Commercial Remote Sensing: A Global View
Written by Harrison Donnelly
GIF 2010 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 (February)
CONFERENCE WILL FOCUS ON AN INDUSTRY
THAT IS PLAYING AN INCREASINGLY VITAL ROLE IN
DEFENSE, INTELLIGENCE AND THE ECONOMY.
Recognizing the remarkable transformation over the past decade of commercial space and commercial remote sensing worldwide, the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) are sponsoring an upcoming conference on an industry that is occupying an increasingly critical role in defense, intelligence, the economy and many other aspects of modern life.
The 2010 International Commercial Remote Sensing Symposium (ICRSS), scheduled for March 3-5 in Washington, D.C., will provide attendees three days of discussions on the issues affecting the community, including industry providers and capabilities, and export control, licensing and policy concerns.
The goal of the symposium is to foster a robust and responsive commercial remote sensing industry, according to conference organizer Eve Douglas, of the NOAA Office of Space Commercialization. “The symposium will allow leaders from around the world to hear perspectives on issues such as resolution limits and the future of the industry from the people who are shaping those decisions today. Currently we have about 15 different countries represented on the agenda, so I’m hoping that we’ll get a truly global perspective on the market and the issues facing it.”
Douglas pointed to a recent report projecting that by 2020, 180 new electrooptical (E/O) satellites will be launched by government and commercial operators. She also noted that countries such as South Africa, Nigeria and others are getting into this market.
The explosion in global remote sensing capability is a key issue for USGIF as well, explained the group’s president, Keith Masback. “We are still sometimes stuck in the mindset that the U.S. is the center of all things when it comes to space and even remote sensing. We do have here in the U.S. two world leaders in terms of electro-optical capabilities, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye. But given the proliferation of different types of imaging and different types of phenomenology that are emerging around the world, it’s incredibly important to bring that message to Washington.”
Masback also noted that ICRSS provides legislators, defense, intelligence and homeland security practitioners the forum to understand the broad array of remote sensing capabilities that are being developed around the globe. “I think it’s critically important that we do a better job collectively of engaging with our allies who have these platforms and sensors,” Masback said, “and be very much aware of the access that our adversaries may have to some of this same information.”
NO EASY ANSWERS
Along with addresses by senior government leaders, networking, exhibits and other activities, ICRSS will feature several panel discussions on key industry topics, including the current state of the E/O industry, government restrictions on imagery resolution, commercial space radar and the future of commercial space, as well as a roundtable of chief executive officers on “remote sensing 2.0.”
“Our goal is to address the hard-hitting issues that are affecting the industry today, as well as what’s going to affect them tomorrow,” said Douglas. “What’s so interesting about this industry is that most of the topics deal with issues that don’t have an easy or obvious answer, such as continuing to allow global competitiveness while still addressing national security.”
Douglas summed up one of the key dilemmas facing government and industry this way: “Everybody having these capabilities and having access to them creates national security issues. But at the same time, the U.S. only regulates U.S. companies, and we’re not going to change the entire world by only regulating our own companies. So we have to keep that in mind. How do we ensure global competitiveness in a market where everyone doesn’t have to play by the same rules? When we deal with issues that industry brings to us, they aren’t always a black-and-white thing. There are many different sides to these complex issues.”
One of those perplexing topics will be addressed at a panel entitled, “Resolution Limits: Balancing National Security Interests While Allowing Commercial Imagery Providers to Sell at Their Best Resolution.”
As Douglas noted, the U.S. government originally allowed E/O companies to sell satellite imagery of no better than one meter resolution on the commercial market. About a decade ago, that was lowered to 0.5 meters for most commercial sales.
“I’m fascinated by the fact that it’s been 10 years since we lowered the limit to half-meter,” she observed. “Ten years is a long time when you talk about technology. It’s imperative that the U.S. government keeps up with the pace of technology.”
“U.S. companies can sell half-meter E/O images without restrictions. The companies want to sell the best data they produce, which makes sense. But the U.S. government has to look at the national security aspects of it,” Douglas said. “The U.S. government regulates and deals with these issues, but we can only regulate U.S. capabilities. I see the future of the commercial remote sensing industry as global. Global partnerships and international cooperation will be the key drivers that enable the geospatial market to continue to grow.”
Another session will focus on the commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) market, which got a boost late last year when the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded three multiple-award contracts for SAR imagery, data products and direct downlink services.
“It’s really important to note the recent NGA contract to get access to international sources of commercial synthetic aperture radar. This is a critically important milestone, and makes a statement about the viability and importance of different types of sources and phenomenologies that are available outside the United States,” said Masback. He pointed out that along the critical path to this contract decision, USGIF hosted a commercial SAR workshop last spring that provided the community a valuable opportunity to discuss some the importance of SAR and the benefits of open access.
“The opportunity to partner for ICRSS with the Department of Commerce and NOAA is exciting to us,” said Masback, “and I’m confident that the great exchange of ideas and discussion will lead to advancements for the community much like what happened following USGIF’s Commercial SAR Workshop. Leaders from government, industry and academia won’t have to go all around the globe to discover these capabilities and have these discussions; the world will be coming to them. It’s a great opportunity for the foundation, our members and the GEOINT community.” ♦