potential production of forests and rangelands, trace 

 desertification, and obtain demographic information. 



We must note that the use of remote sensing 

 technology has been viewed with ambivalence by some 

 developing countries. Despite the potential 

 technological benefits, concerns have arisen about 

 whether other nations or companies might exploit 

 information about a country's resources for political, 

 military, or economic advantage. As countries have 

 gained actual experience with the LANDSAT program, 

 however, it is the impression of the panel that these 

 concerns have been dispelled. 



The use of remote sensing from space is, of course, 

 only one of several important means of gathering 

 information for resource mapping and assessment. 

 Photography and other techniques of remote sensing from 

 airplanes can be highly useful, and various ground 

 survey and exploration techniques are important, even 

 necessary, to verify and add detail to remotely sensed 

 information. Remote sensing from space warrants 

 special attention in the context of the 1979 U.N. 

 Conference, however, because it represents technology 

 in which the United States has clear strengths and in 

 which the potential benefits from its use are great 

 both to developing countries and to the United States. 



New or improved programs of remote sensing of 

 natural resources and the environment are likely to 

 have several advantages for developing countries: 



they would provide information critical to better 

 long-range economic planning and pacing of resource 

 use; 



they can substantially lower the costs of locating 

 and assessing natural resources of significance for 

 economic and social development; 

 — better resource information and planning would 

 strengthen a country's position in negotiating 

 trade agreements or contracts for the exploration 

 and use of resources; 



the modular character of remote sensing technology 

 permits countries to use it gradually and 

 incrementally (i.e., the "entrance cost" is low); 

 data can be obtained that cannot otherwise be 

 gained (e.g., synoptic coverage, multispectral data 

 that can be digitally processed, and repetitive 

 data) . 



a user with only a modest photo-interpretation 

 background and equipment can extract useful 

 information (although more and better information 

 can be extracted with higher levels of training and 

 improved facilities) . 



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