The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is also gearing up
for the future.
Just a week ago the DOST has launched a new satellite data
receiving station in Davao city.
Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña led the inauguration of the
new Ground Receiving Station (GRS) at the Civil Aviation Authority Philippines
Transmitter Facility.
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| (photo by DOST) |
The facility will be the “largest tracking antenna in the country
so far, will receive satellite data that may be used in pre- and post-disaster
monitoring, among other scientific research and operational activities.”
The new station is expected to provide additional capacity and
redundancy to the first station launched three years ago at the DOST-Advanced
Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) in Quezon City.
The GRS, which is part of the Philippine Earth Data Resource and
Observation (PEDRO) Center, serves as the tracking antenna for earth
observation satellites.
The PEDRO Center receives images from various earth-observation
satellites, including the country’s Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 microsatellites, as
well as other supported foreign satellites.
The Davao station will serve as an auxiliary antenna for the PEDRO
Center, enabling it to receive earth surface information even in cases of
catastrophes and impending threats of disasters in Manila.
“Designed to communicate with earth observation satellites by
receiving, processing, and distributing space-borne imagery, these ground
receiving stations also have direct access to a broad range of optical
(high-resolution, multispectral) and synthetic aperture radar
(cloud-penetrating, day-night-imaging) satellite data,” DOST-ASTI said.
“Simply put, these ground facilities can upload commands and can
download data captured by satellites deployed in space,” it added.
The Davao station is home to a much larger antenna – 7.3 meter antenna compared to the Quezon city station with only a 3.7 meter, which will allow a satellite- tracking antenna
“Both
antennas are contained inside a radome, a special spherical structure enclosing
the antennas from physical forces while still allowing reception of satellite
signals,” said the DOST-ASTI.
“The
radome can withstand temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius, wind speed of up to
320 kilometers per hour, and rainfall at 100 millimeters per hour for one hour,
thereby prolonging the effective lifespan of the antennas,” it added.
“The
GRS facilities of the PEDRO Center are vital infrastructure for pre- and
post-disaster monitoring that supports our disaster risk reduction agencies,”
it added.
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Report from PhilStar
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