** June 2023 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development
Agency (GISTDA)
3. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
4. Using the Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 29 June)(1) Typhoon Mawar in the Philippines on 27 May, 2023 (GLIDE Number TC-2023-000077PHL)
After having caused damage on the Island of Guam, Typhoon Mawar (Betty) approached thePhilippines, although it proceeded off the country’s island of Luzon.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/typhoon-mawar.html
Anticipating damage in the country, the Manila Observatory (MO) made an EOR to Sentinel
Asia on 25 May. Among DPNs, ISRO, JAXA, and TASA provided data. Among DANs, AITand MBRSC provided their VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia isavailable at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2023/article20230527PH.html

Post-disaster satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by TASA

Value-Added Product by AIT

Value-Added Product by MBRSC(2) Cyclone Biparjoy in India on 15 June, 2023 (GLIDE Number TC-2023-000095-IND)
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in India’s western Gujarat state on the northeastern coast of theArabian Sea on 15 June. Al Jazeera reported that more than 100,000 people have been
evacuated from eight coastal districts in Gujarat and moved to shelters.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/15/cyclone-biparjoy-damages-power-lines-makeslandfall-in-india?traffic_source=KeepReading
ISRO made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 14 June in anticipation of the approach of the cyclone.
Among DPNs, JAXA and TASA provided data. Among DANs, AIT provided its VAPs.
Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2023/article20230615IN.html

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXAPost-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by TASA

Value-Added Product by AIT(3) Forest Fire in Kazakhstan on 08 June, 2023 (GLIDE Number WF-2023-000100-KAZ)
A massive wild fire started on the natural reserve of “Semei Ormany” in the eastern part ofKazakhstan on 8 June. According to the Astana Times, 14 people died in the fire.
https://astanatimes.com/2023/06/president-of-kazakhstan-declares-june-12-as-national-day-ofmourning-for-forest-fires-victims-in-abai-region/
Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences (CAIAG) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 16June. Among DPNs, ISRO, JAXA and TASA provided data. Among DANs, AIT provided its
VAPs. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available at the link below.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2023/article20230608KZ.html

Post-disaster satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Post-disaster satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Post-disaster satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by TASA

Value-Added Product by AIT- * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency(GISTDA)
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA)
is a longtime member of the Sentinel Asia. They provide satellite imagery
from their Thaichote or THEOS-1 satellite as Data Provider Node andprovide Value Added Products as Data Analysis Node also.
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun, Deputy Executive Director of GISTDA, serves
as a co-chair of the Steering Committee of Sentinel Asia. Sentinel Asia
Secretariat interviewed him on his effort for Sentinel Asia, GISTDA’scontribution to Sentinel Asia, and the disaster management scheme inThailand.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
First of all, the Sentinel Asia Secretariat would like to express our appreciation for GISTDA’s
long-time contributions to Sentinel Asia, including ones by the National Remote Sensing Center(NRSC) and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), former bodies of GISTDA.
GISTDA is now working as a Data Provider Node (DPN) as well as a Data Analysis Node(DAN). What is the history of Thailand and GISTDA joining Sentinel Asia and what is themotivation for being a member of Sentinel Asia?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
When Thailand joined Sentinel Asia (SA), we intended to learn how to use new technologies fordisaster monitoring. We strongly believe that we had received for some time and that when theright time arrived, we must give back. This mindset was one of the reasons for the development

of our Earth Observation (EO) satellite Thaichote or THEOS-1, to contribute to SA by data
provision. Since the beginning of Thailand’s participation in SA, we have gained a lot of expertisein the field of disaster monitoring using EO data and its data provision. Based on thoseexperiences we have also acted as a Data Analysis Node (DAN). And since Thailand is very
prone to different disasters, using that gained knowledge, our staff is busy all year round toprovide analytics related to disasters to different parties.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
We also appreciate your co-chairship at the Sentinel Asia Steering Committee. As a co-chair, do
you have anything you would like to achieve in the activities of Sentinel Asia?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
I don’t know how to give a full and fair picture of what I wished I could do as co-chair of theSteering Committee when I have been appointed. But let me begin with the fact that SA is avolunteer-based activity and therefore it is not easy to get all the members to actively participate
in SA. And as a co-chair of the Steering Committee, I wish I could enhance collaborations among
the members. To enhance collaborations, more communication is needed, and this is where I think
we can start to work. Unfortunately, in the past, SA only had face-to-face meetings, which arevery important for initiating collaborations, a few times. We can take meeting opportunities toshow and expand our past success stories and projects. Of course, the budget will always be anissue, but even with the limited budget, we can engage members through training and workshopsthat not only transfer knowledge and technologies but also enhance communication and dialogue
among all the members.
The other fact is that SA has been collaborating with different disaster-related international
entities such as the International Disasters Charter. It’s truly a wise move on SA’s part to placesuch collaborations at the forefront, enabling all SA members to witness firsthand the remarkable
strength of the network and the availability of data access.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Are there any cases that stand out of disasters in your country where Sentinel Asia observation
was useful?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
Yes, in 2011, Thailand experienced one of the biggest flood events in its history. At that time,Thailand sought related data from different entities and organizations. Those data helped Thailand
to get through that disaster and I believe that in that experience, Thailand’s continuous efforts incollaboration with different entities and organizations paid off.
After the disaster response by GISTDA, the Thailand government could get a clearer and fairer
image of how the EO data can support disaster management. Before the mentioned flood event,such EO-related activities have been used in the planning phase, but only during that event, forthe first time in Thailand’s history, the space application had been put in front of the decisionmakers for their decisions.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Do you have any lessons learned through such cases?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
To answer this question, I refer to the experience mentioned in the last question. Looking at suchexperiences, we realized that the data and technology are out there, but it is important toknow/learn how to show the potential of such data to decision-makers. From those experiences,
we learned that to make that potential recognized by decision-makers, the data must be presented
to the right people at the right time and in the right format. That is why after the 2011 flood event,
we initiated an “Actionable Intelligence Policy” (AIP), which requires us to engage more with
policymakers and decision-makers along with other end-users.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Currently, Thailand has eight Sentinel Asia member agencies. Do they have any roles or
responsibilities regarding disasters in Thailand? What role does GISTDA play among them? How
does GISTDA cooperate with them? In addition, does GISTDA get any feedback from Disaster
Management Organizations such as the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation(DDPM)? And is there any cooperation between GISTDA and International Organizations inThailand such as the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
In this regard, I should mention that out of seven SA member organizations in Thailand, namely
the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the Royal Forest Department (RFD), the National
Park and Wildlife Plan Department, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), the Land
Development Department (LDD), and the Andaman Environment and Natural Disaster ResearchCenter, Prince of Songkla University (ANED, PSU), GISTDA has been collaborating with mostSA members organizations in Thailand. Unfortunately, I cannot remember whether we signed an
MoU with all of them or not. Typically, at the time of a disaster, DDPM is our focus organization
since it is the main department that is responsible for disaster relief along with some others.
Based on the MOU with DDPM and GISTDA, even if GISTDA doesn’t push particular data to
DDPM platforms directly, DDPM can have direct access to the GISTDA servers and most of its
data through some APIs. Usually, GISTDA prepares the final product such as flood maps andflood area in the form of shapefiles and map services, and shares them with DDPM so they canfocus on their tasks and leave most of the remote sensing and experience to us.
Based on an MoU with DDPM and GISTDA, even if GISTDA doesn’t push particular data to
DDPM platforms directly, DDPM can have direct access to the GISTDA servers and most of its
data through some APIs. However, usually, GISTDA prepares the final products, such as floodmaps, etc., and shares them with DDPM so they don’t need to acquire remote sensing knowledgeand experience.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
The recently established “Thai Space Consortium” has developed its own EO program. As such,
you have many public and private players in space development and applications in Thailand. Do
they have any plan for a disaster monitoring program using space technology?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
The Thai Space Consortium is a collaborative initiative between space-related activities inThailand and mainly focuses on research, and of course, GISTDA is a major part on theConsortium. On top of that, GISTDA as the National Space Agency mainly focuses on theNational Space Master Plan, which comprises a whole range of space activities, and TSC is
definitely a program in the master plan. We also are planning the next generation of EO satellites.
Based on such plans, by the fourth quarter of 2023, GISTDA will have two new EO satellites,“THEOS-2” and “THEOS-2A”, to be launched with aims that include disaster monitoring andinternational collaborations. Although the sensors onboard both satellites will be optical, GISTDA
will use all its potential to utilize those data for disaster monitoring not only nationwide but alsofor international collaborations such as the SA. These two satellites are equipped with 50-cm and1.1-m spatial resolution and we expect to provide detailed information. And the application is not
only just the inundated area but also the direction of the flood at the time of a disaster.
We are working on the enhancement of our system accordingly. Apart from their abilities, bothsatellites will be dedicated to our international collaborations such as SA, and GISTDA plans toprovide the data for international collaborations.
With regard to future satellite programs and the National Space Master Plan, right now GISTDAis conducting feasibility studies for a next-generation satellite with an optical sensor to belaunched in next 3–5 years. When the necessary technical advancement is acquired throughseveral satellites, GISTDA hopes to have its first SAR satellite.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Your Executive Director, Dr. Pakorn Apaphant, mentioned that GISTDA is providing solutions inthe six areas, namely, agriculture, disaster, water management, mapping, natural resource, andurban, at the CEOS Plenary in 2022. Could you tell us about GISTDA’s program on disastermanagement?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
As mentioned above, we will have more satellites in the future the data from which we will
dedicate to our international collaborations. Also, we already have our system to disseminate thedata to the end-user agencies. We are continuously improving our systems to serve more

especially not only governments and organizations but also citizens and the private sector.
Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Can you tell us what you expect from Sentinel Asia and what you will contribute to Sentinel
Asia?
Mr. Tatiya Chuentragun
I have quite a lot to say here. But to begin with, I’d like to refer to the scope of SA, which is not
only response and post-disaster but also disaster mitigation and preparation, which are very
important, especially for areas more prone to disasters such as Thailand. Disaster preparation
mainly deals with early data acquisition and hot-spot mapping of prone areas. This requires
historical data collection and regional collaboration, which is something that I expect in SA.
As mentioned before in earlier questions, I also expect SA to show how we can take benefits fromour collaborations to its members, as such stories can motivate all members to actively
collaborate and communicate in SA.

- * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html.
EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreate an account for OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/e-learning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=Copyright 2023 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat

Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Ochanomizu Sola City, 4-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8008 Japan
E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp