1January 2004

Role of the Private Sector in Providing Satellite Remote

Sensing InformationRobert L. (Buzz) Bernstein

SeaSpace Corporation

Email rbernstein@seaspace.com

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

Tel 858-746-1103

2January 2004

Corporate Offices – San Diego, California, USA

L-Band 1.2 m

NOAA/FY-1 & SeaWiFS

X-Band 3.6 m MODIS/OCM

X-Band 4.5 m SAR

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

3January 2004

Satellite Platforms Currently Tracked at SeaSpace

4January 2004

SeaSpace Corporate Focus:

Lowering the barriers that stand between users and the environmental satellite data they need for their applications

The Two Main Barriers:

I. Ready access to the data sources

II. Having gained data access, the necessary hardware & software tools to process, manipulate, analyze, and archive the resulting data

Data Sourc

es

Data UsersAcces

sTools

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

5January 2004

SeaSpace TeraScan systems operate in 30+ countries and at more than 500 user-sites…

User base:

50% Science & research 50% operational

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

6January 2004

…including many academic & gov’t labs as well as civilian and military operational organizations

across the U.S.

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

7January 2004

http://sdcoos.ucsd.edu

San Diego Coastal Ocean Observing System

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

8January 2004

Environmental remote sensing satellites may be divided into two distinct classes:

Freely accessible (or nearly so) – operated by U.S. and non-U.S. gov’t organizations (e.g. NOAA/AVHRR; Terra & Aqua MODIS; India’s Oceansat-1/OCM; China’s FY-1)

and

Access limited via expensive user fees – operated by U.S. and non-U.S. gov’t organizations, as well as private companies (e.g. LANDSAT, RADARSAT, Ikonos)Freely accessible data typically at >250m resolution with ~1 day repeat coverage

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

19 Oct 2003

21 Oct 2003

9January 2004

Environmental remote sensing satellites may be divided into two distinct classes:

Freely accessible (or nearly so) – operated by U.S. and non-U.S. gov’t organizations (e.g. NOAA/AVHRR; Terra & Aqua MODIS; India’s Oceansat-1/OCM; China’s FY-1)

and

Access limited via expensive user fees – operated by U.S. and non-U.S. gov’t organizations, as well as private companies (e.g. LANDSAT, RADARSAT, Ikonos)Freely accessible data typically at >250m resolution with ~1 day repeat coverage

Limited access data typically at <30m resolution with 10+ day repeat coverage

For most IOOS purposes, the great cost and long periods between repeat coverage makes the Limited Access data relatively less useful

So let’s concentrate on the freely accessible government satellite data sources…

What is the appropriate role of the private sector here?

What is the appropriate role of the government?

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

10January 2004

Government Role: build, launch, operate and make data readily available

Private Sector Role: data processing & distribution systems tailored to end user needs

End Users

Government organizations often attempt to assume too much of the Private Sector Role

This limits or entirely eliminates the Private Sector, in what would otherwise be an end-user, market-responsive activity

It also reduces the available Government funds for operating the various freely available environmental satellites

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

11January 2004

Leveraging an existing network of satellite acquisition and processing systems

to encourage data sharing among a much larger end-user community

One example of a private sector role …

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

12January 2004

Encourages sharing of data and methodologies

Builds system redundancy

Eliminates satellite tracking time-conflicts

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004

13January 2004

Conclusions:

With regard to private sector involvement in satellite remote sensing aspects of IOOS

There are multiple useful roles -

Data acquisition, processing, dissemination

Integrated data management

But these useful roles for the private sector can be swiftly eliminated by policy and funding choices within various branches of government

IOOS Houston TX 2 – 4 March 2004