Udall Hosts Congressional Field Hearing Highlighting Space Technologies That Help Colorado With Bark Beetle, Forest Fires, and National Security
(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee held a congressional field hearing in Colorado Springs to explore the opportunities and challenges of using remote sensing data to benefit public and private sector including urban planning, natural resource management, national defense, and homeland security.
Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO) and Ranking Member Tom Feeney (R-FL) examined the role that the federal government and private sector remote sensing applications play in assisting the public sector.
“Remote sensing 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,” said Udall. “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.”
“Drought, the pine beetle infestation, and fire have wreaked havoc on our communities and our environment,” Udall added. “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 government officials are also on the cutting edge of using this technology to help our citizens.”
Ranking Member Feeney: “While today’s hearing was a bit Colorado-centric, I can tell you that in my congressional district along Florida’s Space Coast, we have experienced a dramatic rise in population over the last two decades. As a consequence of this growth, ensuring timely emergency response services, measuring land use and impacts, and preserving adequate fresh water sources are considerations that now control much of our future development.”
The first panel of the hearing focused on local, state, and federal remote sensing data users and how they employ these technologies to assist the public, for instance, in identifying forests vulnerable to fire and insect infestation, managing water resources, planning urban development and road construction, and mapping floodplains. Witnesses included Manuel Navarro, Colorado Springs Fire Chief; Simon Montagu, Customer Resource and Support Director of Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG); Frank Sapio, Director of the Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; and Jack Byers, Deputy Director and Deputy State Engineer of the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
Manuel Navarro: “In Colorado Springs, we have realized that remote sensing technology and geospatial information are key tools in improving our ability to shape the environment that we operate in. We now rely on these tools to help us prepare and plan for potential hazard and risk events, communicate with our citizens and adjacent emergency response agencies, and make the right decisions while deploying in initial attack or during sustained operations during a large scale wild fire.”
Simon Montagu: “Federal investment in research and development has and continues to be a significant driver in the growth and expansion of the nation’s geospatial information industry. DRCOG and its member governments leverage this investment in significant ways on a daily basis.”
Frank Sapio: “Remote sensing methods are effective tools to assess fire, forest pest and forest conditions. One of the benefits of using remote sensing data over data acquired by other techniques…is the spatial precision which allows for the analysis of other resource concerns…helping to reduce analysis time and improve overall planning productivity.”
Jack Byers: “Replacing on-the-ground reconnaissance with satellite-based information is highly beneficial in terms of efficient water management, efficient use of limited resources and improved decision-making.”
The second panel of the hearing was composed of providers of remote sensing data testifying on how it benefits state and local governments and on the role that commercial data can play in addressing these civil applications as well as those related to homeland security and national defense. Many of the agencies and organizations that use remote sensing tools provide services that extend to the state, local, and regional levels. The panel included representatives from Intermap Technologies, GeoEye, and Digital Globe, all private providers of remote sensing data with operations in Colorado.
More information about this hearing, please visit the Committee’s website at www.house.gov/science.
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