A state-of-the-art satellite remote sensing ground station will be installed in Hanoi to receive information to forecast disasters and to plan effective measures to minimise impact.

Construction of the station, which is estimated to cost $21mil, will begin later this year and should finish early 2006. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment unveiled plans to this end at a seminar on remote sensing technology and its application in Vietnam.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and French group EADS in Hanoi last week.

Every year, Vietnam is hit by numerous disasters, including forest fires, floods and storms, which cause great loss of life and property.

Currently, the country has only a remote sensing ground station receiving satellite images and data relayed from other countries for weather forecasting and mapping purposes.

Meanwhile, other Southeast Asian countries, excepting Laos and Cambodia, have installed automated remote sensing ground stations that receive, process and analyse satellite imagery to help mitigate calamities.

(Source: Econet)