3.1.2 
  
In the case of Satellite remote sensing, even fewer Developing Countries have national, or 
regional, Ground Receiving and Processing Stations, which are necessary for ensuring a 
regular and adequate supply of Satellite imageries of needed areas. On the other, hand, 
the establishment, or even upgrading, of appropriate Ground Receiving and Processing 
Stations depends critically on the propsects of platform continuity, while optimum re- 
turns from such a capital intensive investment cannot be guaranteed unless the Operators 
of future Space Systems ensure the latter's compatibility with existing Systems in terms 
of both data reception and processing. Unfortunately, only the uncertainty of future 
orbital remote sensing platforms is currently certain. Indeed with the current policy of 
gradual transfer of responsibility for the execution of U.S. Programme on Satellite Remo- 
te Sensing to Private Organisations (9), the future of the Landsat series is somehow 
insecure. In addition, neither the ERS—1 of the European Space Agency; the J-ERS 1 
of Japan, nor the Radarsat of Canada has yet received full implementation commitment, 
while the operational lifetime of the French SPOT has so far not been guaranteed beyond 
10 years. 
The Developing Countries are hardly involved in the planning and conceptual design of 
Satellite Remote Sensing Systems. This situation eliminates the consideration of the pecu- 
liar problems of the affected Countries at these stages of development of the Systems, 
thereby reducing their broad and effective participation. 
: 3.2 Dearth of adequate manpower 
3.2.1 
3.2.2 
3.2.3 
The level of interpretation substantially determines the extent of usefulness of remotely 
sensed data. However, the dearth of experienced personnel in Developing Countries 
tends to reduce the extent of image interpretation resulting from image identification. In 
deed, whereas from a simple image identification a target may be identified as a building, 
more linkages requiring considerable expertise would be needed to interprete the use to 
which the building is put. Most applications leading to subtle distinctions demand experi- 
ence in applying image enhancement and transformation techniques. 
The few available Experts generally operate from a disadvantaged position, as they are 
usually not consulted at the planning and design stages of Remote Sensing Systems and, 
therefore, have no input in the choice of sensors, which is inevitably related to the tar- 
gets to be sensed. Their position is further worsened by inability to define the tasks and 
targets precisely in terms of their spatial, spectral and temporal characteristics, owing to 
the usual absence of necessary research data on the prevalent peculiar targets. 
The dearth of indigenous personnel with adequate expertise restricts the use of sensors 
to mainly the photographic type te the virtual exclusion of electro optical imaging, 
radar and microwave. 
3.3 Inadequate financial resources 
3.31 
3.3.2 
In the face of competing, and often conflicting, priorities, Developing Countries, general- 
ly characterised by lack of financial resources, find financing new ideas virtually impossi- 
ble. 
With the current pricing of remote sensing data products on cost-recovery basis, coupled 
with the need to make the payments in currencies that are foreign to those of Developing 
Countries, the latter find these products virtually beyond their reach On the other hand, 
the dynamic nature of the technology hardly allows the accommodation of these costs 
through the usual process of budgetary provisions. 
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