INTERNATIONAL-COOPERATION IN REMOTE-SENSING FOR GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH - POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC-CONSIDERATIONS

Activities concerning international cooperation in space-based remote sensing for global change research have for the most part focused on t echnical/functional aspects such as data harmonization, research proje ct coordination, and sensor selection and deployment. Until fairly rec ently, little attention has been directed towards the various politica l and economic constraints which may act as 'stumbling blocks'. A revi ew of the contemporary international remote sensing milieu as it relat es to the global change research agenda is presented. Several importan t political and economic conditions affecting this area are identified : (1) data access and pricing policies; (2) national security concerns ; (3) developed/developing nation relations; and (4) inconsistent poli tical/financial commitments. A set of recommendations is offered to en hance international cooperation in the use of space based remote sensi ng data for global change research.