The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part Bl. Beijing 2008 
address networking, improving response time and providing 
user-oriented space-segment control. The education in using 
spacebome data has to be improved but also the information 
extraction process for decision makers has to be tailored and 
optimized to their needs. 
Trends in the program segment: The trends in the program 
segment of cost effective Earth observation missions for disaster 
warning and support are focused on new applications and new 
data products. Some key points are: 
• tele-medicine applications are important for disaster man 
agement and should be extended, 
• medical weather maps should be integrated into public 
health applications, 
• tele-education should be built up for disaster applications, 
• national disaster preparedness should be improved and 
should include the appropriate use of the space segment, 
• new monitoring applications using space technologies (GPS) 
should be applied to rescue teams and people in high risk 
areas, 
• integration of space-based sensors into the spectrum of 
sensors that includes ground- and aircraft-based systems, 
• use of new airborne platforms such as UAVs (Unmanned 
Air Vehicle) or transportable tethered balloons or dirigible 
airships may augment the space segment, 
• integration and fusion of data from all available sources and 
the development of models related to disaster conditions are 
progressing to the point where expert systems may become 
available 
• multi-temporal analysis of regional changes and conditions 
based on already existing satellite data is currently done by 
experts and must be simplified or improved to address a 
broader potential user community 
In summary, tele-health and tele-education applications should 
be included in a disaster monitoring program. In addition, the 
entire spectrum of assets, from ground to space, must be inte 
grated into an environment that provides the information needed 
to make decisions. This “expert system” needs to be developed: 
too much of the data is of meaning to, and accessible, only to 
experts and too little is in a form that can be used for disaster 
relief and mitigation personnel. 
REFERENCES 
Background Paper (No. 9). Small Satellite Missions - for the 
Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peace 
ful Uses of Outer Space. United Nations Document A/CONF. 
184/BP/9, 26 May 1998 
BrieB, K., Jahn, H., Lorenz, E., Oertel, D., Skrbek, W., Zhukov, 
B. (2003). Fire Recognition Potential of the Bi-spectral Infra- 
Red Detection (BIRD) Satellite. International Journal of Re 
mote Sensing, Taylor & Francis, Volume 24, Number 4/ Febru 
ary 10, 2003, pp. 865 - 872 
Sandau, Rainer (ed.), 2006. International Study on Cost- 
Effective Earth Observation Missions. A. A. Balkema Publish 
ers, a member of Taylor & Francis Group pic, Leiden, The 
Netherlands, ISBN 10: 0-415-39136-9, ISBN 13: 9-78-0-415- 
39136-8, 160 p.