>an 
ta 
in 
  
The Earthnet Programme Office is planning to coordinate the following TIROS 
activities : 
- define the requirements of the Remote Sensing user community in terms of 
AVHRR data archive and associated requirements for data product 
generation. 
- standardize data formats permitting the exchange of data from different 
sources, providing data in the so-called Landsat Technical Working Group 
defined Standard Format which is already used for Landsat TM and MSS, and 
for SEASAT data. 
- identify useful TIROS Remote Sensing data products, (images corrected and 
thematic), and support the development/operational implementation of 
application products, in oceanography, fisheries, land uses, fire 
detection, agriculture, ice, monitoring etc. 
APOLLO-FAST REMOTE SENSING DATA DISTRIBUTION NETWORK 
The Apollo project will provide a high speed digital information transfer 
system suitable for long data messages, transmitted from a small number of 
information providers to many videly disparsed users. It uses the EUTELSAT 
1 series of communication satellites developed by ESA and European 
Industry. The information data rate over satellite link is of 1.536 
Mbits/sec and the Apollo service zone covers mainly the European countries. 
This system, designed for the dissemination of document facsimiles, is very 
adequate to satisfy the European Remote Sensing User community. In fact, 
this project will permit the preparation and validation of an operational 
remote sensing data dissemination service as it will be necessary for the 
ERS-1 mission. The Earthnet planned activities to use the Apollo 
distribution system cover : 
- distribution to selected users of identified Landsat and other missions 
product in near-real time. 
- exchange of data among Acquisition and Processing Facilities in order to 
share the workload and to ensure adequate response time for near-real time 
applications. 
- make available to users the on-line database of Landsat quick looks and 
similar reduced resolution products. 
- investigate selective broadcasting schemes, with the appropriate 
encoding/decoding algorithms and their suitability to remote sensing. 
COLUMBUS, EURECA AND POLAR PLATFORM 
The combination of the German/Italian initiatives on Columbus and the USA's 
presidential proposal to establish a permanent space station with foreign 
cooperation has stimulated a burst of activity in Europe, investigating the 
cooperative possibilities. 
229