fragile oasis

International Space Station Agricultural Camera (ISSAC)

ISSAC is an Earth observing sensor based aboard the International Space Station. Designed and built by students and faculty at the University of North Dakota, the system is also currently operated out of a control center on UND's campus. Primarily conceived to help farmers and ranchers increase productivity and benefit from precision farming, ISSAC has used its unique platform aboard the International Space Station to image a vast diversity of targets across the entire globe. Extending beyond its agricultural basis, ISSAC has acquired rapid response imagery of worldwide disasters such as the Fukushima earthquake in Japan, volcanic eruptions in countries such as Italy and Chile, and flooding across the Northern Plains and Midwestern regions of the United States. In addition to imaging disasters, ISSAC testing captured images that showcase the beauty of planet Earth. These images include ancient civilization marvels such as the Great Pyramids and Machu Pichu and natural wonders such as Mount Everest, Victoria Falls, and the Rock of Gibraltar. ISSAC imagery is planned to be made available to the entire public, for the better benefit of people's community as a whole.