The Economic Value of Digital Earth

Abstract In this chapter, we approach the economic value of Digital Earth with a broad definition of economic value, i.e., the measure of benefits from goods or services to an economic agent and the trade-offs the agent makes in view of scarce resources. The concept of Digital Earth has several components: data, models, technology and infrastructure. We focus on Earth Observation (EO) data because this component has been undergoing the most dramatic change since the beginning of this century. We review the available recent studies to assess the value of EO/geospatial/open data and related infrastructures and identify three main sets of approaches focusing on the value of information, the economic approach to the value of EO to the economy from both macro- and microeconomic perspectives, and a third set that aims to maximize value through infrastructure and policy. We conclude that the economic value of Digital Earth critically depends on the perspective: the value for whom, what purpose, and when. This multiplicity is not a bad thing: it acknowledges that Digital Earth is a global concept in which everyone can recognize their viewpoint and collaborate with others to increase the common good

Interprétation et résultats de SAR-Seasat sur l'Ouest de la Belgique

The aim of this study was to examine the amelioration of interpretability of linear phenoma by means of combining multitemporal Seasat imagery, for the coastal region and the western polders of Belgium. On the other hand a structural approach was chosen in order to ameliorate the interpretation of land use and soil moisture on the same imagery.Le premier but de cette étude est d'examiner l'amélioration apportée par la combinaison de données Seasat multitemporelles, ainsi que l'influence de l'orientation du satellite pour l'interprétation visuelle des phénomènes linéaires dans la région côtière et les polders occidentaux de la Belgique. D'autre part, une méthode d'approximation intégrée est appliquée aux mêmes images afin d'améliorer l'interprétation visuelle de l'utilisation du sol et l'humidité du sol.Dufourmont H. Interprétation et résultats de SAR-Seasat sur l'Ouest de la Belgique. In: Hommes et Terres du Nord, 1985/3. Télédétection. pp. 169-175