The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center announced yesterday the completion of the development of an updated map for the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai using modern high-resolution satellite images (mosaic pictures) via the Emirati satellite, Khalifa Sat, where the images were combined into one map known as (mosaic). It is a matrix of digital images that are collected through individual images of a sprawling geographical area in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of a specific geographical area in high resolution. This updated map relies on conducting a comprehensive survey of the geographical regions in the Emirates, using remote sensing systems, image processing, and geographical information systems, which is an important reference for government and private agencies to update their smart services that are based on providing maps and geographic data constantly updated. The tasks of the new satellite mosaic service, "Khalifa Sat", will include taking satellite mosaic pictures of the rest of the Emirates.
This comes within the framework of the efforts of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center to support federal and local government agencies, research and academic institutions, as well as the private sector to take advantage of this type of technology that plays an important role in the interpretation process for large areas, which enables all beneficiaries to obtain accurate results.
This service will be provided to all government agencies free of charge in order to benefit the concerned authorities and enhance its role in the Emirati society, and expand the scope of utilization of space technologies owned by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center. This type of satellite image is of great importance to the authorities involved in the sectors of infrastructure, urban planning, environment and climate change, energy, education, technology, roads and transportation and other vital sectors in the Emirates. Accordingly, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center will receive requests to provide clear visual images of the mosaic system, after conducting a comprehensive survey of a specific area to meet the needs of the entity wishing to obtain a specific explanation according to the nature of the activity of each party.
For his part, General Manager of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, Youssef Hamad Al-Shaibani said: “The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center seeks to contribute effectively to society through projects that support the development sectors in the UAE. Over the past few years, the Center has established an important balance of Efficiency and reliability as an important space center has a bearing on the impact of its projects and technologies, which will have a negative impact on other non-satellite sectors as well.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center collects images of specific geographical areas, which are taken via the Khalifa Sat satellite, at specified time periods ranging from days to months.
Then the process of processing and improving the quality of pictures and developing a single map of the geographical area to be covered with a high visual accuracy of 0.7 meters. Then the image processing team in the remote sensing section extracts the mosaic image of the region after completing the process of image processing and merging it, to provide the high-resolution image in "TIF" format, which is a known format for storing raster graphics.
The head of the image processing department at the center, Eng. Ammar Saif Al Muhairi, explained that the Mosaic imaging system of Khalifa Sat passes through the center with a number of systematic stages in extracting the images, which depend on 4 main steps. You start collecting the individual pictures taken by the satellite spread over a certain geographical area in a specific time period. The center then performs the georeferencing of these images, which is a coordinate reference system used to ensure the highest possible resolution of the image. Next comes the image correction phase by enhancing contrast and different corrections to ensure that they are free of any distortions, so that all images become regular. Finally, the process of matching the colors of the image and mixing it comes, followed by subjecting the image to the test by the concerned team, and making sure it is completely correct before it is finally approved.