Ionospheric Station Page.
data user and an authorized direct readout ground station. HRPT
data are captured on a daily basis with frequency of 1 image per day. Archived data can be provided to users on demand.
are captured on a daily basis with a frequency of 2 images per hour. The images are stored for several days but are not archived on a regular basis.
National Observatory of Athens
The National Observatory of Athens is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece, as it was the first scientific research institute built after Greece became independent in 1829, and one of the oldest research institutes in Southern...
) is a research institute in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with expertise in multidisciplinary space
Space science
The term space science may mean:* The study of issues specifically related to space travel and space exploration, including space medicine.* Science performed in outer space ....
and environmental
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
sciences, and one of the five research Institutes of the National Observatory of Athens
National Observatory of Athens
The National Observatory of Athens is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece, as it was the first scientific research institute built after Greece became independent in 1829, and one of the oldest research institutes in Southern...
(NOA
National Observatory of Athens
The National Observatory of Athens is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece, as it was the first scientific research institute built after Greece became independent in 1829, and one of the oldest research institutes in Southern...
). Member scientists of all its research groups have broad knowledge of Space Science
Space weather
Space weather is the concept of changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space or thespace from the Sun's atmosphere to the Earth's atmosphere. It is distinct from the concept ofweather within the Earth's planetary atmosphere...
and Earth observation
Earth observation
Earth observation is the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It is used to monitor and assess the status of, and changes in, the natural environment and the built environment. In recent years, Earth observation has become technologically more and...
techniques and their applications. They collaborate with other research groups in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and USA, and have been internationally recognized through editorship in scientific journals, invited talks at international conferences, invited review papers in top journals, high rate of citations and coordination of EU-funded research projects.
History
ISARS was founded in 1955, under the name Ionospheric Institute. In 1990, the Institute was renamed to Institute of Ionospheric and Space Research and in 1999 took its current title in order to reflect its expanded activities, which cover a variety of aspects of space research and applications. The location of the Institute until July 1995 was the historic site of the Hill of Nymphs near the Acropolis of AthensAcropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
and the Theseion. The significant increase of staff members and R&D projects made it necessary for the institute to move to new modern facilities at the NOA campus north of Athens, on Mount Penteli.
The Institute is supervised and supported by the General Secretariat of Research and Technology of the Greek Ministry of Education.
HellENIc GeoMagnetic Array
The National Observatory of Athens operates ENIGMA (HellENIc GeoMagnetic Array), a ground-based magnetometer array in the area of south-eastern Europe (central and southern Greece) for space weather applications. The four existing stations are latitudinally equi-spaced between 30° and 33° corrected geomagnetic latitude and cover the areas of ThessalyThessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, Central Greece
Central Greece
Continental Greece or Central Greece , colloquially known as Roúmeli , is a geographical region of Greece. Its territory is divided into the administrative regions of Central Greece, Attica, and part of West Greece...
and the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
. Each station is equipped with a state-of-the-art vector fluxgate magnetometer. In the near future another station will be installed in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
or Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, and there are plans for the installation of an additional station in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
by mid-2010. One of the primary research objectives assigned to ENIGMA is the study of geomagnetic field line resonances (FLRs).
Ionospheric Station
A fully automated ionospheric station operates at Penteli site since September 2000. Users can access real-time ionogramIonogram
An ionogram is a display of the data produced by an ionosonde. It is a graph of the virtual height of the ionosphere plotted against frequency. Ionograms are often converted into electron density profiles...
s with the results of the automatic scaling, preview some recent ionograms and download daily SAO files using the SAO Data Base. For more information visit the Ionospheric Station Page.
NOAA/AVHRR Image Acquisition Station
The National Observatory of Athens operates an AVHRR image acquisition station manufactured by Telonics Inc. The receiving antenna is installed at ISARS ('Lofos Koufou'). Satellite data from NOAA 12, 14, 15 and 16 are acquired on a daily basis. Images are archived (since 1998), pre-processed (radiometric calibration, navigation, enhancement) and value added products are produced according to user requirements.SEAWIFS Image Acquisition Station
ISARS has become in 2002 an authorized SeaWiFSSeaWiFS
SeaWiFS stands for Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor. It was the only scientific instrument on GeoEye's OrbView-2 satellite, and was a follow-on experiment to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner on Nimbus 7...
data user and an authorized direct readout ground station. HRPT
High resolution picture transmission
Weather satellite pictures are often broadcast as High Resolution Picture Transmissions , Color High Resolution Picture Transmissions for Chinese Weather Satellite transmissions or Advanced High Resolution Picture Transmissions for EUMETSAT Weather Satellite transmissions...
data are captured on a daily basis with frequency of 1 image per day. Archived data can be provided to users on demand.
METEOSAT Receiving Station
The Meteosat receiving station installed at ISARS is a Dartcom PDUS system. Data in the visible and near-infrared as well as water vapour data from the Geo-stationary satellite MeteosatMeteosat
The Meteosat series of satellites are geostationary meteorological satellites operated by EUMETSAT under the Meteosat Transition Programme and the Meteosat Second Generation program....
are captured on a daily basis with a frequency of 2 images per hour. The images are stored for several days but are not archived on a regular basis.