Business strategies and land remote sensing capabilities

The authors suggest that land remote sensing in the US is at a critical juncture while the government gives serious study to the direction it will take beyond the privatization of the current Landsats and its investment in Landsat 6. The issues revolve around questions of the relative roles of government and private industry and the attractiveness of future business opportunities. The authors attempt to clarify several aspects of the issues, especially from the marketing point of view of an entrepreneur. They summarize the current status of the US remote sensing industry, suggest several scenarios for the future, identify some of the more critical capability and technology needs to support these scenarios, and set forth the marketing challenges confronting the industry