Milestones

Between 1964 and now, the EUROSENSE-group has been a pioneer in a lot of new emerging technologies in the geo-information sector. Now, EUROSENSE is probably one of the most prominent commercial remote sensing organizations in Europe. In this part, you can read the major milestones of the development of our company. Click here for a schematic summary.

60's

1964   
Establishment of the company by Ir E. MAES.

70's

1976  
EUROSENSE starts as the first company in Europe with the professional development of colour and colour infrared film by means of a Kodak Versamat 1411.

1979  
EUROSENSE starts as the first company in Europe with the execution of digital multispectral scannings by means of a Daedalus 1240/1260 (from UV till TIR).

80's

1980   
EUROSENSE starts as the first company  in Europe with the digital processing of satellite imagery (Landsat); on the occasion of the production of the first satellite map of Belgium, EUROSENSE was visited by the late King Baudouin.

1981  
- EUROSENSE executes a digital multispectral scanning (Daedalus) of different sites in Italy for the Italian Science Policy (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche).
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE office in The Netherlands (Breda).
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE office in Germany (Cologne).

1982  
- EUROSENSE executes the first remote sensing flight for the detection of oil pollution at sea (accident oil tanker Katina) in the Netherlands by making use of thermal channels (TIR) of its digital airborne scanner (Daedalus).
- EUROSENSE makes a first microclimate study on the Ruhr territory by means of digital multispectral scanning (from UV till TIR). Until now, only a few dozen microclimate studies were carried out in Germany, France and Hungary (Budapest).

1983  
- EUROSENSE starts as the first company in Europe with the execution of airborne SLAR data acquisition (Side Looking Airborne Radar of Ericsson) for the detection of oil pollution at sea.
- EUROSENSE performs a remote sensing campaign in Norway for the Norvegian State Pollution Control Authority" using different sensors: SLAR, digital multispectral scanning (from U.V. till TIR), 2 metric aerial camera's (colour and colour infrared).

1983-1985
EUROSENSE participates (incl. preparation of the final report) to the "EEG/Joint Research Center Ispra/Archimedes I and II projects" by means of an aircraft equipped with a SLAR, a digital multispectral scanner and a metric aerial camera

1983-1986  
EUROSENSE succeeds, for the first time at world level, in converting a hovercraft driven by air propellers into a fast and accurate bathymetric measurement device, (Beasac®) that even allows bathymetric data acquisition on the beginning of the dry beach (due to the absence of draught).

1984  
EUROSENSE performs a remote sensing campaign on the wreck of the ship "Mont Louis" at Blankenberge by means of a digital multispectral scanner.

1987 
- EUROSENSE carries out the first (pilot)project "CORINE Landcover Portugal" (CORINE = COoRdination of INformation on the Environment) for the EC, then followed by "CORINE Luxemburg" (1990) and CORINE East-Germany (1997) on the base of satellite imagery (Spot, Landsat, ERS).
- EUROSENSE performs a remote sensing campaign on the wreck of the burning tanker "Olympic Dream" by means of SLAR and digital scanner.
- EUROSENSE performs a remote sensing campaign on the wreck of the ship "Herald of Free Enterprise" by means of SLAR and digital scanner.

1988  
- EUROSENSE succeeds, for the first time at world level, in creating a production system for the manufacture of digital (colour)orthophoto's (Eudicort®).
- First Colour Orthophoto for United States Geological Survey (USGS) produced by EUROSENSE.

90's

1993  
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE SA in France (Lille).
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE Kft in Hungary (Budapest).
- Probably 1st Colour InfraRed Orthophoto made in China produced by EUROSENSE (Cheng De).

1994 
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE s.r.o. in Slovakia (Bratislava).
- EUROSENSE carries out the first EC/FEOGA-Belgium project by means of satellite imagery (Landsat en Spot) and colour orthophotos (produced with the Eudicort® system of EUROSENSE) (FEOGA : Fonds Européen d'Orientation et de Garantie pour l'Agriculture).

1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000  
EUROSENSE carries out continuously the EC/FEOGA-France project each time nearly half of France by means of satellite imagery (Landsat, Spot, Ers) and aerial imagery (colour infrared orthophotos produced with the Eudicort® system of EUROSENSE).

1995  
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE Sp.z.o.o. in Poland (Nadarzyn, near Warsaw).
- EUROSENSE starts as the first company in Belgium with aerolaserhypsometry (LiDAR). Hereby an elevation model of large areas in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands (until present 11.000 km² in The Netherlands i.e. 1/3 of the Netherlands) is realised by means of a digital laserscanner in an aircraft with high accuracy (10 cm) and high point density (1 point/4 m²).

1995-1997  
EUROSENSE executed a complete aerial imagery coverage of Poland in colour (320.000 km²: 10 x Belgium) at a scale of 1/26.000 and of the Polish cities at a scale of 1/5.000.

1996  
- ISO Certification from Lloyd's Register of Shipping.
- EUROSENSE executed a complete aerial imagery coverage of The Netherlands in colour at a scale of 1/25.000 (Digital colour aerial photography of The Netherlands: DKLN).

1997  
Establishment of additional fully-equipped and 100% owned EUROSENSE s.r.o. in Czech Republic (Prague).

1998  
Establishment of ESRI BeLux (together with WALPHOT and ESRI Inc.) in order to extend the GIS related activities.

1998-2000  
EUROSENSE executed an aerial imagery coverage in colour of nearly half the territory of Slovakia at a scale of 1/27.000-1/7.000 (50.000 km²: 1,5 x Belgium).

2000's

2000 
- EUROSENSE executed a second complete aerial imagery coverage of The Netherlands in colour at a scale of 1/25.000 (Digital colour aerial photography of The Netherlands: DKLN).
- EUROSENSE executes a complete aerial imagery coverage in colour of Hungary (90.000km²: 3 times Belgium) on a scale 1/25.000.

2001  
Establishment of EUROSENSE Planning & Engineering (spatial planning and development).

2003  
- Establishment of additional fully-equipped EUROSENSE office in Bulgaria.
- EUROSENSE executed a third complete aerial imagery coverage of The Netherlands in colour at a scale of 1/25.000 (Digital colour aerial photography of The Netherlands: DKLN).

2004  
Establishment of additional fully-equipped EUROSENSE office in Romania.

2006  
EUROSENSE executed a fourth complete aerial imagery coverage of The Netherlands in colour with a digital camera at a resolution of 40cm.

2008  
- Establisment of a new office in Antwerp, Belgium (mainly for support of hydrographic department).
- EUROSENSE executed a fifth complete aerial imagery coverage of The Netherlands in colour with a digital camera at a resolution of 25cm.

2009
- EUROSENSE executed an aerial thermography campaign on the city of Antwerp and 20 surrounding municipalities, which is probably the largest thermography campaign ever done at that time in the frame of the analysis of roof insulation quality.
- EUROSENSE executed an aerial photography of approx. 100.000 km² in Romania