S. Korea sends satellite pictures of Haiti earthquake to U.N. body

DAEJEON, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has sent high-resolution satellite
photos to a United Nations affiliated body that may help with recovery efforts in
Haiti following its devastating quake, a state-run aerospace institute said
Monday.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of
Seoul, said its Arirang 2 satellite took photos of the area around Port au
Prince, the Haitian capital, on Wednesday and Saturday and sent them to the
International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.
The photos cover an area of 15 square kilometers, and are expected to be used by
officials in Haiti and international relief organizations to make a detailed
estimate of the extent of damage caused by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that
struck the Caribbean nation last Tuesday.
They may also help with ongoing relief efforts and the rebuilding that will follow.
The International Charter, initiated by the European Space Agency, started
operations in 2000 and currently counts 13 space agencies from France, Canada,
the United States, Japan, India and China as its members. South Korea's KARI
wants to join the Charter this year.
The group does not have a headquarters, but works closely with the United Nations
to provide space-based data to countries affected by natural or man-made
disasters. Each member agency has committed resources to support the provisions
of the charter, which aim to help reduce the impact of disasters on human life
and property.
The Arirang 2, launched in July 2006, is equipped with a multi-spectral camera
that has a resolution of 1 square meter, fine enough to distinguish individual
cars. It has taken over 1.23 million photos of the Earth's surface since its
launch.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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