Policies and Economics

Definition

Satellite remote sensing systems, particularly civil Earth observation systems, whether constructed in the public or the private sector, are generally governed by national policies. There are several reasons for this. Civil remote sensing satellites can be used to obtain observations in numerous areas of national importance, such as weather, climate, natural hazards, environment, and even international relations. As a consequence, control and management of these satellite systems is critically important to governments. This control is exerted through legislative, regulatory, and fiscal policies.

A second reason that governments are involved in policies for remote sensing is that these systems are extremely expensive to build and to operate. In most cases, governments initially became involved in remote sensing because of their need for specific types of remotely sensed data and their desire for technological expertise in this area. Over time, in their search for ways to...