Committee on Earth Observation Satellites holds meeting in Rapid City

There are currently 138 active satellites that look down on the planet, providing information used in things such as agriculture and weather forecasting.

The United States Geological Survey is hosting the 31st Committee on Earth Observation Satellite meeting here in Rapid City. The group is composed of 60 different agencies from around the world, working together to coordinate the design and development of satellites. One of the top initiatives for the group is to make satellite data more easy to use for analysis to respond to a specific need.

Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Frank Kelly says, "Globally, we want to coordinate those activities so that we can get the best possible use of those satellites with the information they provide. By bringing in this group together, we're able to talk through the kinds of activities that help us best be effective in what we do, and then move toward being efficient in providing information to scientists, to resource managers, in response and recovery to disasters, about agriculture, about forests. These are the kinds of things that we look at."

The three-day set of discussions on satellites and their application to aid in issues related to climate, agriculture, and natural disasters wraps up Friday.