Using Remote Sensing in State and Local Government Information for Management and Decision Making (2003) / Chapter Skim
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4. Beyond State and Local Government
4. Beyond State and Local Government
Pages 50-61
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From page 50... ...
Such cooperation makes it possible for state and local governments to introduce remote sensing data and information applications, which can in turn improve the quality of the data and information available for management and decision making at all levels of government. In previous chapters, the steering committee discusses collaboration within state and local governments; here it examines interactions of the nonfederal public sector with the federal government and the private sector.
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From page 51... ...
The steering committee was told that continuity in the Landsat data stream is invaluable for monitoring and measuring change in public sector remote sensing applications. The cost of data is always a concern to local government, and the cost of Landsat data, although far lower than that of commercial data, is often too high for many jurisdictions, according to workshop participants, who said that an effective way to increase the use of satellite remote sensing data in state and local government would be to make Landsat data available at greatly reduced prices.
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From page 52... ...
These could be a valuable resource for state and local governments. The data centers most widely used by state and local governments are the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive, operated by the USGS at EROS Data Center in South Dakota; NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)
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From page 53... ...
. agencies should establish joint research announcements aimed at fostering the development of applications for remote sensing data through basic research."3 NASA's Office of Earth Science supports 3space Studies Board and Ocean Studies Board, National Research Council, Transforming Remote Sensing Data into Information and Applications, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2001, p.
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From page 54... ...
NASA has also awarded grants to or arranged memoranda of understanding with professional societies that work with state and local government managers, such as the Western Governors Association, the Aerospace States Association, the National States Geographic Information Council, the Geologists Association, and the International City Managers Association, to expand the use of remote sensing data by the nonfederal public sector. NOAA representatives at the workshop planning meeting reported that the agency's NESDIS Ocean Remote Sensing Program initiated a competitive grants program in FY2000 that encourages state and regional organizations to seek support to improve the application of remote sensing data.
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From page 55... ...
Remote sensing technologies are changing rapidly, and their applications and user communities are expanding. Although there is an ongoing tradition of research on the efficacy of technology transfer practices and policies, this research has often focused on international development issues and is not always relevant to intergovernmental technology transfer or to such issues as the application of remote sensing and geospatial technologies in the nonfederal public sector.
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From page 56... ...
These new capabilities can in principle contribute to the overall development and advancement of technical skills in the public sector. According to workshop participants, however, competing demands on local government are so great and the budget limitations so severe that the next step, using newly acquired remote sensing technical skills for other public sector management and decision making purposes, is often not taken.
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From page 57... ...
Local governments will always be responsible for their own data for routine management, but emergency access to new forms of expensive high-technology data such as remote sensing data must be provided by the federal government or the private sector.7 Working More Effectively with the Federal Government Despite the many types of interaction between federal agencies and state and local governments in obtaining and using remote sensing data and information, workshop participants said they frequently encountered roadblocks in working with federal agencies. At times these were caused by regulatory requirements; for example, federal agencies cannot become involved in disaster recovery or emergency management unless an area is formally declared a disaster by the President.
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From page 58... ...
For example, as discussed in Chapter 3, small remote sensing firms have worked with local governments for years, but newly established national and international satellite data providers encounter problems when forced to negotiate small contracts with a multiplicity of local government units. Despite the potential size of the overall public sector market for data, the need to obtain many small contracts can be uneconomical for firms that must provide a return on investment.
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From page 60... ...
Not only are public sector procurement processes arduous and time-consuming relative to the likely value of the contract but they are also dependent on public sector budget processes that are uncertain and subject to unexpected changes for political or economic reasons. One representative of a commercial remote sensing firm said his firm had learned that public sector budgets can suddenly be altered and that funding that appeared to be available can disappear.
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From page 61... ...
BEYOND STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT 61 had long played in training individuals to use GIS and encouraging the growth of a market for GIS in state and local government as an example of how the private sector can contribute to the growth of an active user community. Even the representatives of private sector firms at the workshop recognized that they needed to do more to stimulate demand from the public sector applications community for remote sensing.
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