In disaster management applications, there is no problem with availability of data. Rather, the problem lies in the application and interpretation of data. Walter believes the science of remote sensing is not perfect and that the technical community is failing. Eric Anderson emphasized the need for greater resolution of imagery data for disaster management. Such data would be invaluable in dealing with wildfires, floods, etc.
Clouds usually accompany floods, which affects delivery of clear imagery.
Former classified satellites are now increasingly used to deal with disasters. FEMA is using both classified and non-classified satellite imagery to monitor disasters. Further, FEMA meshes GIS with satellite imagery for various applications. Bob Chen talked about the need for integrating an assortment of technologies such as remote sensing platforms and data management systems. He suggested using integrated data warehousing approaches to combine spatial and temporal data.