From Basic Research to Application - Technology Transfer from AWI

• Main Authors: Sauter, Eberhard J., Rabenstein, Lasse, Heim, Birgit, Precht, Elimar
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Contact Point
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/48170/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/48170/2/15th_ICRSS-Abstract_Sauter_et_al.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.e9dc8bd6-27e9-4980-aa8d-7bbce6070b7a

For a responsible development of the Arctic, new remote sensing technologies and services are of great importance. Many of such innovations are based on scientific research. However, it is not trivial that they find their way into application. In order to ease this kind of transfer across the interface between academia and industry, the Alfred Wegener Institute has established a technology transfer office (TTO). The TTO takes up inventions and business ideas emerging from scientific research and supports innovators and entrepreneurs to progress them into the respective markets. The other way round, the TTO serves as the contact point for stakeholders from industry, governmental and non-governmental bodies to forward specific problems into the scientific community. Here we present two examples to illustrate the AWI technology transfer approach: 1) Planned for 2022, the German hyperspectral earth observation satellite EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Programme) will measure the reflected radiance from the earth’s surface over a wide hyperspectral wavelength range (from visible to short wave infrared). In order to provide correct hyperspectral satellite products such as land cover (natural surfaces, urban), surface waters, surface mineralogy, hydrology (snow, moisture) etc. in a correct manner, it is necessary to normalize for the incidence and the reflection of light depending on the zenith and azimuth viewing geometries. This is performed by providing the bidirectional reflectance distribution function BRDF for different materials. Determination of BRDFs for terrestrial surfaces is very challenging especially for high latitudes due to the low solar altitude. For Arctic vegetation mapping, a specific satellite field goniometer was developed at AWI to perform such ground truthing (Buchhorn et al., 2013). The goniometer allows for mobile ground-based measurements in order to determine the BRDF for different vegetation types. It consists of an azimuth angle adjustment module mounted on a tripod with a zenith ...