Increasing the use of Earth observations in developing countries

Earth observation (EO) data have numerous applications that would improve the still dire conditions of life in pans of the developing world. The under-utilization of such information is a result of three perceived inadequacies-inadequate local capacity, inadequate awareness of potential users and inadequate financing. Arguing that none of these problems is as significant as made out, this viewpoint highlights some of the viable EO applications that could be (and at last in some cases are being) used in developing countries and urges the EO community to be more proactive in disseminating information and in matching projects with areas of need. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.