The Council of Agriculture last month terminated a contract with a Taiwanese satellite image supplier after finding that its images were sourced from a China-based firm, a council official said yesterday, after local media raised information security concerns.
The council’s Agricultural Research Institute in May opened bidding to purchase hyperspectral satellite images, which are to be used to monitor crop growth and improve supply and demand.
The only Taiwanese firm that tendered a bid won it for NT$9.9 million (US$314,186), the Chinese-language Apple Daily reported yesterday.
Photo: CNA
However, only China’s Zhuhai-1 remote sensing satellite is able to satisfy the institute’s requirements for image resolution better than 10m with more than 30 wavebands, it said.
The images were actually to be supplied by a firm named Orbita Aerospace Science and Technology Co based in China’s Guangdong Province, it said, questioning the government’s resolve to develop its own space technology.
Council Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) told a news conference that officials terminated the deal on July 22 after finding it to be problematic.
There would be no penalty for breach of contract, given that it was terminated before the firm started to honor it, he said.
The bidding project aimed to purchase images taken by “commercial” satellites, while image analysis would be carried out by the institute, so there is no risk of leaking secure information, he said.
The Executive Yuan is to publish guidelines for blocking information and communication products that might jeopardize national security, while the council would set up clearer guidelines to prevent similarly controversial deals, Chen said.
Developing hyperspectral cameras for satellites involves high technical thresholds, and only the US and China are known to have the ability, National Space Organization Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jen (余憲政) said.
Taiwan still has a long way to go before it can autonomously develop such cameras, but it several years ago developed one for an aircraft, which is currently being tested, Yu added.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS