George Tyc
PhD
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Urthecast
Canada

Biography
Dr. Tyc is a recognized leader in the space industry, having worked on numerous space missions and technology development programs over the last 25 years. As a Technical Director at MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd. (MDA), he has led multiple initiatives, including the development of MDA’s next generation, high-resolution optical Earth Observation satellite system. He was also the Chief Engineer for the end-to-end system developed for the earth imaging company RapidEye AG.

Abstract
Utilization of UrtheCast’s Cameras from the International Space Station

By installing two new camera systems on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station to continuously image our planet, UrtheCast is changing the way we will view the world. With the help of world-class partner RSC Energia (Russia) and with the support of Roscosmos (the Russian Space Agency), UrtheCast has installed a nadir pointed Medium Resolution Camera (MRC) and also a High Resolution Camera (HRC) that is mounted on a precision two axis pointing platform to capture ultra-high definition videos. The MRC provides a multi-spectral continuous 54 km wide image of the earth as it rolls under the ISS, while the HRC provides the world’s first ever ultra-HD 1 meter class full colour videos from space. By utilizing the ISS communication infrastructure and with an array of ground stations around the world, UrtheCast has built an infrastructure that can deliver the MRC imagery and the HRC Videos to a cloud based web platform in near real-time to provide an up to date view of our changing planet. UrtheCast’s web platform will combine the data from the two ISS cameras, satellite data from partners around the world, and image and video data from users on the ground to provide a whole new way for people around the world to experience the ever unfolding story of our planet. The platform will also be opened up to 3rd party developers to allow for the creation of a vast number of novel applications utilizing this unique data set. For example, when natural disasters strike, humanitarian relief organizations and civil governments will benefit from UrtheCast's high-resolution video footage and mediumresolution still imagery combined in various applications available on UrtheCast’s web platform to evaluate ground conditions and guide rapid-response efforts. In times of crisis, UrtheCast will quickly gather video and images and deliver them to its web platform within hours to portray the reality of the disrupted areas, and enable response teams to determine the fastest, safest access routes. This paper presents an overview of the technical aspects of the two cameras and the ground infrastructure, the unique orbit characteristics of the ISS, sample data, and describes UrtheCast’s web platform and some potential applications. Keywords: International Space Station, HD video, Imagery, Cameras, Disaster management