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Remote Sensing Data: Applications and Benefits


Date: Monday, April 7, 2008 Time: 12:00 AM Location: Centennial Hall
Colorado Springs, CO

Opening Statement By Chairman Mark Udall

Good morning.  I want to welcome everyone to this morning’s hearing.

In particular, I’m pleased that my colleague and ranking member on the Space and Aeronautics subcommittee, Rep. Tom Feeney, has been able to join me here in the great state of Colorado.

I’d also like to mention that Rep. Doug Lamborn, who represents Colorado Springs in the U.S. House of Representatives, sends his regrets.  He would have like to have joined us here today, but unfortunately he has a previous commitment that made that impossible.

Before we begin, I would like to take the opportunity to recognize some of the local officials who are here and thank El Paso County officials for their help with today’s hearing.

I am looking forward to today’s hearing, because it touches on an area that has great relevance for the lives of our citizens here in Colorado – as well as for the lives of folks all across America.

It is also an area that hasn’t gotten as much public attention as it deserves, especially relative to the impact it has had on the operations of our state and local governments – as well as on other public- and private-sector activities in Colorado and elsewhere.

I’m speaking, of course, of the way that remote sensing data collected from commercial and government spacecraft and aircraft have been used to provide societal benefits, help strengthen our national defense, and protect our homeland.

And we are in an appropriate place to discuss these issues as Colorado is leading the way in remote sensing technology.  Not only is our state the center of gravity for commercial remote sensing activity, but our state and local government officials are also on the cutting edge of using this technology to help Colorado citizens.  But I don’t want to give too much away from our witnesses’s testimony today.…

I would like to note that we’ve come a long way since some of the first aerial photographs were taken of Boston in 1860 from a tethered balloon, and even from the first civil remote sensing satellite, TIROS 1, which was launched a century later in 1960 to take images to be used in weather forecasts.

Today, remote sensing data is becoming nearly ubiquitous through the use of advanced satellite, computing, and communications technologies.  One need only call up Web-based tools to access images of cities, neighborhoods, and unpopulated areas across the country at no cost.

The U.S. government and commercial firms operate numerous aircraft and satellites to collect and deliver the remote sensing data to users on the ground.  Today we will hear more about how these data are being used to benefit our society, and what needs to be done to expand on the opportunities this information offers.

We need not look far to see and feel the challenges – some known and some unknown – facing our municipalities and our nation.  Rising energy costs, our scarce water supply, and urban sprawl are complex problems.  We need to bring to bear the best available information to ensure that we take effective and well-informed actions in response.

Moreover, our natural environment and resources demand our vigilant stewardship.  We depend on water, forests, and fertile land among other resources to support our needs.

Here in Colorado, we have a close relationship with the land around us and are even more aware of how vulnerable these resources are.  Drought, the pine beetle infestation, and fire have wreaked havoc on our communities and our environment.  I hope our witnesses can give us insight into how remote sensing data can be used to help us effectively manage our natural resources.

Our government and private institutions also need to ensure that we are prepared in the event of emergencies and crises.  The tragedy of September 11, 2001 brought into stark reality the need to assess our infrastructure and plan against risks.  Remote sensing data was a vital asset in the response and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.  I want to learn about how remote sensing data can help our State, local, and Federal agencies ensure our security at home and abroad as well as respond to emergency situations.

Our witnesses today will also discuss the role of the commercial remote sensing industry in collecting and delivering the data to meet the needs of both public and private sector customers.  There is a science and art involved in turning the data collected by remote sensing instruments into sophisticated tools to support decision making, and I hope our witnesses will help us learn about the range and types of products that are available.  In that regard, I want to add that as an avid skier, I was pleased to learn that Colorado hosts a company that specializes in the use of satellite imagery to support the snow sports industry.  I consider that a true public service!

Congress has continued to provide policy direction for civil and commercial remote sensing to ensure the continued availability of this important data.  The Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 called for the continuity of civil land remote sensing data and established the guidelines to enable commercial operation of space remote sensing satellites.  In addition, Section 313 of the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, which I helped enact, directed NASA to support pilot projects "to explore the integrated use of … remote sensing and other geospatial information to address State, local, regional, and other tribal agency needs."

As we work on reauthorizing NASA this year, I intend to explore whether Congressional legislation has been effective in addressing those objectives, and whether Congress needs to consider additional measures to enable the expanded use of remote sensing data and information.

I hope that this hearing will also help us understand how we can continue to improve the delivery of these data to users so that it can be coordinated and shared among local, State, and Federal institutions – especially in the event of a crisis.

Finally, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses regarding what, if anything, needs to be done to sustain and grow a robust commercial remote sensing industry in the United States.

Well, we have a great deal to discuss today, and we have a very capable set of witnesses before us today.

Before we begin with today’s witnesses, I would like to note that while today’s hearing is focused on uses of remote sensing data, Colorado is home to several outstanding companies that design, build, and manage critical sensors to collect this information, including Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, and ITT.

Without their excellent sensor systems, our companies here today would not have much to work with!

So I acknowledge their critical role in this area and am pleased that several representatives from these companies are here today and will be submitting testimony for the record.

In closing, I again want to thank all of our witnesses for participating in today’s hearing and I look forward to your testimony.

Witnesses

Panel 1

2 - Mr. Simon Montagu
Customer Resource and Support Director Denver Regional Council of Governments Denver Regional Council of Governments
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3 - Mr. Manuel Navarro
Fire Chief City of Colorado Springs City of Colorado Springs
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1 - Mr. Jack Byers
Deputy Director and Deputy State Engineer Division of Water Resources Division of Water Resources
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4 - Mr. Frank Sapio
Director, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team U.S. Forest Service Department of Agriculture U.S. Forest Service Department of Agriculture
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Panel 2

2 - Mr. Matthew O’Connell
President and Chief Executive Officer GeoEye GeoEye
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3 - Ms. Jill Smith
President and Chief Executive Officer DigitalGlobe DigitalGlobe
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1 - Mr. Kevin Little
Director of Business Development Intermap Technologies, Inc. Intermap Technologies, Inc.
Download the Witness Testimony