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From “Shutter Control” to “Big Data”: Trends in the Legal Treatment of Earth Observation Data

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Satellite-Based Earth Observation

Abstract

Data is the fuel of the digital revolution. This also holds true for Earth observation imagery gathered through satellites from the vantage point of outer space. While satellite image data once represented scarcely available and mostly government-owned strategic information, it has today become a resource widely available and easily accessible. From climate change to emergency and rescue operations, from border control to agricultural monitoring—the gathering, processing and dissemination of Earth observation data are subject to legal instruments and policy considerations likewise. This article provides an overview over levels of data regulation and exemplifies the trend towards free and open access to this important resource, particularly against the paradigm shift to big data in an ever more digitalised world.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    ESA Budget [1].

  2. 2.

    UN Resolution A/RES/41/65, 1986.

  3. 3.

    WMO Resolution 40, 1995.

  4. 4.

    Ibid.

  5. 5.

    Convention for the establishment of a European Space Agency, entry into force 30 October 1980.

  6. 6.

    Süss [2].

  7. 7.

    ESA Regulations [3].

  8. 8.

    Süss [4]

  9. 9.

    Ibid., quoting the introductory statements of the Envisat Data Policy, ref. ESA/PB-EO (1997) 57, rev. 3.

  10. 10.

    This translation and all following by the authors. transl.: ,Satellitendatensicherheitsgesetz‘.

  11. 11.

    Full title: “Law for the Protection of the Federal Republic of Germany from threats to its security through the proliferation of high-quality Earth observation data”: original title: “Gesetz zum Schutz vor Gefährdung der Sicherheit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland durch das Verbreiten von hochwertigen Erdfernerkundungsdaten”.

  12. 12.

    Transl.: ,Sensitivitätsprüfung‘, §17.

  13. 13.

    51 USC Section 601, formerly 15 USC Chapter 82, Subchapter VI.

  14. 14.

    Doldirina [5] .

  15. 15.

    Harris [6].

  16. 16.

    Regulation (EU) No. 377/2014 [7].

  17. 17.

    The Sentinel satellites must not be equalled with the Copernicus programme; they merely represent one category of space missions within the one of the components (the ‘space component’) of Copernicus.

  18. 18.

    Envisat Data Policy, version attached to ESA/PB-EO (1997) 57 rev. 3.

  19. 19.

    Süss [8].

  20. 20.

    UN Economic and Social Council, ‘Official statistics and emerging sources of data: implications for ESCWA statistical activities: big data’. 13 Jan 2015.

References

  1. ESA Budget (2018). Available at http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/Funding. Accessed on 20 Feb

  2. Süss G. ESA earth observation data policies: principles, current status and reforms. In: Baumann I, Smith LJ (eds) Contracting for space: contract practice in the European space sector. Ashgate Publishing, Farnham

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  3. ESA Regulations, ESA/REG/008 of 23 April 2014, Rules on Information, Data and Intellectual Property. Available at https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/LEX-L/Contracts/ESA-REG-008-EN.pdf. Accessed on 20 Feb 2018

  4. Süss G (2011) Earth observation data policies. In: Brünner Ch, Soucek A (eds) Outer space in society, politics and law. Springer, New York, p 674

    Google Scholar 

  5. Doldirina C (2015) Open data and earth observations: the case of opening up access to and use of earth observation data through the global earth observation system of systems 6 (2015) JIPITEC 73, para 1

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  6. Harris R (2002) Earth observation data policy and Europe. Balkema Publishers, Leiden

    Google Scholar 

  7. Regulation (EU) No. 377/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 establishing the Copernicus Programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No. 911/2010

    Google Scholar 

  8. Süss G. ESA Earth observation data policies: principles, current status and reforms. In: Baumann et al. Contracting for space

    Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ESA, Paris, France

    Ulrike Bohlmann & Alexander Soucek

Authors
  1. Ulrike Bohlmann
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  2. Alexander Soucek
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ulrike Bohlmann or Alexander Soucek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Competence Centre Space Law/Space Policy, Subpoint NPOC Austria/ECSL, University of Graz, Graz, Steiermark, Austria

    Christian Brünner

  2. Chamber of Commerce Steiermark, Graz, Steiermark, Austria

    Georg Königsberger

  3. Competence Centre Space Law/Space Policy, University of Graz, Graz, Steiermark, Austria

    Hannes Mayer

  4. Competence Centre Space Law/Space Policy, University of Graz, Graz, Steiermark, Austria

    Anita Rinner

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Bohlmann, U., Soucek, A. (2018). From “Shutter Control” to “Big Data”: Trends in the Legal Treatment of Earth Observation Data. In: Brünner, C., Königsberger, G., Mayer, H., Rinner, A. (eds) Satellite-Based Earth Observation . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74805-4_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74805-4_19

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74804-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74805-4

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