EADS Defense and Communications Systems signed a 19.3 million euro ($23 million) deal to provide the turnkey provision of a complete environmental and natural resources monitoring system to the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

The system consists of a receiving station for satellite images from Spot and Envisat, a center for images processing and distribution and 15 specialized application systems for operational and research purposes. The systems will be installed on the premises of the main public operators, including various Vietnamese ministries, the National Civil Defense Agency and the Vietnam Petroleum Institute.

The 15 applications will be used in activities such as risk prevention and support for emergency rescue services, the observation and planning of agricultural land use, surveillance of maritime and costal zones and research in connection with the preservation of resources.

The project is expected to last three years.