Dresden 2013 – scientific programme

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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung

AGA 4: Space Surveillance and Remote Sensing

AGA 4.2: Talk

Thursday, March 7, 2013, 10:00–10:30, HSZ-04

Remote sensing and geoinformation technologies in support of nuclear non-proliferation and arms control verification regimes — •Irmgard Niemeyer — Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie- und Klimaforschung, IEK-6: Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit

A number of international agreements and export control regimes have been concluded in order to reduce the risk and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In order to provide confidence that Member States are complying with the agreed commitments, most of the treaties and agreements include verification provisions. Different types of verification measures exist, e.g. cooperative measures; national technical means ; technical monitoring or measurement devices placed at or near sites; on-site inspections; intelligence information; open-source information, such as commercial internet data and satellite imagery.

The study reviews the technical progress in the field of satellite imaging sensors and explores the recent advances in satellite imagery processing and geoinformation technologies as to the extraction of significant observables and signatures. Moreover, it discusses how satellite data and geoinformation technologies could be used complementary for confirming information gathered from other systems or sources. The study also aims at presenting the legal and political aspects and the cost benefits of using imagery from both national and commercial satellites in the verification procedure. The study concludes that satellite imagery and geoinformation technologies are expected to enhance the verification efficiency and effectiveness.