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How toUnderstandandInfluencePublicOpinionA dvocat i ng for Sat elliteI m agery i n t h e Big C i t yDavid LogsdonExecutive DirectorSpace Enterprise CouncilWashington, D.C.www.uschamber.com/spaceIt seems so simple,really — promoting a product that is considereda media darling. One can tune in to thenightly news and come across a major newsstory for which commercial satellite imageryis utilized during the coverage. Generals relyon commercial satellite imagery in their dailyplanning, the nation’s farmers use the imageryfor precision agriculture, and thousandsof disaster management planners have incorporatedthe imagery into both their pre- andpost-disaster assessments. One would thinkthat advocating for such a product would bea cinch, but that is not necessarily the case.A lot of different actions need to be takenbefore true progress can be made. Here’s abird’s-eye view into the advocacy processfrom the standpoint of the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce Space Enterprise Council (SEC),describing how the SEC influences policy.The two driving forces of issuesmanagementFor as long as I can remember, the key toadvocating for an issue either within theFederal Government or on a local level isthe ability to tie the issue to two distinctconcerns: national and economic security.To put it bluntly, ‘fear’ and ‘greed’ sell onCapitol Hill and on Main Street. Frameyour issue within this context, and more oftenthan not, you will win the debate.How to reach out to the state,regional, and local businesscommunities: grass-tops lobbyingBecause the SEC is affiliated with theU.S. Chamber of Commerce, we have theunique ability to reach out to the entireAmerican business community to articulatethe relevancy of an issue. This can beaccomplished in many formats. For example,if we were hosting a forum at the U.S.Chamber of Commerce on the benefits ofcommercial satellite imagery for nationalsecurity, that forum could be Web-castlive to over 1,300 chambers, and could bepromoted through the chamber’s monthlynewsletter. Yet another way to reach a localaudience is through Letters to the Editorand Opinion Editorials placed in regionaland local papers. When these localbusiness leaders respond back to Congresson an issue, it is considered grass-tops lobbying.Infusing the grass-tops into actionis a major goal for the SEC.Figure 1 Agricultural use of land inWeld County, Colo. QuickBird satelliteimage courtesy of DigitalGlobe.18 s u m m e r 2 0 0 6 w w w . i m a g i n g n o t e s . c o m