Inequality induced by remote sensing systems

The developing countries are virtually completely dependent on the countries utilizing advanced remote sensing capacity and lack the resources of evaluating and utilizing the potential of this source of information; It leads to the situation that important date about a developing country may be better known in some foreign capitals than by the national government.

Mastery of remote-sensing technology, notably by the USA, enables industrialized countries to maintain their dominant position in the information society. With the help of numerous surveillance satellites, the such countries are able to collect the most reliable and up-to-date data on crops, minerals, oil and gas fields, floods and drought, pipeline routes, troop movements, and other matters of strategic interest. With the monopoly of expertise in analysing remote-sensed data, such countries know more about the hidden resources, crop prospects, flood or earthquake conditions than do the countries themselves. In 1994 the CIA itself was concerned at national security problems created for the USA by sale of remote sensing equipment to foreign countries.