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28 Mar, 2011

“Medical Tourism Doesn’t Put Patients at Risk, Poor Planning Does”

A compilation of 10 interesting reports circulated by PR Newswire / PR Web last week. Also in this dispatch: Study Finds UK Expats Cancelling Plans to Return Home; UK Students Seek Original Work Experience Overseas; From Bodger To Broomsquire – New Book Aims To Keep Britain’s Traditional Crafts Alive; Europeans Favour Single-Ticket Use For All Public Transport; and others….

Pls click on any of the headlines below to go directly to the story

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1. “Medical Tourism Doesn’t Put Patients at Risk, Poor Planning Does,” says Author of Medical Tourism Guidebook

2. Study Finds UK Expats Cancelling Plans to Return Home

3. UK Students Seek Original Work Experience Overseas

4. From Bodger To Broomsquire – New Book Aims To Keep Britain’s Traditional Crafts Alive

5. Europeans Favour Single-Ticket Use For All Public Transport

6. Air China Passengers Selected To Survey Revamp Of Star Alliance Economy Class Seat

7. Asia Pacific to Issue Nearly 55 Million ePassports Annually by 2014

8. Event to Unveil Key Social Media Trends Shaping Arab Revolutions of 2011 and Beyond

9. Environmental Groups File Freedom of Information Request to get the Facts on Radiation Levels from Fukushima Nuclear Crisis

10. Satellite Navigation Maps Help Assess Tsunami and Earthquake Damage

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Editor’s Note and Disclaimer: This dispatch contains a collection of interesting stories from the PR distribution and circulation services, PR Newswire and PRWeb. They are being reproduced in good faith by Travel Impact Newswire, without independent verification of their accuracy. Readers are reminded that the reports, although interesting, are circulated by the PR distribution/circulation services on behalf of subscribers and clients, and may be promoting specific products, services, policies or agendas. The responsibility for their contents rests solely with the companies and their information distribution/circulation agencies, all of which have been duly identified and attributed.

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“Medical Tourism Doesn’t Put Patients at Risk, Poor Planning Does,” says Author of Medical Tourism Guidebook

DUBAI, UAE, March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Recent reports regarding medical tourism of botched surgeries, lack of legal recourse for patients and post-operative complications have fuelled a perception that medical tourism is unsafe and risky. However, Dr Prem Jagyasi, author of a recently launched Medical Tourism Guidebook, argues that cross border healthcare won’t put a patient at risk, rather the lack of meticulous planning and preparation will. He emphasised that medical tourism is an age-old concept that has been occurring since the period before Christ, and has lots to offer if planned meticulously.

According to the recent medical tourism research conducted by Dr. Prem, a staggering 94% of industry experts think that medical tourism has yet to reach its full potential. Also, 59% of them believe that accessing reliable information is a big hurdle in the growth of medical tourism.

To help address this knowledge deficit, Dr. Prem has launched a comprehensive Medical Tourism Guide (Health Tourism Guide). The guidebook is available for free preview at http://www.DrPrem.com.

Dr Prem advises, “Even though the process of accessing care in a foreign location might seem simple, there are several intricacies, challenges and issues associated with the industry that all potential medical travellers should be aware of in order to help make their journey successful.”

In order to facilitate meticulous planning, the guidebook lists essential preparation steps that can help ensure a safe and successful medical journey. “Patients need to organize all the post-operative arrangements before they travel, appropriately budget for medical tourism and pack the essential items they would require,” added Dr Prem.

The guidebook also provides essential info on the top 50 medical tourism destinations around the world. Dr. Prem says, “Picking the right healthcare destination is an essential factor that determines the success of your medical journey. The risk of picking the wrong country can be eliminated via thorough research before a medical tourist travels.”

For further information:

Free preview of Medical Tourism Guide

Medical Tourism Research

Medical Tourism Destination Guide

2. Study Finds UK Expats Cancelling Plans to Return Home

(PRWEB) March 25, 2011 — With fears of greater austerity in Britain and the temptation of sunny skies abroad, a new survey put together by Lloyds TSB International in February has revealed many expats from the UK are cancelling plans to make the move back to their home territories. The research has revealed that 67 per cent say they now have no intention of coming move back to the UK – an 11 per cent leap over the last six months.

The overwhelming majority of expats (65 per cent) responded to the Lloyds TSB International Expat Survey* by saying that they felt their money had better prospects in the country they were living and only 14 per cent said they could see their financial outlook improving with a move back to Britain.

Jakob Pfaudler, Managing Director of Lloyds TSB International, commented: “We knew that most people who move abroad are glad they did so, but we were surprised at the growing pessimism about financial prospects in the UK. Much has been made of ‘austerity Britain’ in the press and elsewhere, and it seems to begin to contribute to expats’ decisions to settle elsewhere for good.”

“But generally,” he added, “we continue to find that lifestyle – not financial considerations – are the decisive factors in expats’ keenness to stay overseas.”

While the research pointed out that four per cent of expats said they harboured plans to return to the Britain at some point over the next 12 months, only 12 per cent of these said they would be doing so because they missed the lifestyle they had left behind. Only 21 per cent of respondents who suggested they would move back said the reason was for their career.

Mr Pflauder concluded by saying: “It seems the key to contentment as an expat is emigrating to improve your lifestyle or to benefit your family. The research shows that career and financial considerations are important, but that many expats consider them the icing on the cake rather than the cake itself.”

Notes: *Freshminds surveyed 867 expats online, 7-14 January 2011, for Lloyds TSB International.

3. UK Students Seek Original Work Experience Overseas

(PRWeb UK) March 24, 2011 — With enquiries up 100% on last year at the UK’s leading independent volunteering organisation Original Volunteers, many of these calls are coming from medical, sports and sixth-form students in search of an alternative work placement where their skills are most desperately needed.

One further education destination using this to good effect is Cambridge Regional College who sent 14 Sports Leadership students to Morocco for one week’s volunteering for the first time in June 2010, and plan to do so again in 2011.

Kelly Taylor, a sports student at Cambridge Regional College comments: “The trip was a great success as we not only managed to make a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of children, but it really opens your eyes on how bad poverty really is and how lucky we really are.

“I experienced things that I never thought I would and it was such a rewarding thing to do. We took over lots of sports kits and equipment and taught the children new and exciting games. All the children we worked with were extremely eager to learn and it’s boosted my teaching. Having the opportunity to volunteer abroad was one of the most amazing experiences of my life”, Kelly adds.

Programmes Director at Original Volunteers, Caroline Revell comments: “Interest from universities and colleges has been on the increase over the past year, with many more second and third year medical students looking to gain hands-on experience in countries where they can make a real difference!

“Students and tutors from a number of regional colleges in England have been on an Original Volunteers experience – teaching English and Maths, helping out with arts, crafts, sports, construction and building hands-on experience.”

With close links to over 100 different projects in countries such as Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nepal, Original Volunteers’ experiences offer students the hands on practise required as part of their course or to further their careers. Each experience is tailored to match the individual, to suit their personality, skills and goals.

Caroline adds; “Graduates are also seeing the benefits of ‘voluntourism’. Money is tight but these projects offer real value for money. We have over 150 members of staff in 17 destinations across the world who are busy making sure that our regular flow of volunteers get the most out of their experience, regardless of the duration of their stay.”

Original Volunteers offer great opportunities for those who recently graduated or on summer vacation from university. With projects starting from as little as £37 a week, including accommodation, this is an inexpensive way to see the world, experience a completely different way of life and assist change in some of the world’s poorest communities.

More information on group bookings or individual travel can be found at Original Volunteers.

*Figures from the Office of National Statistics

4. From Bodger To Broomsquire – New Book Aims To Keep Britain’s Traditional Crafts Alive

(Vocus/PRWEB) 25 March 2011 — Anyone who cares about the survival of Britain’s craft heritage needs to read this book. From bodger to brickmaker, potter to pub sign designer, tanner to thatcher and cooper to clog maker, many crafts survive in the hands of just a few individuals. The Book of Forgotten Crafts tells their stories, and is illustrated with beautiful photographs of the crafters at work.

Traditional British crafts are currently enjoying an extraordinary resurgence of interest, as people turn away from a throw-away culture and start to appreciate again the dedication, skill and passion of craftspeople and the beauty and intrinsic value of an object made by hand. Publication of The Book of Forgotten Crafts, a celebration of traditional craftsmanship, is therefore very timely.

It is impossible not to be inspired by the life stories of the nearly 50 British craftsmen and women interviewed for the book, which brings to life a history of craftsmanship that in some cases stretches back as far as 1,000 years.

From bodger to brickmaker, potter to pub sign designer, tanner to thatcher and cooper to clog maker, these talented people all make a hugely important contribution to Britain’s heritage. The book is illustrated with inspirational photographs by Paul Felix which show the craftspeople in their workshops and display the beauty of the objects they make.

Included among the forty-nine craftsmen and women featured are:

  • Neil Hopkins of Two Rivers Paper Company on Exmoor, a commercial hand mill that has been restored to use waterpower to make paper from old rags in the traditional manner
  • Robin Wood, bowl maker, who uses timber local to his studio in the Peak District to create traditional, functional wooden bowls. Robin is also Chair of the Heritage Crafts Association and has written the foreword to this book
  • Rhiannon Evans, goldsmith, an award-winning jewellery designer who works in pure and mixed Welsh gold
  • Adam King, broomsquire, based in Buckinghamshire, who has been making besom brooms since he was eighteen and was nearly swept away by Harry Pottermania
  • Christine Springett, a bobbin lace maker for over 30 years, who specialises in Bedfordshire lace and enthuses about the weaving, plaiting and looping involved in her craft
  • Lesley Pyke, glass engraver from Suffolk, who is passionate about crystal and works in many layers of colour

Full list of craftspeople featured in The Book of Forgotten Crafts:

Village Workshop Crafts — The Wheelwright; The Cooper; The Tanner; The Leather Bottle Maker; The Papermaker; The Millwright; The Potter; The Rhubarb Forcer Maker; The Blacksmith; The Rope Maker

Decorative Crafts — The Woodcarvers; The Glass Blower; The Goldsmith; The Stained Glass Artist; The Pub Sign Designer; The Glass Engraver; The Serpentine Rock Carver; The Silversmith

Basketry Crafts — The Basket Maker; The Oak Swill Basket Maker; The Bee Skep Maker; The Lobster Pot Maker; The Rush Seat Maker; The Trug Maker

Textile Crafts — The Tapestry Weaver; The Dyer & Felt Maker; The Spinning Wheel Maker; The Lace Maker; The Fabric Weaver

Woodland Crafts — The Bowl Maker; The Broomsquire; The Hurdle Maker; The Bodger; The Stick and Crooks Maker; The Hedgelayer; The Clog Maker; The Rake Maker

Building Crafts — The Brick Maker; The Dry Stone Wallers; The Flint Knapper; The Stone Mason; The Thatchers

Crafts for Sport and Recreation — The Bowyer/Fletcher; The Bagpipe maker; The Cricket Bat maker; The Guitar Maker; The Gunsmith; The Whip Maker; The Gig Boat Maker

5. Europeans Favour Single-Ticket Use For all Public Transport

Source: European Commission Media Release

Brussels, 24 March 2011: Most Europeans are willing to compromise on the price and the features of their car in order to reduce harmful emissions, a new survey has revealed. A Eurobarometer survey conducted in all 27 European Union Member States showed that, for instance, about two-thirds of EU car users said it was likely they would compromise on a car’s speed in order to reduce emissions.

In addition, the majority of motorists (53%) agreed with existing car charges being replaced by new charging schemes based on the actual use of their vehicle. While most users choose to drive a car because of its convenience, nearly three quarters of EU citizens (71%) said they would consider using public transport more frequently if it would be possible to buy a single ticket covering all transport modes.

Vice-President Siim Kallas, Commissioner responsible for transport, said: “These results are a great boost to the EU’s efforts to make transport more sustainable. It shows people understand the stakes and are willing to do their bit to reduce their impact on the environment. Smart initiatives such as pay-as-you-drive schemes and a single ticket covering all possible transport modes make use of the latest technology and enable people to make a well-informed choice about how they choose to travel.”

Compromises to be made in order to make driving greener

The majority of car users (66%) surveyed said they would be likely to compromise on the car’s size in order to reduce emissions and 62% said the same about the car’s range – i.e. the distance that one could drive before needing to refuel or recharge the vehicle. More than half of people (60%) would also be willing to pay more for their car if it helped to reduce emissions.

Support for charging schemes based on actual car use

Half of EU citizens said they would agree with existing car charges being replaced by new charging schemes that took into account a car’s actual use. These schemes were even more popular among car drivers as 53% agreed with existing car charges being replaced.

Reasons for choosing a car

A large majority (71%) of car users felt that public transport was not as convenient as driving. A similar proportion (72%) of motorists said that a lack of connections stopped them using public transport (49% highlighted this as a “very important” factor). A low frequency of services was considered important by 64% of car users and 54% emphasised the unreliability of public transport.

Encouraging motorists to combine other modes of transport

People who use their car on a daily basis were asked what it would take for them to also use other modes of transport. Roughly two-thirds (65%) said they would consider it if it was easier to change from one mode of transport to another, 52% would be tempted if there was better (online) information about schedules, 47% would consider it if terminals were more attractive, and 38% if it was possible to buy tickets online.

Strong interest in single ticket covering all means of transport

Nearly three quarters of EU citizens (71%) say they would consider using public transport more frequently if it were possible to buy a single ticket covering all possible modes of public transport; there is also strong support for this among motorists (66%).

The survey was conducted among 25,570 people in all 27 Member States at the request of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport.

6. Air China Passengers Selected To Survey Revamp Of Star Alliance Economy Class Seat

BEIJING, March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — As a member of the Star Alliance, Air China is this week giving its customers the chance to have their say in an important decision the alliance is making globally. The Star Alliance aims to enhance passenger satisfaction and consistency of experience among its 27 members by standardizing economy class seats, and Beijing has been chosen as one of only two locations to conduct research into which seats passengers prefer. This is the first time that such research, which is also being conducted in Germany, is to be held in China.

Air China has set up a special aircraft seating simulation zone in Beijing Capital International Airport for the research, which will last from March 24 to March 31. Selected from the airline’s PhoenixMiles members, the 200 qualified participants have all in the past 12 months taken four international Air China flights and flown at least once for six hours or more on another Star Alliance member’s flight.

Passengers will test seats currently being used and three new seat concepts from various manufacturers. Each passenger will spend 1.5 hours in the simulated cabin environment testing the seats. They will then complete questionnaires on various aspects of the seats, including the comfort, design and possible improvements as an important reference for Star Alliance in deciding which seat is the most suitable.

One passenger, PhoenixMiles Silver Card holder Mr. Tang, will participate in the survey on March 26 and has high expectations for the experience. “Although I have taken part in various car seat clinics in the past, this is my first time testing aircraft seats,” he said. “I’m excited and honored to think that our opinions and feedback will have a direct effect on how aircraft cabins will be designed in the future! Air China really considers consumer needs, and I hope I have more opportunities to participate in such activities.”

7. Asia Pacific to Issue Nearly 55 Million ePassports Annually by 2014

Millburn, NJ (PRWEB) March 24, 2011 — Asia Pacific ePassport production will more than triple from 2009 to 2014 growing from 16.6 million to 55 million biometrically enabled ePassports issued annually. New forecasts from Acuity Market Intelligence project that the Asia Pacific ePassport market will represent an increasing percent of the global market for ePassports as unit market share grows from 27% in 2009 to 42% by 2014. Growth in regional unit issuance outpaces growth in global unit issuance by a factor of 3 to 2. Altogether, there will be twenty-six Asia Pacific nations producing ePassports by 2014 accounting for 84% of the region’s total passport issuance.

These forecasts are based on Acuity Market Intelligence’s latest market research “The Asia Pacific ePassport and eVisa Industry Report”. Acuity is an emerging technology strategy and research consultancy with a proven record of accurately anticipating biometric and electronic identity market trends.

“Asia’s growth is no surprise as electronic identity programs are ultimately population driven and more than one third of the world’s population resides in this region,” says Acuity Principal, C. Maxine Most. “We expect emerging regional economies to drive accelerated demand for ePassports as the number of Asia Pacific citizens traveling abroad for business and pleasure dramatically increases over the next five years.”

“The Asia Pacific ePassport and eVisa Industry Report” is the first in a series of regionally based ePassport and eVisa market analyses Acuity will publish in 2011. These reports provide previously unpublished critical data and statistics on regional ePassport and eVisa markets. This series of reports offers Acuity’s trademark brand of hype-free insight into the marketplace for the development of secure electronic passports and visas including a comprehensive opportunity analysis and targeted revenue forecasts for 2009 to 2014.

A single user license for “The Asia Pacific ePassport and eVisa Industry Report” can be purchased for $5000 US. The Market Overview and Analysis is available for $1995 US. To order, preview, or get more information on “The Asia Pacific ePassport and eVisa Industry Report”, contact Acuity at +1 303 449 1897 or visit http://www.acuity-mi.com/APePPeV_Report.php

8. Event to Unveil Key Social Media Trends Shaping Arab Revolutions of 2011 and Beyond

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — News Group International, the Dubai-based media intelligence group, will announce its findings of key political and socio-economic trends shaping the Middle East during a seminar at the National Press Club on March 29. The findings will integrate data from a variety of sources but will focus primarily on the large body of data from Middle Eastern social media platforms.

The research is part of the annually published ‘Arab Media Influence Report’ that was introduced in Washington last year. Highlights from last year’s panel on the initial report, presented in May 2010, are available for viewing here. That panel claims to have correctly identified the following trends:

1. The emergence of Arab consciousness as a topic in social media;

2. Increasing discussion in Arab nations about the concept of freedom;

3. The rise of Facebook as a social factor in Egyptian society; and,

4. The growing impact of Egyptian scholar, diplomat and, now, Presidential candidate Mohammed El Baradei on politics

Data and findings from the Arab Media Influence Report will be presented by News Group International. The panel will include: Mazen Nahawi CEO, News Group International, the Dubai based news management company, monitoring and analyzing traditional and social media around the MENA Region; Sheldon Himelfarb Associate Vice President of the Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict, & Peace building, United States Institute of Peace; Paul Swider Special Projects Editor, Office of eDiplomacy, United States Department of State

9. Environmental Groups File Freedom of Information Request to Get the Facts on Radiation Levels from Fukushima Nuclear Crisis

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Three groups – Friends of the Earth (FOE), the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) – announced today that they have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get to the bottom of what led the U.S. government to call for a 50-mile evacuation radius for Americans near the Japanese reactor crisis in Fukushima.

The FOIA requests filed with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are available online here . The three groups are not satisfied that the incomplete summary provided so far by the DOE provides the full picture of the scale of the radiation.

On March 16, 2011, NRC Commissioner Gregory B. Jazcko told Congress that he was recommending the 50-mile evacuation radius. (Click here) The scope of the recommended evacuation is highly unusual and suggestive of extraordinarily high radiation levels in excess of those reported to the public in Japan and the U.S., the three groups said. In the U.S., nuclear reactor licensees and local governments are only asked to provide for evacuation out to 10 miles.

As concerns grow about food and water contamination in Japan, the three groups filing the FOIA request are seeking to determine the answer to this key question: What made Jaczko exceed the limits of his own agency’s regulations by five times?

Tom Clements, Southeastern nuclear campaign coordinator, Friends of the Earth, said: “The radiation monitoring information being collected by the U.S. Government in Japan is of urgent interest to the public in the U.S. and internationally and we expect an expedited response to the FOIA request. If the full data set is not immediately released, the government can rightly be accused of attempting to cover up the radiation threat posed by the disaster. This would severely undermine regulators’ credibility.”

Michael Mariotte, executive director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Takoma Park, MD, said: “By recommending a 50-mile evacuation zone for U.S. residents, NRC Chairman Jaczko gave a strong signal that the Fukushima accident was much worse than reported by the Japanese government and the utility. We believe that he was getting information about the severity of the accident from airborne radiation measurements taken by U.S. Department of Energy aircraft. But neither DOE nor the NRC has published those measurements in full.”

Attorney Diane Curran of Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP, who filed the FOIA request for the groups, said: “We think the American and Japanese public have a right to see the complete details of the Fukushima radiation data and, therefore, we have requested the NRC and the DOE to release the information under the Freedom of Information Act. If necessary, we are prepared to go to federal court to get the uncensored set of measurements.”

As the FOIA request explains, the three groups “seek expedited release” of the requested information, “so that they may timely inform their members and the general public about the unfolding events at the Fukushima reactors, including the significance of the public health and environmental threat posed by radiation releases from the Fukushima reactors. Requesters believe that requested disclosures will do a great deal to fill currently existing information gaps and resolve inconsistencies in the currently available reports about the severity of the Japanese radiological releases.”

The groups also contend that expedited release of the information is justified in order to allow them to participate in and comment on any proceedings the federal government may undertake to evaluate the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident, including the 90-day review of the safety of U.S. reactors recently announced by the NRC. According to the FOIA request letter, a better understanding of the severity of the Fukushima releases is “essential to Requesters’ ability to evaluate and participate in any such review.”

SOURCE Physicians for Social Responsibility; Nuclear Information and Resource Service; Friends of the Earth

10. Satellite Navigation Maps Help Assess Tsunami and Earthquake Damage

(Vocus/PRWEB) March 24, 2011 — Japan needs maps. Not just any kind—detailed informational maps georegistered with latitude and longitude and annotated with simple, self-evident details: this bridge is out, this port is damaged, this farm field is scoured; this one is verdant.

Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are processing satellite imagery of regions in Japan affected by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated sections of the country’s east coast on March 11. The U.S. Geological Survey, a member of the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters,” organized the volunteer effort involving about 10 organizations, including Harvard University, George Mason University, Penn State and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

RIT signed on to process images of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and the cities of Hachinohe and Kesennuma. At the request of the Japanese, scientists at RIT created before-and-after images that can be printed on large sheets of paper. The team uploads 30 megabyte PDFs to the U.S. Geological Survey’s website for charter members and Japanese emergency responders to access.

“Once we upload it, it’s out of our hands,” says David Messinger, associate research professor and director of the Digital Imaging Remote Sensing Laboratory in RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science. “If you have the electronic version, you can make measurements on it,” he says. “The assumption is they want the big format so they can print it out, roll it up and take it into the field.”

The Japanese relief workers requested high-resolution images of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. The RIT team processed imagery looking down into the reactors and the containment shells on March 12, the day after the earthquake and tsunami hit and prior to the explosions at the plant. High-resolution image-maps from March 18 show extensive damage and a smoldering reactor.

“We were tasked with the nuke plant Friday [March 18] morning and we uploaded it about 6 that night,” says Don McKeown, distinguished researcher in the Carlson Center for Imaging Science.

The 13-hour time difference has made the workflow difficult, Messinger notes. “While we’re doing this here, it’s the middle of the night there, so the feedback loops are slow. “We were pushing hard,” he adds. “We wanted to get maps to them before their morning work shift started.”

They are mapping the area around the power plant as well, processing imagery from a broader view of the terrain used as farmland. “We have a large image of Fukushima,” McKeown adds. “We’re committed to making a big map of this area. This is a very agricultural region and there are restrictions about food coming out of the area.”

The RIT team, led by McKeown and Messinger, includes graduate students Sanjit Maitra and Weihua “Wayne” Sun in the Center for Imaging Science and staff members Steve Cavilia, Chris DiAngelis, Jason Faulring and Nina Raqueño. They created the maps using imagery from WorldView 1 and WorldView 2 satellites operated by Digital Globe, a member of RIT’s Information Products Laboratory for Emergency Response (IPLER), and GeoEye 1, a high-resolution commercial satellite operated by GeoEye Inc.

“This really fits what IPLER is all about—information products,” McKeown says.

RIT and the University at Buffalo formed IPLER six months before the earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010. Connections with industry partners led RIT to capture and process multispectral and LIDAR images of Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns for the World Bank.

“With Haiti, we learned how, in a disaster, to send an imaging instrument into the field, collect the relevant data, get it back to campus and do the right processing to the imagery,” Messinger says. “In this case, we’re learning how to take imagery that we didn’t collect and produce the actual product that will be delivered to the first responders in the field in a very short time frame. We’ve learned a lot about the second phase of the process now.”