Remote sensing in the information age

A large percentage of the public today perceives the majority of applications of Earth observation data from satellite and aircraft altitudes to be focused on the understanding and management of the renewable and non-renewable resources of the Earth and its environment. Originally conceived as a tool for gathering intelligence information, remote sensing has just fully emerged from its military womb to the public domain. Advances in the technology, a variety of indirect benefits that could be derived from space exploration, commercialization of remote sensing and the drive of the value-added companies - all of these hold promise for new opportunities for many other novel applications of Earth observation data and related information. In the advent of the more advanced, user-friendly, cost effective, and problem solving operations being championed by the private sector, particularly in the industrialized countries, it appears that the commercial future for remote sensing programmes and related information generated in the process is promising. This paper examines how the information age is influencing the metamorphosis of remote sensing technology particularly through international legal instruments and converging technologies. In spite of the progress attained to-date, of international concern is possible radio frequency interference between remote sensing satellite and communication satellite services. There is also a major knowledge gap between the providers of raw remote sensing data and the user community, particularly those interested in the new high-level information. A resolution of these issues will enhance the contributions of remote sensing to the information economy.