NEWS
UK-backed satellite to measure Earth ’ s water levels blasts into space
The UK Space Agency has provided UK technology company Honeywell with £ 12.2 million to develop KaRIn ’ s Ka Band duplexer , which routes vital radar signals around the satellite at a frequency never reached before .
The international Surface Water and
Ocean Topography ( SWOT ) satellite took off from Vandenberg in California on Friday 16 December , 2022 .
SWOT used an innovative radar instrument , named KaRIn , to survey at least 90 % of the Earth ’ s surface , measuring and monitoring changes in the ocean , lakes , reservoirs , rivers and wetlands , to produce data that will help improve our understanding of climate change , as well as predict and mitigate flood risks around the world .
SWOT is a satellite jointly developed by NASA and the French space agency , CNES , in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency ( CSA ) and UK Space Agency .
UK scientists are also supporting the international effort to assess and exploit SWOT data over areas with very high tidal ranges and fast currents . The UK Space Agency partnered with the Natural Environment Research Council ( NERC ), between them investing £ 375,000 in the SWOT-UK science research project that will focus on SWOT data covering the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary area .
“ Water is fast becoming a major geopolitical resource : with climate change causing droughts and floods and global interest in water temperature and flows ,” said Science Minister George Freeman .
Volkswagen Group has selected Ivalua to improve efficiency , transparency and the employee purchasing experience
Ivalua , a global leader in spend management , and Capgemini , a global IT services and consulting firm , have announced that after a comprehensive evaluation of available technology solutions , the Volkswagen Group has chosen Ivalua ’ s platform to digitise its global indirect procurement processes for the group ’ s entire brand portfolio .
A top-10 Forbes 500 company , the Volkswagen Group is one of the world ’ s leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe . The group is made up of 12 global brands from seven European countries : Volkswagen , Audi , SEAT , ŠKODA , Bentley , Lamborghini , Porsche , Ducati , Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles , Scania and MAN .
The group operates 120 production plants in 19 European countries and a further 10 countries in the Americas , Asia and Africa . 662,575 employees worldwide produce vehicles and work in vehicle-related services or other fields of business . The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries .
“ We are delighted to have been selected for the digitisation of one of the world ’ s leading automotive players ’ procurement processes ,” said David Khuat-Duy , Founder and CEO of Ivalua . “ Given the magnitude , complexity and sustainability focus of its global supply chain , Volkswagen fully recognises the strategic role of procurement in providing the company with a true competitive edge in an uncertain global market environment . The customer centricity of our teams and the need for a flexible and robust platform that enables process optimisation , transparency and agility have weighed in our favour to provide Volkswagen with a compelling solution .”
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