506 
6 
systems on the assumption that 
operational Landsat, SPOT, JERS, 
NOAA, and Radarsat type systems 
will continue to provide global 
regional type earth observing and 
monitoring systems. For example, 
for land observations, the EOS and 
Landsat instruments compare as 
follow: 
Swath 
IFOV 
MODIS-T 
1500km 
1.1km 
MODIS-N 
2330km 
.3-.9km 
HIRIS 
24 km 
3 0m 
EOSAR 
.1-.5km 
2 0-100m 
Landsat 
18 0km 
15-30m 
SPOT 
60km 
10-20m 
The Japanese intermediate thermal 
infrared radiometer, ITIR, being 
planned to fly on EOS-A will have 
Landsat type characteristics with 
VNIR, SWIR and TIR spectral bands. 
Access to ITIR data will be deter 
mined by the Japanese government. 
This comparison of research and 
operational characteristics 
underscores the importance of the 
current debate in the U.S. under 
the National Space Council whether 
to continue the Landsat program 
after Landsat 6 or abandon it. 
The Landsat data base provides the 
longest continuous earth 
observations data base-line for 
global change monitoring and 
comparison, if the data since 1972 
(Landsat-1) can be preserved by 
adequate funding by the U.S. 
government. 
These programs will produce 
tremendous volumes of electro- 
optical, microwave, and radar data 
creating a massive digital database 
for basic scientific and applied 
research and applications for 
geology, agriculture, oceanography, 
meteorology, and environmental 
sciences. They will be utilized 
world wide for resource 
development, global change studies 
and environmental management, 
especially by Nations with 
coordinated government - industry 
infrastructure. 
DATABASE MANAGEMENT 
AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS 
Massive Data Bases 
The extensive databases to be 
created by the U.S. EOS program and 
related programs in Europe, Japan 
and Canada have already been 
alluded to above. The data 
management problems associated with 
systems producing up to one 
terrabit of data per day for the 
NASA EOS system are mind boggling. 
Especially when compared to the 
current U.S. inadequate funding 
support to properly maintain and 
manage the Landsat data base since 
1972, an amount of data that is 
orders of magnitude less than that 
to be produced by the NASA EOS 
program. One lesson learned by 
NASA through that is being 
implemented. Unlike the Landsat 
program where money was spent on 
building the space program before 
money was spent on planning and 
building and adequate data base 
management system, NASA is 
expending significant funding to 
develop an adequate database 
management system (EOSDIS) long 
before the space segment is built 
and launched. The EOSDIS program 
has completed its competitive phase 
B studies and NASA will put the 
EOSDIS program up for competitive 
bid in early 1991. In the 
European, Japanese and Canadian 
programs, similar plans are being 
made for their database management 
systems. 
Data Management Issues