At last week's United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan, space agencies discussing the applications of remote sensing received a lashing. They went there to highlight successes in using satellite images for disaster monitoring and rescue activities (such as December's tsunami), and to discuss the further development of their technologies. Researchers enthused about the use of satellite images to help dispatch rescue teams. For those whose houses were washed away, high-resolution ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots could even be used to claim property boundaries.

Impressive stuff, but is more high technology the answer? Remote sensing has so far not lived up to the promise that was attributed to it in the heady days when the projects were planned. The science has improved, but the dissemination of data has not.

Then there are the practical obstacles to using satellite data in the places where they are most needed — underdeveloped areas that have been hit by natural or other disasters. For example, wind speed and other cyclone-related data come in differently formatted tables and with different units, making them difficult to use in a crisis situation. These problems are not insurmountable but could make all the difference in a crisis.

To their credit, space-agency representatives recognized the problems and almost unanimously saw a need to push ahead with getting more people using the data. But it is not clear how to move forward, with each side expecting the other to do more. Non-profit middleman companies, such as UK-based MapAction, can provide maps, and did so in Sri Lanka. Another solution would be to include in space-agency grants a requirement for local public outreach activities.

Claims that more high-tech solutions are required are questionable. Some proposals, such as expanding the use of satellites to give world-wide, real-time coverage of ocean surfaces, smack of scientific opportunism in the face of disaster — this must be avoided. Many of the problems that beset the Indian Ocean countries were not due to a lack of technological hardware. Many of the buoys, tide gauges and seismic stations that were in place were not put to proper use, partly because countries did not share effectively (see page 343).

Before the international scientific community sets out to right the wrongs of disaster preparedness and recovery, there needs to be an evaluation of what is already there and how it can be better used. New equipment to come on line in the Indian Ocean needs to be integrated to get the best results. Space agencies need to make sure that their satellite data get to the users. Countries on the Indian Ocean and elsewhere need to be encouraged to share data from their tide gauges and seismic stations as widely as possible.

In short, researchers must get data to where they are needed.