Download the article - Planet Action

awarenessandfeelimpelledtoaction.
GoogleEarthisalreadydoingatremendous
job in this respect.
The third idea is to provide materialsthatraiseawarenessandsupport
educationalprogramsaboutclimate
change.ItisourhopethatPlanetAction
will stimulate schools and youth
because their generation will ultimatelybethemostdirectlyconcerned.We
aredesigningPlanetActionasameans
tobringtogetherscientistsandNGOs,
international institutions and local
organizations, industries and citizens.
There is something new to invent here
andthereareboundariestocross.
YOO What will Spot Image’s specific
role and contribution be?
BUCHWALTER Thereisnoownership
of such an initiative, as we hope it will
reach far beyond our means. We see our
roleascatalystsofadynamicthatwewill
helptogrowandthrive.Wecandothis
only with partners, existing ones and new
ones.We’vealreadyidentifiedandcontacted
like-minded companies and organizations,
both within and outside our industry
who are slated to play a significant
role. Spot Image will contribute free satellite
images, whether from our archives or
from acquisition. To this, we will add our
connections and relationships with both
the industrial and scientific communities,
plus a contribution in images sold at cost,
something comparable to the French Isis
or European Oasis programs to which we
contributeviaCNES(CentreNational
d’Etudes Spatiales), the French Space
Agency.
YOO WhatisthescaleofSpot
Image’s contribution?
BUCHWALTER This year is serving as a
“proof of concept” phase where we experiment
with the idea and check how it
fitswithourinternalprocesses.Weplan
to donate some 700,000 km 2 of imagery
forsome15to20projectsthatwe’llsupport
in 2007. Most have been identified,
afewhavealreadystarted,andothers
willbebroughtbyourpartners.
YOO Underwhatkindoflicensewill
theseimagesbeavailable?
BUCHWALTER Youtouchonarather
importantandsensitiveissue.The
PlanetActionpurposeistodisseminate
Earth imagery to people and
communitieswhoarenotnecessarily
familiar with it. We are in the process
of researching various license optionstofulfilthisobjectivewithout
jeopardizing the profitability of our
company.Licensingwillenablealarge
exchange and access to data while
keeping our business safe. Here again,
wemayexperimentwithnewideas.
Another dimension attached to this is
totrainandeducatenewusersonhow
properlytoselectthekindofdatathey
need,howtounderstandwhatcanbe
availableandwhatcannot,howbestto
usethisimageryandsoon.
FIGURE 4
YOO Could you provide any detail
aboutsomeprojects?
BUCHWALTER Well, let’s talk for
instance about the International Polar
Year, in which CNES, the French Space
Agency,isveryinvolved.Thisisahuge
project,notonlybecauseofitssize,but
becauseofitspotentialimplications.
AftertherecentIPCC(Intergovernmental
Panel for Climate Change) meeting
in Paris, the 4th IPY (International
Polar Year) was launched in March
2007, with 210 projects that will deal
with melting ice, thawing permafrost,
threatened populations and wildlife.
Among these projects, 58 will have a
French component, with several to be
supported by satellite imagery. Planet
Actionwillbringanadditionaldimension
to existing community projects.
Forinstance,wearecurrentlyconsid-
IMAGING NOTES SUMMER 2007 // WWW.IMAGINGNOTES.COM
5