According to Carlos Ganem , head of the Brazilian Space Agency, Brazil will deepen cooperation with China in the field of space technology. The jointly-developed satellite helped Brazil better monitor the deforestation in the Amazon region, which can provide useful information on Brazil's environmental protection efforts. www.spacedaily.com

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is planning technological advancement to curtail the growing menace of naxals in India. ISRO shall develop a satellite mapping system for the CRPF in order to keep a tab on the naxal movement. An integrated GIS sytems will be implemented in all the areas to pinpoint naxal hideouts via the use of satellite images. www.timesnow.tv

China shall soon use satellite remote sensing technologies to draw up a map covering the country's 9.6 million square kilometers of territory. It will help monitor land use and protect the legitimate rights of farmers. Ministry of Land and Resources will start using the high-tech devices this year to detect and prevent illegal use of land, particularly arable land. http://news.xinhuanet.com/

ScanEx has announced about its right to receive 6000 minutes (100 times more!) of Cartosat-1 data and exclusive right in distribution of acquired data. The contract signed between ScanEx and ANTRIX Corporation Ltd in August 2006 provided for 60-minute data transmission to UniScan™ ground stations. Since March 2008 the new agreement comes into force under which 5 ground stations in Khanty- Mansiysk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Magadan and Samara will be receiving data from the satellite for the maximum possible coverage of the Russian territory with stereo images. It also provides similar license terms for the reception and exclusive right in distribution of data from another IRS series satellite - Resourcesat-1 (IRS-P6).