The new images of the state of Pernambuco, generated by the AVNIR-2 sensor (ALOS satellite) are now available. They are part of a project that has been being carried out to produce updated orthoimages, mosaics and image charts, which match the 1:100 000 scale.

The orthoimages and the mosaic sheets, in Geo TIFF format, are available at: ftp://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/imagens_orbitais/

For further information, see: ftp://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/imagens_orbitais/ortoimagens/Descritivo_Projeto_BC100_PE_situacao2013_maio_v01.pdf

For the State of Pernambuco, IBGE produced orthorectified images and orthomosaics for the amount equivalent to 47 sheets of the systematic terrestrial mapping, which represents 75% of this Federation Unit's territory.  The images show he state's countryside, often draught stricken, and allow locating and measuring terrain elements with more precision.  Massive clouds in the images of AVNIR-2 hid the other 25% of the State territory. Therefore, the photos from those areas were not used. In order to provide a complete picture, the utilization of another sensor is being considered.

The AVNIR-2 sensor operated onboard of the ALOS satellite in the 2006-2011 period. Its images feature a ten-meter resolution, in four spectral bands equivalent to blue, green, red and near infrared. Radiometric enhancements were applied to facilitate the visualization and interpretation of the mosaic sheets.