Time for Improvement: The 1986 UN Remote Sensing Principles in the Information Age
- Paper number
IAC-16,E7,3,9,x35867
- Coauthor
Mr. Stefan A. Kaiser, Germany
- Year
2016
- Abstract
Thirty years after the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space, the technical and organisational and societal context of Earth observation, information analysis and distribution has dramatically changed. Information technology is broadly available in many parts of the world. Analysed information is generated not only by governmental bodies, but also by private value added service providers detached from the operation of remote sensing space systems, primary data collection and storage stations. The manifold sources of analysed information and their broad dissemination in the information age have therefore developed their own dynamics. Territorial sovereignty is today not such a limiting factor as perceived in the time, when the UN Remote Sensing Principles were drafted. In commercial applications, value added non-space derived content becomes a stronger driver than primary and processed data. The broad use of such non-space derived content stimulates the demand for primary data with higher resolution, more frequent updates and, in the future, even permanent viewing. Moreover the UN Remote Sensing Principles do not consider the linking of remote sensing and personal information and the related privacy implications, the use of remote sensing for (national) law enforcement and the connection between remote sensing and (satellite) navigation. This article will explore gaps of the UN Remote Sensing Principles and areas which may need a review in light of the technical and societal changes during the last thirty years.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-16,E7,3,9,x35867.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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