The ongoing imaging processing of rigid Ortho-Rectification and color matching on the real natural color images taken by FORMOSAT-2 at 8-meter resolution since FORMOSAT-2 launched six month ago, is conducted by a joint collaboration between the Disaster Prevention Research Center of National Cheng Kung University and National Space Organization of National Applied Research Laboratories. A joint statement on the outcome of the undertaking is announced today: a whole Taiwan region image map equivalent to a micrometer scale has been compiled from only model images taken at below cloud coverage rate of 5%. It is expected to deliver unprecedented valuable contributions in areas such as motion monitoring on geologic environment and catastrophes, national land planning, cadastration, land mapping and various other applications. The Disaster Prevention Research Center of National Cheng Kung University and the National SPace Organization will form a close relationship in the application of FORMOSAT-2 images. The application will include various geologic catastrophe evaluation and monitoring and providing analysis results, as well as applying these valuable experiences in promoting disaster prevention and relief techniques in order to increase the capacity of disaster emergency response. The picture below illustrates the natural color image of the Taiwan region taken by FORMOSAT-2.

FORMOSAT-2 was successfully launched on May 21, 2004 and has started taking images on June 4, 2004 . Within two months the image-taking area had covered Taiwan and its surrounding islands, including some successive imaging areas such as disaster zones, harbors and gulfs, airports, etc. to take advantage of the effects of motion monitoring. Currently, the FORMOSAT-2 passes over Taiwan's Central Mountains at about 9:45am every morning by taking images at black-and-white 2-meter resolution and at color 8-meter resolution. This is useful for those required ongoing observations on daily changing phenomena such as disaster evaluation, environmental monitoring and crop surveying.

The Important imaging progression of FORMOSAT-2 in the past six months are:

•  The first imagery: at 9:39am on June 4, 2004, from the 204 th Mission Orbit, covering the western corridor between Hsinchu and Kaohsiung.

•  Initial verification: mid-west Taiwan; Taipei, Penghu, Kenting; estern Taiwan; Penghu; overseas regions. Imaged area covering the north, middle, south and east of Taiwan and its offshore islands.

•  Images taken after typhoon disasters: ten days successive image-taking after July Typhoon Mindulle; one week successive images-taking of Typhoon Aere.

•  Images taken after the south-east Asia earthquake and tsunami disaster: from December 28 to January 24 successively taking images in areas including western Tailand, Indonesia, Sumatra, the south-east coast of India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Cambodia and Maldives, as a means to assist in the international relief action and to provide references for disaster evaluation and research after the event.