5. OPERATIONALIZATION OF EARTH OBSERVATION
41
characteristics of the soils in which the trees are growing and, when
combined with other knowledge of the geology of the area, can possibly lead
to important conclusions about mineralization in the soil etc. What this
illustrates is that precisely the same measurement has different meaning, is
thought of in entirely different ways and is an input to entirely different
models depending on the objectives of the person who needs the information
the system provides. This is illustrated in Figure 1 by many data to
information conversion processes connecting the data delivered by the preprocessing step to the information required. The knowledge base, which
supports this second step in the process, is minuscule to non-existent, and
this shortage of knowledge is a critical factor inhibiting use of remotely
sensed data in an operational way having direct economic and social impacts
on our society.
3.
THE KNOWLEDGE GAP
The information delivery system described in the previous section has
been characterized as being composed of two steps. The methodology of the
first step is determined by the physics and geometry of the measurement
process together with the technology of the sensor and the satellite, which
carries it. The knowledge base behind this process is quite extensive; one
could even call it virtually complete. It is the result of over a quarter century
of effort by the engineers and scientists who have built the systems and
worked to understand their operation.
The methodology of the second step is determined by the information
requirements of operational users. These people come from many
disciplines, including economists, environmentalists, agronomists, foresters,
land managers, lawyers, geologists, military commanders and politicians, to
name a few. They are a diverse lot, but in general are not well versed or even
knowledgeable in the technologies of measurement of the Earth from space.
Furthermore, operational users have little, if any, interest in how the
information is derived. They only care that it be accurate, timely and
appropriate to their needs. In most cases they already have sources of
information which they rely on to do their jobs. If they are to use a new
source of information and pay for it, they must be convinced that the new
source is in some way better than the old one and that it is worth what they
are asked to pay.
Thus we have a knowledge gap. On one side of the gap are the scientists
and engineers who know how to measure variables in the Earth system from
space, but have little if any idea of what the real information requirements of
operational users with economic, social, strategic, political or environmental
41
characteristics of the soils in which the trees are growing and, when
combined with other knowledge of the geology of the area, can possibly lead
to important conclusions about mineralization in the soil etc. What this
illustrates is that precisely the same measurement has different meaning, is
thought of in entirely different ways and is an input to entirely different
models depending on the objectives of the person who needs the information
the system provides. This is illustrated in Figure 1 by many data to
information conversion processes connecting the data delivered by the preprocessing step to the information required. The knowledge base, which
supports this second step in the process, is minuscule to non-existent, and
this shortage of knowledge is a critical factor inhibiting use of remotely
sensed data in an operational way having direct economic and social impacts
on our society.
3.
THE KNOWLEDGE GAP
The information delivery system described in the previous section has
been characterized as being composed of two steps. The methodology of the
first step is determined by the physics and geometry of the measurement
process together with the technology of the sensor and the satellite, which
carries it. The knowledge base behind this process is quite extensive; one
could even call it virtually complete. It is the result of over a quarter century
of effort by the engineers and scientists who have built the systems and
worked to understand their operation.
The methodology of the second step is determined by the information
requirements of operational users. These people come from many
disciplines, including economists, environmentalists, agronomists, foresters,
land managers, lawyers, geologists, military commanders and politicians, to
name a few. They are a diverse lot, but in general are not well versed or even
knowledgeable in the technologies of measurement of the Earth from space.
Furthermore, operational users have little, if any, interest in how the
information is derived. They only care that it be accurate, timely and
appropriate to their needs. In most cases they already have sources of
information which they rely on to do their jobs. If they are to use a new
source of information and pay for it, they must be convinced that the new
source is in some way better than the old one and that it is worth what they
are asked to pay.
Thus we have a knowledge gap. On one side of the gap are the scientists
and engineers who know how to measure variables in the Earth system from
space, but have little if any idea of what the real information requirements of
operational users with economic, social, strategic, political or environmental