under the license, particularly when using multiple sources of data, some of which are licensed and some not, may constitute a disincentive to using the data.

State governments also use remote sensing, although sometimes for purposes different from those of local governments. States are more apt to employ moderate-resolution Landsat data than high-resolution commercial data (whether from satellites or airborne sources) in their remote sensing applications, because they generally need data covering larger physical areas than cities and counties. Obtaining high-resolution data for large areas and preparing the data are too costly, and usually the phenomena in which states are interested can be observed with low- to moderate-resolution data.

Because state governments are also larger than local governments, with more employees and broader policy responsibilities, geospatial data activities can be isolated within agencies rather than shared across state agencies. As a result, there may be more duplication of effort from agency to agency or department to department in state than in local government. One state official told workshop participants that he had discovered that his state had purchased the same remote sensing image four times—each time by a different state agency unaware of the other purchases.

Finally, because sales taxes and income taxes are a major source of income in most states and local governments, their budgets are negatively affected by recessions and unemployment. State budgets, like local ones, are often subject to large changes from year to year, which may affect state capacity to purchase remote sensing data or launch new remote sensing programs.

Despite the differences between state and local governments in the use of remote sensing data, they have some patterns in common. For example, the critical need to persuade public sector managers of the importance and utility of remote sensing data and the value of being able to provide these data in a GIS framework were common to both state and local governments.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) uses remote sensing data to monitor state wetlands. The state is now considering a broad array of other applications of this technology. New uses of remote sensing data being examined by Missouri include monitoring change in both urban and rural areas. In cities and on the urban fringe, the state is looking to remote sensing to identify development for taxation purposes. The Missouri Department of Economic Development estimates that the public sector loses approximately $10 million a year because it does not have information about when new homes are completed and when property taxes should be assessed. The use of remote sensing for detecting

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Executive Summary (1-7)

1. Introduction (8-15)

2. Public Sector Applications of Remote Sensing Data (16-37)

3. Getting Started in Remote Sensing: Common Barriers and Bottlenecks (38-49)

4. Beyond State and Local Government (50-61)

5. Findings and Recommendations (62-70)

Appendix A: Transforming Remote Sensing Data into Information and Applications, Executive Summary (71-78)

Appendix B: Biographical Information on Steering Committee Members, Workshop Speakers, and Panelists (79-89)

Appendix C: Workshop Agenda and Participants (90-95)

Appendix D: Acronyms (96-97)