Kongsberg Satellite Services AS: Rapid Response with Oil Drift Models Based On Satellite-Based Oil Spill Monitoring
Effective and timely oil spill response is critical for energy companies operating in open waters. The ability to rapidly access accurate and actionable information is a cornerstone of effective oil spill mitigation. KSAT is a global leader in satellite-based oil spill monitoring and provides a high quality, resilient and global oil spill monitoring and analytics service by utilizing more than 20 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors.
KSAT owns and operates more than 300 antennas world-wide in 29 different locations. These antennas and a combination with 24/7 analytics, in-house and cloud-based processing allows KSAT to provide time critical information to oil spill management and response teams within two hours after detection.
The SAR sensors play a crucial role in detecting oil by capturing imagery that highlights contrasts created when the oil dampens the capillary and short-gravity waves. When cloud and light conditions allow, we supplement SAR with a wide range of electro-optical satellites to add more granularity and coverage. Upon detection of an oil spill, the spill is classified, and we estimate the volume. The most accurate volume estimate stem from the use optical imagery but promising work is done on using SAR for relative thickness.
Through collaborations with research institutions and end-users, we have implemented new functionality to further improve our oil spill monitoring and analytics. One notable enhancement is the use of oil drift forecast and hindcast, which provide valuable insights into the movement of oil spills over time(+/-48h). We incorporate SAR wind data to assess detection capabilities along with a risk assessment that takes vulnerable areas into consideration. Together, this offers our customers with actionable information for response and mitigation efforts.
In summary, this presentation will delve into the current state of our oil spill monitoring and analytics service, SAR and optical, including leading edge approaches on oil spill drift and relative thickness assessment, provide insights into future developments, and highlight the invaluable lessons learned from a decade of remote sensing exercises and collaborations.