GLOBAL DATABASE OF KEY ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES 
Ryutaro Tateishi 
Center for Environmental Remote Sensing(CEReS), Chiba University 
1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263, Japan 
Fax:+81-43-290-3857 Email:tateishi@rsirc.cr.chiba-u.ac. JP 
Commission IV, Working Group 6 
KEY WORDS: Environment, Data, Global 
ABSTRACT 
We are in the age of the common recognition of the seriousness of global change. The first step of 
measures for global change is to know the present situation and the change from the past of key 
environmental variables. This is nothing but the development of global datasets and global database. 
The ISPRS WG IV/6 has started the study of global database since 1992. There are many problems 
to be solved for the development of better global database. These problems are identified in this 
paper. The next action by the ISPRS is to have linkage with other societies and project groups with a 
similar purpose. The possible actions by the ISPRS initiative are documentation/publication of the 
present situation of global database, the standardization of metadata for global datasets, and the 
standardization of map projection and data structure. 
1. GLOBAL CHANGE 
The awareness of global change was already 
noticed by some researchers in 1970s. It was 
widely recognized by general people through 
mass communication in 1980s. Many evidences 
such as the increase of the concentration of 
atmospheric carbon dioxides were found in 
1980s. In these period, space agency of 
developed countries in this field started to plan to 
launch earth observation satellites for global 
change studies. Late 90s is the time to launch 
these satellites such as ADEOS by Japan, SPOT- 
4 by France, and EOS-AMI by USA. 
Global change studies have become main 
purpose of remote sensing. What is the final 
goal of global change studies? It is the 
establishment of a pseudo Earth system in a 
computer which includes a complete and 
sufficiently accurate global datasets of key 
environmental variables and a model of global 
environmental mechanisms. This Earth system 
enables us to simulate the effect to the earth 
environment by any scenario of human 
activities. Such a system may be named "the 
Earth II in a Computer (EIIC)" after the 
Biosphere II in the desert of Arizona (Figure 1). 
The following four steps are a series of measure 
for global change. 
Step 1 Estimate of the present situation or 
changes of key environmental variables 
(Production of global datasets) 
Step 2 Understanding of the relations and 
interactions among key environmental 
variables (Modeling) 
Step3 Prediction of key environmental 
variables by human input (Simulation) 
Step 4 Finding the directions and limitations of 
human activitiesfor keeping sustainable 
or survival development (Policy making) 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996