Kass Green, president of Kass Green & Associates and former president of Space Imaging Solutions, spoke yesterday at the Pecora Remote Sensing Symposium about the 30 years of national land imaging success that is still in jeopardy without action from the incoming administration. Green indicated that while the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LCDM) is now funded, there’s still a need for the incoming administration to act in order to shore up the commitment to earth observation, including the call for Imagery for the Nation.
Green mentioned that president-elect Obama has spelled out a space policy that includes a commitment to the Landsat program. I found record of this in a status report released in mid-August by SpaceRef, but not referenced on Obama’s own policy pages on his website:
Enhancing Earth Mapping: Obama will continue support for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, which allows study of the earth’s land surfaces and provides valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use.
While there is growing excitement for a strong future of earth observation and mapping policy from the incoming administration, there’s also a tempering of expectations given the large issues of the war, energy and the economy. In fact, Gene Whitney, former Assistant director for Environment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, spoke solely about a reasoned approach to the incoming administration that would focus less on technology and the investments that are needed, and more on the societal benefits of earth observation.
The earth observation and mapping communities are energized by the potential for dramatic change that would revitalize national technology investment and provide clearer policy objectives. It’s good to see the direct mention of Earth mapping in Obama’s stance on space policy, and it will be interesting to see a clarification of commitments in the coming months.
