Brazil Supports Free Distribution of Satellite Data in China

The Republic of Brazil will defend the free distribution of satellite images and data during the Summit of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO, for its acronym in English) to be held next week in Beijing ( China), official sources said.

The Brazilian position at the meeting, to be held from 3 to 5 November, was announced Wednesday by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which is represented in China by its director, Gilberto Camara.

The INPE, pioneer in the distribution of satellite images, will defend in Beijing said the implementation of a comprehensive policy of free access to satellite data.

The GEO is an intergovernmental organization of 84 countries that are part and 56 international organizations like the European Commission.

"Brazil supports the free distribution of satellite data, known as the Data Democracy and Capaccitty Building program, which is being implemented by INPE" according to a note of this State to the Ministry of Science and Technology Agency reported Xinhua.

The Capaccity Building is an initiative that also seeks to provide satellite data free of charge, to build a common infrastructure with capacity to receive this information, interpret and transmit easily to the end user.

GEO Summit in China, at the ministerial level, will assess the implementation plan adopted in 2005, when the group was created, and to define the goals of the triennium 2011-2013.

The main objectives of the GEO is to improve the access of data from Earth observation and discuss their applications, and coordinate efforts to implement the Global Observing System of Systems (GEOSS).

Inpe began offering free beginning in June 2004, the satellite images Satellite Program Chinese Brazilian Remote Surveillance (CBERS) and soon after did the same with the U.S. Landsat satellite images to which he was entitled.

In the middle of last year, five years after it was implemented this policy, Brazil reached the one million mark satellite images distributed to businesses, organizations and countries that used for studies and environmental applications, agriculture and weather.

According to INPE, the success of this pioneering initiative led other countries, including the U.S., also provide the orbiting satellite images of medium resolution.

The countries benefiting from Brazilian politics are those of South America, who have access to images of their territories received by INPE's station in the city of Cuiabá.

The Institute also signed agreements to offer African countries Cbers images that reach the ground receiving stations of Hartebeeshoek (South Africa), Aswan (Egypt) and Maspaloms (Canary Island).