International organizations such as the UNDP, FAO, 

 WMO, UNESCO, and the World Bank have engaged in a 

 variety of remote sensing projects through funding, 

 technical services, or informational activities, as 

 have the development assistance agencies of several 

 countries. The Earthwatch program sponsored by the 

 U.N. Environment Programme monitors environmental 

 information of global significance. Most of these 

 efforts have been on a relatively modest scale. 



In many developing countries, as well as in the 

 United States, organizational and budget problems are 

 major constraints on wider applications of remote 

 sensing. Most countries acquire resource information 

 through a variety of separate agencies, gathered by a 

 variety of means; current and accurate information 

 frequently is unavailable because of this dispersal of 

 responsibility. 



Aside from budgetary constraints, the shortage of 

 trained personnel for the processing, analysis, and 

 interpretation of information is perhaps the primary 

 limiting factor in the ability of developing countries 

 to use remote sensing technology effectively. A 

 National Research Council study has roughly estimated 

 the various personnel developing countries need over 

 the next decade to provide visual interpretation or 

 quantitative analysis of data from remote sensing (NRC 

 1977:133-134). The needs are large and the world's 

 ready capacity to provide training in these skills 

 falls far short of the magnitude required. 



Proposed Initiatives 



Weighing the importance of remote sensing 

 technology to improve natural resource mapping and 

 assessment against the constraints involved in its 

 application, this panel believes that important 

 opportunities exist for U.S. actions that would benefit 

 both this country and developing countries. Thus we 

 propose that the United States: 



— Declare its intent to continue the development of 

 remote sensing (satellite) technology for resource 

 applications and to provide continuity of sensing 

 coverage and data transmission to users everywhere. 

 At the same time, the United States could work with 

 other nations and international organizations 

 toward international collaboration in establishing 

 and operating receiving stations and ancillary 

 services. International efforts could help prevent 

 wasteful duplication that might come from multiple 

 receiving stations with overlapping coverage, and 

 provide for efficient choices of ancillary data 



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