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Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium (2004)

Chapter: Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair

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Suggested Citation:"Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair." National Research Council. 2004. Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11030.
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SESSION 3:
DATA AND INFORMATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SECTOR

Suggested Citation:"Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair." National Research Council. 2004. Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11030.
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Suggested Citation:"Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair." National Research Council. 2004. Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11030.
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15
Introductory Remarks by Session Chair

Farouk El-Baz

Boston University, United States

Worldwide emphasis on fast-paced economic development necessitates attention to the environmental consequences. Improving and sustaining the environment are prerequisites for proper development in the long term; therefore, monitoring changes in the environment becomes an essential tool for sustainable development. Digital data and information pertaining to the environment are an integral part of the discussion of open-access and public-domain information. Satellite image data from numerous sources (on the atmosphere, the land surface, and coastal zones) form a basic component of the requirements. Two or more digital images of the same object or phenomenon can be superimposed, using widely available tools of information technology hardware and software, to instantly display the change from one time to another. Such data should be made available as widely as possible to the international scientific community. Three distinguished contributors to this session will cover the following aspects of this endeavor.

The first contribution is by Mukund Rao of the Indian Space Research Organization. His presentation emphasizes that the use of geospatial information is limited only by the imagination, citing examples, including natural resources development, disaster management, land use assessment, and environmental restoration. The second presentation, by Peter Weiss of the U.S. National Weather Service, deals with meteorological data. Open and unrestricted access to meteorological data is provided in the United States free of charge. However, in Europe these data are considered revenue generating in the short term, which limits their availability and use. The third contribution, by Liu Chuang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, presents a case study illustrating that the current access models for information in China are changing and moving toward free and open availability.

There is no question that access to information can lead to a better understanding of Earth and its environment. Efforts should be made to constantly assure the availability and ease of exchange of data among researchers worldwide.

Suggested Citation:"Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair." National Research Council. 2004. Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11030.
×
Page 63
Suggested Citation:"Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair." National Research Council. 2004. Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11030.
×
Page 64
Suggested Citation:"Session 3: Data and Information in the Environmental Sector 15 Introductory Remarks by Session Chair." National Research Council. 2004. Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings of an International Symposium. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11030.
×
Page 65
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This symposium, which was held on March 10-11, 2003, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, brought together policy experts and managers from the government and academic sectors in both developed and developing countries to (1) describe the role, value, and limits that the public domain and open access to digital data and information have in the context of international research; (2) identify and analyze the various legal, economic, and technological pressures on the public domain in digital data and information, and their potential effects on international research; and (3) review the existing and proposed approaches for preserving and promoting the public domain and open access to scientific and technical data and information on a global basis, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.

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