There are many vantage points upon which to view the challenges of our times. But, that from space can help us to observe, overcome and manage the effects of our growing collective impacts. Therefore, World Space Week Association is pleased to announce the theme for 2016: “Remote Sensing: Enabling Our Future” which celebrates Earth Observation from Space for the betterment of the human race.
Space systems play a key role in our ability to monitor the environment, conduct scientific research, better predict the weather, increase agriculture yields, support disaster prevention and management, peace keeping, and several other application areas. Classic Earth observations systems such as the U.S. Landsat system were largely developed by government actors. But more and more satellites are being launched and data being obtained by giants like DigitalGlobe, or unique new players stimulated by the smallsat revolution and the increased demand for Earth Observation data from public entities and private companies, such as Google, Inc., for its use in mapping and location based services. This rising commercial use of Earth Observation imagery and data is expected to stimulate the market growth and revolutionize how powerful tools and data enhance lives and enable a future that we can impact positively.
