Assessment of high speed internet for remote sensing data acquisition and exchange in Colombia and Latin America

New remote sensing platforms and data programs have dramatically increased the availability of satellite image data for analysis of climate, agriculture, environment and society. Particularly important new sensor systems include the USA’s MODIS system, Brazil and China’s CBER platform, and India’s IRS satellite. These and other systems have created considerable benefits to the international community of remote sensing analysts. Today, we have more data with greater options regarding spatial, radiometric and temporal resolution. While having these greater options is a positive development, substantial problems remain in acquiring and managing large data volumes. Data providers and consumers must support significant costs in copying remote sensing data to tapes and disks. Internet transfer of satellite imagery is only possible on broadband networks. Even then, download times can be considerable. Downloads may be interrupted if the Internet connections are unstable. How can we improve the acquisition of large volumes of remote sensing data for environmental analysis? What alternatives are available to remote sensing researchers to acquire near-real time satellite imagery for research use? This paper assesses the potential of high-speed Internet as a medium for transferring large satellite imagery data sets between the United States and Colombia, between Colombia and other Latin American countries and within Colombia. Academic and research networks have led developments in high-speed Internet. Many countries throughout the world are installing the infrastructure needed to develop these networks. In the United States this system is referred to as Internet 2. Latin American countries are developing a system called RedCLARA (Cooperación Latinoamerican