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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004 
contoured, as a consequence of the profound changes in the 
world, in the evolution of extra-atmospheric space use in 
peaceful aims in juridical, political, technical and economical 
terms; but less in institutional terms, we have to add. So, from 
UNISPACE II (1982) where the attention — within the Spatial 
Applications Program (SAP) — was focused on developing 
remote sensing means, on access to (and the need for) 
information respectively; next, UNO program (SAP) is to 
promote (thematic) applications for the (spatial) information 
field. As well, important mutations appeared in the attitude of 
specialists and in dominant themes of ISPRS congresses, works 
that have evolved within a registry with “democratic touch” — 
we could say — from the "need for the best possible products!" 
(17^ Congress in Washington, 1992) to the “need for 
geoinformation for everybody!" (19^ Congress in Amsterdam, 
2000) As we can see, under these circumstances, the 
institutional aspects did not represent the object of some 
“accents” or “revelations”. 
- Institutional approach. Starting from the premises of the 
two approaches (IDA, GSA), the creation of a specialized 
organization, precisely of an International Coordination Centre 
(ICC) for Remote Sensing and Earth Protection (ICC/RSEP), 
could administrate a continuous and specialized communication 
between SIEA and SEOS. In this respect, the approach can be 
motivated using the recommendations of the 6" Workshop on 
spatial international cooperation (Sevilla, 2001). 
2.2. Proposals and arguments in favor of 
institutionalization 
- Proposals. This desideratum may be fulfilled, according to 
the ideas suggested within the proposals foreseen by UNO 
documents (projects, questionnaires), in the following ways: 
e within a single country (the case of USA, Russia, 
etc); 
e ata group of countries level (the case of ESA, etc.); 
® asa specialized agency, under the auspices of UNO; 
® as anew international organization. 
The multitude of international and regional institutions 
(intergovernmental and nongovernmental) involved in remote 
sensing activities, and also the thematic character of spatial 
applications bring to attention the “question of assuring a 
coordination at a higher standard”. Yet to such a standard the 
last two proposals are referring. Which one is the adequate? 
Concerning the institutional approach, Romania has sustained a 
clear point of view in this regard, since 1974, meaning that the 
United Nations must admit not only the proper importance of 
“terrestrial remote sensing using satellites” but also the creation, 
with this purpose, of an “international centre under the UNO 
auspices, as well as of some regional centres” (-our 
underlining-). In view of encouraging the cooperation among all 
structural strategies (scientific, technical, administrative), the 
governments will have to create National Coordination Centers 
(NCC) for Remote Sensing and Earth Protection (RSEP), that 
will make media and information (magazines, the procedure of 
data and spatial data acquisition, the aero-spatial data bank, 
electronic post services, specialized library, etc.) available to 
internal users. The public or private sector will support the 
training and research units (the personnel qualified for 
institutes for R-D and projects elaboration, public and private); 
in the new context, the NCCs will have to support the training 
and research task within universities. 
The World Data Centre (WDC), supplied by the National Data 
Centers (NDC) with remote sensing data about the Earth, 
oceans, atmosphere and stratosphere, will enter direct 
relationships (on line) with the International Coordination 
843 
Centre (ICC) and with the NCCs respectively. Concerning the 
world archives, these can still be completed with data from 
some special regional programs (at European level this was the 
case of CORINE LAND COVER Program); in this way it will 
be possible for data and information of SEOS to be used to a 
greater extent in the process of implementation and 
development of SIEA . 
- Arguments. They are generated by the requests of some sub- 
components of strategic plans of lasting development at 
national level, in view of: 
e a partnership among developed countries (suppliers) 
and developing countries (consumers); 
* a new partnership paradigm among governments 
(public), corporations (private) and universities 
(academic); 
* adopting the methods of satellitary data processing 
with respect to bio-geographical parameters of the 
“North” on one hand and to those of the “South” in 
the other, giving special attention to intra- and inter- 
institutional collaboration; 
* promoting the technological and informational 
systems, considering the following aspects: the policy 
for information control, the availability of commercial 
sector, the displacement of gravity centre from 
supplier data to information requestor, from data 
access question to information access; 
e a clearer definition of non-discriminatory access to 
spatial data or information, a more substantial 
definition of indigenous exploitation capacities of 
satellitary images; 
* offering assistance to NCC, to regional and zonal 
centers for processing and distribution in view of 
understanding attributions (rights and obligations), 
settled through the unification of juridical approaches 
and standards of SIEA and SEOS; 
the transition from the phase of Earth observation to operational 
phase, having the opportunity of some applications using digital 
images of high resolution, integrated in local GIS. 
2.2.3 Mutual contributions within  intersystemic 
communication: The 6" Workshop on Spatial International 
Cooperation (Sevilla, 2001) has adopted 8 recommendations of 
the Work Group concerning “The Contribution of Earth 
Observation Systems to the Development and Implementation 
of Multilateral Environmental Agreements". We shall mention 
the main recommendations regarding the act of inter-systemic 
SIEA-SEOS communication, as follows: 
- SEOS community must learn more about the needs and 
objectives of SIEA community (the examination of use 
modalities for remote sensing data and information process in 
the field of international legislation and regulations, or in the 
field of policies and programs concerning environment and 
natural resources protection, at national and local level). 
Symmetrically, SIEA community must also learn more, at its 
turn, about SEOS capabilities; 
- SIEA and SEOS communities must encourage 
interdisciplinary approaches (among specialists groups acting in 
the juridical field of environment protection and those acting in 
the technical field, and within disciplines that belong to geodesy 
as a science respectively); 
- SEOS community must best support SIEA in identifying the 
information requested by its themes; 
- SIEA community must take into consideration the 
information coming from all sources (yet, the use of SEOS 
sources and of derived information consecration must occur