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New U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Policy Provides Direction and Challenges |
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(Source: Frost & Sullivan; issued May 19, 2003)
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On April 26, 2003 President Bush signed a document promising sweeping changes in the way the federal government purchases and uses imagery and information from the U.S. commercial satellite remote sensing industry. The policy comes at an ideal time for an industry awaiting a clear direction and revenues from the highest levels of the federal government.
The policy supersedes President Clinton’s 1994 Presidential Decision Directive 23, and comes on the heels of the Clearview contracts, which promise up to a billion dollars worth of U.S. commercial satellite imagery and data purchases over a roughly five-year period. Although the new administration policy carries with it no specific funding, it does propose sweeping new ways to integrate and use commercial satellite imagery and information across a wide range of federal government agencies.
The fact sheet states that: The fundamental goal of this policy is to advance and protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by maintaining the nation’s leadership in remote sensing space activities, and by sustaining and enhancing the U.S. remote sensing industry."
Administration sources in several publications have said the White House is far from a disinterested observer, taken by many to mean that this document and the policy it outlines will have traction for years to come. The policy could not have come at a better time for industry. The ability to finance a next generation of commercial remote sensing satellites rested largely on assurances that the federal government would continue to be an anchor client.
The language in the fact sheet is unambiguous in this regard. Among many other things, it states that the U.S. government will: "Rely to the maximum practical extent on U.S. commercial remote sensing space capabilities for filling imagery and geospatial needs for military, intelligence, foreign policy, homeland security, and civil users."
Industry has waited for such direction and guidance from the legislative and executive branches of government, for organizations that have expressed a past interest have not always had budget authority or clear indications from leadership. In addition, increased commercial imagery use has been viewed by some as a threat to existing programs for information and data capture. The new policy puts in place a timeline for agencies and government organizations to assess their information and imagery needs with the goal of ascertaining how commercial satellite imagery fits in these paradigms.
If the policy goals are implemented, a whole slew of information, hardware and software could be positively impacted. Clearly mentioned as part of these space systems are: "spacecraft, the mission package (s), ground stations, data links, and associated command and control facilities and may include data processing and exploitation hardware and software;" In this regard the greater geospatial industry is looking for increased opportunities in selling to the U.S. government as well as abroad, with a streamlined decision process to ensure a better international competitive stance. (ends)
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Fact Sheet: U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy |
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(Source: White House; issued May 13, 2003)
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The United States Government last year began a broad review of U.S. space policies to adjust to the domestic and international developments in recent years that affect U.S. space capabilities. One important component of the current review focuses on the relationship between the United States Government and the commercial remote sensing industry. The last policy covering this area was issued in 1994. Since that time, there have been significant changes to this critical area of U.S. national and economic security. This policy is the first product of the ongoing National Space Policy Review.
Background
Vital national security, foreign policy, economic, and civil interests depend on the U.S. ability to remotely observe Earth from space. Toward these ends, the U.S. Government develops and operates highly capable remote sensing space systems for national security purposes, to satisfy civil mission needs, and to provide important public services. U.S. national security systems are valuable assets because of their high quality data collection, timeliness, volume, and coverage that provide a near real-time capability for regularly monitoring events around the world. U.S. civil remote sensing systems enable such activities as research on local, regional, and global environmental change, and support services and data products for weather, climate, and hazard response, and agricultural, transportation, and infrastructure planning.
A robust U.S. commercial remote sensing space industry can augment and potentially replace some existing U.S. Government capabilities and can contribute to U.S. military, intelligence, foreign policy, homeland security, and civil objectives, as well as U.S. economic competitiveness. Continued development and advancement of U.S. commercial remote sensing space capabilities also is essential to sustaining the nation's advantage in collecting information from space. In order to maintain a robust U.S. commercial remote sensing industry, we must enhance the international competitiveness of the industry.
Commercial Remote Sensing Policy
The fundamental goal of U.S. commercial remote sensing space policy is to advance and protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by maintaining the nation's leadership in remote sensing space activities, and by sustaining and enhancing the U.S. remote sensing industry. Doing so will also foster economic growth, contribute to environmental stewardship, and enable scientific and technological excellence.
In support of this goal, the U.S. Government will:
--Rely to the maximum practical extent on U.S. commercial remote sensing space capabilities for filling imagery and geospatial needs for military, intelligence, foreign policy, homeland security, and civil users;
--Focus U.S. Government remote sensing space systems on meeting needs that cannot be effectively, affordably, and reliably satisfied by commercial providers because of economic factors, civil mission needs, national security concerns, or foreign policy concerns;
--Develop a long-term, sustainable relationship between the U.S. Government and the U.S. commercial remote sensing space industry;
--Provide a timely and responsive regulatory environment for licensing the operations and exports of commercial remote sensing space systems; and
--Enable U.S. industry to compete successfully as a provider of remote sensing space capabilities for foreign governments and foreign commercial users, while ensuring appropriate measures are implemented to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
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