Download the article - Planet Action

eringaprojectintheSvalbardareaof
Norway, where a satellite reception station
stands. (Editor’s note: The cover
story of our Spring 2007 issue was a
report from Svalbard.)
Planet Action is also paying attentiontoprojectsthatrelateglobal
warmingtoahumanhealthelement.
Forexample,weareaccompanyinga
projectinSenegalthatismonitoring
environment and early warning systems
about vector-borne diseases such
asDengueFeverorRiftValleyFever.
Asanotherexample,asmallNGO
came to us to get support to study the
changesinvegetationinMadagascar,
duetotheappearanceofinvasiveplants
that may relate to climate change. (See
on page 31.) All these are reference
projects, which we are working
withnowinordertoseehowbestwe
cansupportthem,whatkindofdata
they need, and how we can provide
them with useful scientific support. For
this scientific support, we have engaged
talkswiththeUSGSandFrance’sIRD
(Institut de Recherche pour le Développement).
In order for Planet Action
to scale up, we plan to launch an
international call for projects in 2008,
according to criteria and qualification
processes that we will have fine-tuned
during this early phase.
YOO Howwillyouselecttheseprojects?
BUCHWALTER I don’t think it is
appropriatetospeakofaselection
process.Theintentionhereistosetup
averyopensupportprotocolwithclear
andsimplequalificationcriteria.Asyou
would easily understand, in this matter
the more projects the better. This being
said,wehavelimitedmeansand,as
astart,weplantosupportthemona
first-come, first-served basis. This is
another reason why partnerships and
extra funding are needed to expand
progressively the scope of projects as
much as possible and gain momentum.
YOO What would these qualification
criteria be?
BUCHWALTER Well, to qualify for
support from Planet Action, the projects
will have to address one of the following
five fields: water resources and hydrology,
ice and snow cover, drought and
desertification, human issues and coping
strategies,oragricultureandforestry.
Theprojectteamsareexpectedtobe
international and to have at least one
representative from the country where the
project takes place. The projects should
have a scientific dimension, of course, but
should encompass a proposal or recommendationforaction,inordertocope
with the human impact of their findings.
We would like the projects to have supportfromauniversityoraresearchlabto
ensure their scientific validity.
TherewillnotbesubsidiaryrelationshipsinPlanetAction,meaningthatif
thereisalreadyasupportprogramfor
whichtheprojectqualifiesthatwould
provideasimilarsupporttotheproject
as the Planet Action one, then our
support would not replace the original
supportprogram.Thesecriteriawillbe
finalized together with our partners.
YOO Whyareyoudoingthis?
BUCHWALTER AsImentionedbefore,
thisisamatterofcorporateresponsibilityforus.Somuchsothat,togetherwith
launching the Planet Action initiative,
we are in the process of initializing a
“Carbon Plan” within Spot Image to
evaluateandcompensateourcarbon
imprint.Andthereareacoupleofother
reasons.Weseehereanopportunity
to add value to our archives, which are
quite under-used, given their huge potential.
Furthermore, Planet Action is a way
forustoreinforceourexistingpartnerships.
I’m thinking here of our Direct
Receiving Stations (DRS) network,
which spreads all over the world. Should
they wish to, the DRS can be at the forefront
of local initiatives to help assess
the climate change impact in their region
and to stimulate coping and adapting
strategies within the population.
Lastbutnotleast,we’dbehappyto
seePlanetActionasawaytostartand
grow new partnerships, within and
beyond our industry, because we think
thatourbusiness,aswellasclimate
change, is at a turning point and that
extended partnerships will be part of
thesolutions.Itmayverywellbethat
Planet Action teaches us new ways of
doingbusiness,bringsinanewbusinessculturetoSpotImageandreaches
outtonewconstituencies.
YOO Wherewillthefundingcome
from?
BUCHWALTER FirstfromthevariousPlanetActionpartnersthatwill
contribute either in cash or in kind to
fundtheInternetplatform,thecommunication
and education actions, and
coordination.Next,theintentionisto
setupafoundation,possiblyin2008,
whichwillbecomethepropervehicle
toreceivemoresignificantfunding
from corporations, organizations and
other foundations, and to extend support
to other related projects.
6
IMAGING NOTES SUMMER 2007 // WWW.IMAGINGNOTES.COM