Policy assessment of the impacts of remote-sensing technology

The successful innovation and diffusion of commercial satellite enterprises may soon encroach upon the military's historic predominance in remote-sensing capabilities. The increasing world demand for remote-sensing data and services and the forces of globalization have opened unprecedented opportunities for informational and technological trade for industrialized nations, while simultaneously creating a risk to both state security and individual privacy rights. Even as scientists and international trade advocates have sought technologies to bolster information flows, the intelligence and military communities have sought to restrict technological access in the interest of national security. The tension caused by concentrating power among various levels of government is an intrinsic part of democratic government; however, remote-sensing technologies could disrupt the balance between concentrated interests (federal government officials and agencies) and diffused interests (local governments and individual citizens). This paper aims to examine holistically the opposing forces underlying the development, diffusion, and use of remote-sensing technologies. The analysis reveals the dimensions of this problem and provides insight into the efficacy of various short- and long-term government policies.