* Astronomy

Space radar techniques for land mapping
Entrepreneurs at ESA's Business Incubation centre in the Netherlands have used radar technology from the agency's Envisat remote-sensing satellite to develop a compact, high-resolution radar that can monitor land and buildings from small aircraft.
The radar can monitor structures such as dams, harbours, canals and buildings, leading to maps for urban planning, territory surveillance and cadastral updating. Several flights over the same location can spot changes between pictures, revealing ground movements that could affect structures.

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