A regional approach to the effective use of remotely sensed data in the northeast

In the last five-to-ten years, remotely sensed data, particularly from satellites, has become an extremely useful tool for both scientific research and operational projects. However, several obstacles have prevented it from being explored to its fullest in the community of potential users. The primary obstacles to be overcome were the lack of data on a timely, continuing basis, and the high initial capital investment required for systems to process these data. By developing a regional system to receive, process, and archive the data--one which also uses existing capabilities and skills as well as newly acquired facilities-- we plan to overcome many of these obstacles. By cooperation and interaction of government agencies, educational institutions, and commercial businesses, we plan to set a pattern for the future which will benefit all users of this data, marine and terrestrial alike.