## 6 Earth Observation, Archaeological Research and Spatial Privacy
2009-24 of May 11, 2009. There is ample evidence in treaties to indicate that unilateral lifting of the aerial veil of a state without its consent may be seen as hostile, offensive and/or even aggressive conduct in certain instances. A good place to begin the analysis will be the UN Charter. The Charter in Article 74 provides that member states agree that their policy in respect of all territories under their jurisdiction \"must be based on the general principle of good neighbourliness, due to account being taken of the interests and well-being of the rest of the world, in social economic and commercial matters.\" In this way one would struggle to see how clandestine study of another state's commercial and economic resources from outer space will fit within the concept of good neighbourliness. Indeed [PERSON]'s conclusion on the matter is apposite stating that;  
\"There is no reason why this principle does not apply to data gathering from outer space....Although the import of the principle may not be altogether clear, its relevance to remote sensing is patent, especially in relation to the problems of dissemination and misuse of remote sensing data and information\" [106]. In this manner there is nothing about the 'hi tech' phenomena of remote sensing activities that ought to disturb the decisions reached on the binding nature of the obligation of good neighbourliness' and respect for equitable conduct in international relations as may be found in International case law such as the _Trail Smelter Arbitration_ (1935) [120], _Corfu Channel case_ (Merits) (1949) [121] and the _Fisheries jurisdiction case_[122]. Admittedly it is a difficult proposition to state that specific rules exist under customary international law which completely prohibits archaeological espionage from outer space. States may however be encouraged to institute rules mandating that the result of archaeological research by foreign states and corporations must be freely shared with the underlying state in all circumstances. This may be subject of course to reasonable contributions towards the expenses incurred although such charges ought to be heavily subsidised particularly for developing states. _Disaster Regulation and Assessment of Natural or Human-Induced Threats to Conservation from Space_  
Natural or human induced disasters include floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, landslides and war damage. It is trite observation as stated by the COPUOS that:  
\"Space applications related to Earth observation, telecommunications and global navigation can play a vital role in supporting disaster risk reduction, response and recovery efforts, by providing accurate and timely information for decision-makers\" [123]. Global navigation satellite systems perform truly global tasks such as contributing to an improved understanding of the relative motion of tectonic plates and to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to areas affected by disasters [124]. The potentials of the geospatial sciences and international space regulation as tools of assessment of natural or human-induced threats to conservation is just beginning to be understood in clearer terms [125; 126; 127; 128]. Most of the grave environmental problems facing the world are of international significance and demand coordinated scientific responses often requiring space applications. The following table culled and collated from information available from a Space Application Matrix developed by the United Nations Office for Space Affairs, shows how earth observation and remote sensing applications have been brought to bear upon many of Africa's pressing environmental, conservation, health and safety concerns within the last decade [129; 130; 131; 132; 133]. Air transportation is central to global economic activities and even the conduct of modern life generally. The reliance of airspace transportation on space based solutions in monitoring natural disasters was dramatically underlined by the events of the natural disaster of volcanic eruption in early 2010.