Saturday, July 31, 2010
What Do Recent Creative Commons and OSM Blog Posts Suggest?
Both camps recently issued blog posts (CC blog post; OSM blog post) that were surprisingly defensive in tone, particularly given how certain they, or at least their proponents are, in their respective missions. Looking past the tone however, what one sees (or at least what I see) is that licensors are pushing back on the "one size fits all" model. It will be interesting to see whether this is true and if so whether this trend will continue.
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Cost of Free Earth Observation Data
"[i]n a presentation outlining the rationale for the open-access policy [Susan Mecklenburg, mission manager for ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite] said the agency is facing increased demand for data as part of a global scientific examination of climate change"
Not surprisingly, prospective users of the satellites' diverse data sets are reportedly pleased at the decision. And why not . . . after all, free is good, right? According to the report, NASA is also a big fan of this decision, as it is a strong proponent of "free and open" data for scientific research.
The report did note however, that owners of remote sensing satellites that were all or partly funded by the private sector, are concerned. Companies such as Deimos Imaging of Spain, Spot Image of France, Infoterra of Britain and Germany as well as e-Geos in Italy have business plans based upon the sale of similar Earth observation data sets. This new data policy almost certainly will impact the revenue that they will be able to generate from sales of their respective data sets in order to pay back their investors.
I was thinking about this article the other day as I read a recent report from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Earth Observation and Climate Change. The reports' authors suggest that successive U.S. administrations have not allocated enough resources to NASA for remote sensing from space for climate change. Although NASA itself has received a great deal of money, much of it has been directed towards manned space flight - something much sexier and politically popular than remote sensing. The authors recommend the Obama Administration to specifically direct more NASA resources to collecting remote sensing data, particularly to monitor climate change. The report notes that what is needed is:
"investing in the Earth observation systems necessary for producing the right data over the right time and space horizons, coordinating data collection, interpreting and sharing to maximize the data's benefits, focusing on the human and social science effects of climate change, improving modeling capabilities, and making this information accessible and relevant for a wide range of users . . "
The report continues:
"[m]uch of our data comes from satellites put in orbit for other purposes, such as weather prediction and monitoring. The sensors on these weather satellites provide valuable data, but they are not optimized for monitoring climate change or for adequately assessing the effect of mitigation efforts. More precise and specialized data are needed to understand and predict climate change, and getting these data will require new orbital sensors."
According to the report, many missions and observations for collecting climate change are at a risk of interruption. Many satellites are well past their planned lifetimes and the sensors that are ill suited for the necessary tasks.
When I finished the CSIS report, I came to realize that perhaps there is a price for this "free" data: the lack of "precise and specialized data" needed for policymakers to make accurate decisions on such matters as climate change. The fact is, producing good quality and timely data is very expensive. Insisting on free government data increases the likelihood that the data will be of lesser quality and timeliness. The CSIS report suggests that was true at NASA even when there was a great deal of money generally available, because that money was spent on other projects that provided a greater return on investment, in either capital or public relations. During this likely extended period of budget constraints, it will be even harder for governments to allocate the necessary resources to support the collection and distribution of free data.
Private companies have increasingly shown the appetite to participate in projects to fill the data gaps. However, free data initiatives will make it much more difficult for them to develop sustainable business models.
Pricing the capture, processing and distribution of remote sensing data is hard, particularly when it is being used for a public good. However, undercutting industry by offering free data will likely prove to be counter-productive at best, and potentially harmful to the effort to monitor climate change. The remote sensing community (both industry and government) needs to continue to search for licensing model(s) that work for both the data providers and the data users to ensure both needs are met.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Spatial Law and Policy Update (July 21, 2010)
Australian official states Google Street View is "illegal"
Germany requires more scrutiny when transferring data to the U.S. under Safe Harbor provisions
Facebook's Privacy Policies Hit a Language Barrier
Coalition Calls For Regulations For Tracking of Medical Devices
Public Sector Information
EU Prepares For Review of Public Sector Information Directive
Data quality
National Geodetic Survey uses geospatial technology to improve map accuracy
Miscellaneous
Commission welcomes European Parliament approval of new legal framework for intelligent Transport Systems
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Spatial Law and Policy Update (July 13, 2010)
Twitter Consent Order Evidences Broader Scope of FTC Information Security Enforcement
Loopt Launches Location History
Miscellaneous
Electronic Companies Worried about Distracted Driver Laws in U.S.
Intellectual Property
No Easy Answers in Copyright Debate
Public Sector Information
E.U. review of PSI re-use directive to include stakeholder consultation
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Smart Cars and Spatial Law
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Spatial Law and Policy Update (July 6, 2010)
Privacy
-FTC extends comment period for Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
-Facebook simplifies privacy controls
-Police push to continue warrantless cell tracking
-Twitter settles privacy case with Federal Trade Commission
Intellectual Property
-European Officials Embrace Open Data Policy for GMES Satellite
Litigation
-Encyclopedia Britannica loses suit involving GPS mapping
National Security
-U.S. Geologist sentenced to 8 years in China for purchasing sensitive database-Blogger asked to remove map of DC water pipes
-Preliminary approval given for 23 companies to provide on-line mapping services in China
Miscellaneous
Friday, July 2, 2010
Connecticut court's ruling on FOIA and Pictometry imagery
The state's Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) ruled in 2008 in part that:
a. software and metadata were trade secrets and therefore exempt from mandatory disclosure under FOIA; and
b. imagery was not subject to any of the FOIA exemptions and should be disclosed.
On appeal, the court in this decision ruled the following:
a. the disclosure of the imagery, without metadata and software, was not a security risk. (A security risk being one of the reasons a government agency in Connecticut does not have disclose information under FOIA);
b. material protected under the Federal Copyright Act, such as Pictometry imagery, was not exempted under the state's FOIA;
c. because the Pictometry imagery was protected by copyright, however, if Whitaker used it for anything other than "fair use" under the Copyright Act, Pictometry might have a claim against him (or perhaps the state). Specifically, the court stated: "[S]hould disclosure as ordered by the FOIC and use by Whitake not fall within "Fair Use" exception and infringe the copyright, matters not ripe for consideration here, Pictometry's rights and remedies for injunctive relief . . . remain intact. So too, it its contractual rights and remedies"; and
d. state agencies cannot charge Whitaker $25 per image they disclose to him, even though that is what they have to for each image under the contract with Pictometry.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Getting to the "bottom" of Google Street View and Privacy
A lady in the UK was so concerned that a random image of the naked bottom of her (anonymous) 3-year old son playing in his grandmother's yard was visible on Google Street View - that was subsequently blurred - violated his privacy . . . that she granted an interview to a local newspaper that gave her name, the city and the street where the boy lived, and included a picture of her and her son (in addition to the Google Street View shot). Good for her!
Thanks to CNET for point this out.