Landsats Aff

AT: Politics – Earth Science Popular – AT Spending Link

Plan perceived as useful spending – it’s R and D which supports businesses
Schiffries 4/15 (Dr. Craig M., Director for Geoscience Policy at the Geological Society of America, congressional testimony, http://www.geosociety.org/geopolicy/news/0411-HouseTestimonyOnUSGS.pdf, accessed 7-9-11, JMB)

Likewise, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, headed by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, said: Cut and invest to promote economic growth and keep America competitive. We should cut red tape and unproductive government spending that hinders job creation and growth. At the same time, we must invest in education, infrastructure, and high-value research and development to help our economy grow, keep us globally competitive, and make it easier for businesses to create jobs. Earth science is a critical component of the overall science and technology enterprise. Growing support for Earth science in general and the U.S. Geological Survey in particular are required to stimulate innovations that fuel the economy, provide security, and enhance the quality of life. Earth Science provides knowledge and data essential for developing policies, legislation, and regulations regarding land, mineral, energy, and water resources at all levels of government

***CP Answers***

Landsats Key – AT: Other Sats Solve

Landsat irreplaceable with other programs
Wulder et al 11 (Michael A. Wulder a,⁎, Joanne C. White a, Jeffrey G. Masek b, John Dwyer c, David P. Roy d a Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada b Biospheric Sciences Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, c United States Geological Survey, Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science d Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Remote Sensing of Environment 115 p. 747–751, http://globalmonitoring.sdstate.edu/faculty/roy/Wulder_2011_RSE_Landsat-update_115.pdf, accessed 7-3-11, JMB)

Currently there are no other missions analogous to Landsat that have global observation capabilities or accumulated global archives. In cases where there are data that have been or could be acquired to augment Landsat holdings, data sharing agreements and political considerations can hinder such activities. Sensors from non-Landsat missions may meet some baseline requirements to emulate Landsat image characteristics, but it is unlikely that sufficient similarity exists to enable direct integration or interoperability, especially from operations perspectives where known relationships and algorithms will no longer function.

Landsats Key – AT: Planes solve

LandSat data is cheaper than aerial surveillance
Bjorgo 1 (Einar, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:HF5pLHdthbEJ:scholar.google.com/+hurricanes+landsats+refugees+einar&hl=en&as_sdt=0,48, DA 7/6/11, OST)

It is a general assumption among UN humanitarian organizations that satellite imagery is expensive data. This is to a certain extent correct, but it depends on the type of imagery, and to what one compares the cost. The cost of data ranges from zero (DMSP data used by WHO for night time light mapping) to above $3500 (single 1 m resolution Ikonos scene). Consequentially, humanitarian organizations, with highly limited budgets for purchasing earth observation data, tend to go for the less expensive solutions, although more expensive imagery has been used occasionally. Cost is therefore one of the factors limiting extensive use of several types of imagery. Fortunately, the price-policy of Landsat 7 data is very promising, and the US$600/scene is affordable for most organizations. Hopefully, the quality of Landsat 7 combined with the less expensive data will make other data providers, such as SPOT, which operates similar satellites, to also reduce their prices. This could greatly benefit the humanitarian assistance community, as more organizations would be able to afford satellite imagery. Nevertheless, cost of satellite data and corresponding processing and analyses (which can constitute the main part of the overall cost for imagery-derived products) must always be compared to the cost of obtaining similar information, if at all possible, through other means. These can e.g. be field surveys or aerial photographs. If a survey covers a large area, it is time consuming, and thus expensive, to collect the data. In these cases satellite imagery can be cost-efficient. Also, when in need of remote sensing imagery (aerial photos or satellite imagery), the cost of renting a plane with pilot, fuel, equipment etc. quickly exceeds that of satellite imagery. UNHCR has directly compared in-stock aerial photos with new satellite imagery from the Ikonos satellite. The resolution of the images is comparable (1 m), but the quality of the Ikonos imagery is better. Also, the satellite imagery is delivered in a geo-coded format, which is often not the case with aerial images. Such geo-coding and corresponding “mosaicing” adds to the cost of image post-processing for aerial images.

Satellites solve best
Kanji 8 (Fareedal, Masters in Sci @ AIT, fareedali-kanji.com/files/Applications_of_space_technology_-_Fareedali_Kanji_2008.pdf, may, DA 7/7/11, OST)

GEO has been a leader in supporting early warnings of natural and manmade hazards, not only through satellite remote sensing and other space technology, but through earth observation technology in general, using such instrument as ocean buoys, meteorological balloons and stations, seismic and GPS (Global Positioning System) stations, computerised forecasting models, sea and aircraft, and meteorological and remote sensing satellites (Figure 5.1). Furthermore, important advances to its programmes have come from individual governmental and nongovernmental agency contributions, particularly to its GEOSS programme.