IMAGES OF LIFE

[Music] here on the third planet from the Sun in one of countless galaxies stretching across the immeasurable distances of space people have many different backgrounds cultures and countries live out their lives hour by hour day by day year by year to each of us in our own way life presents a variety of challenges [Music] problems which we are solving more successfully with each passing day as our knowledge and understanding grows on every continent people meet these challenges and a hope of bringing about a better life [Music] for each the way of life is largely determined by mere circumstance by being born in a particular place at a particular time we all have similar needs we seek protection from the elements we want an opportunity to make life better for us and for our children we want to find better ways of providing for our needs with the resources available to us [Music] at times we see the images of life too closely we are still striving to understand even the most basic elements of our world often the Earth's secrets are hidden beneath our feet or behind a hill at times we see the images of life too closely as the adventure of life unfolds for each of us so do its difficulties no nation has all of the resources it might wish to use to benefit its people poor use of any resource for whatever reason can impede development to chart their country's developments effectively decision-makers must have up-to-the-minute data on a variety of subjects behind impenetrable jungle unmapped rivers or lakes may exist as potential sources of fresh water for drinking or irrigation or for hydroelectricity [Music] we need better ways to gauge the forces of nature changing the world around us decision-makers encouraging new uses of wilderness areas need information so that development of the land will not place lives and homes in danger we need tools to assess the consequences of removing trees in a rain belt tools to help measure and predict crop yield known by farmers locally but not always by national planners tools tools to inventory our resources [Music] the effect the changing seasons may have open today's space technology at last offers decision-makers a new perspective of the world they live in a view of Earth from the vantage point of space chief among the tools of this newly emerging science is the earth resource of satellite called Landsat developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Landsat is an unmanned space satellite that circles the earth from pole to pole electronic sensors inside Landsat scan the surface of the earth below as it travels providing individual images that cover an area 185 kilometers on each side successive overlapping pictures are taken of the area below as it orbits the earth every 103 minutes each orbital path is approximately 3,000 kilometers west of the previous path 14 orbits of the planet are completed each day Landsat is so programmed that the next day the satellites path lies alongside of the previous day's path with about a 10 percent overlap at the equator in 18 days Landsat passes over virtually all of the Earth's surface providing hundreds of images of cloud free areas chosen for study as the satellite scans the surface below it transmits data directly to ground stations nearby [Music] over other parts of the earth data can be recorded aboard the spacecraft and transmitted to ground stations later in addition to three stations in the United States Canada Brazil and Italy are presently operating their own Landsat stations Landsat images are available to anyone requesting for many studies Landsat data must be supported by aircraft observations and on-site ground measurements information gained from Landsat has been used by scientists in more than 50 countries studying virtually everything under the Sun [Music] analysis of Landsat images can assist people working in many different endeavors over 300 Landsat investigations have been conducted in the United States and around the world by nations using the satellite data images have also been sold to thousands of others by cataloguing centers such as the eros data center in the United States many scientists and future analysts from around the world are presently receiving training at the center data can be obtained in the form of color and black-and-white pictures or computer tapes to date Landsat data properly interpreted has helped many nations gain valuable information in Iran a Landsat investigator using images of the kun playas salt flats notice that over an extended period of time some interesting changes had taken place a lake in this barren salt area appeared to be growing larger iranian investigators speculated fresh water was flowing into the area from a variety of sources they calculated that 2 billion litres of fresh water were entering the salt lake every year fresh water that could be used to irrigate land now considered lifeless [Music] there was only one thing to do verify their findings the Landsat images help this investigator find the exact place where he wanted to take soil and water samples the moment of truth was approaching each step brought in closer to knowing for certain if the satellite assisted discovery was a reality this vast expanse he'll be answered first he took soil samples then the water the soil samples contained other minerals besides salt minerals which may prove economically valuable samples of the water taken from beneath the surface of the salt confirmed the presence of fresh water there are indications that freshwater from both surface and underground sources flows into the salt flats feeding the lake [Music] visual observations from the air revealed wildlife in areas of the sole plan further confirming the availability of fresh water such discoveries using Landsat could lead to wells being dug and fertile farms being cultivated on land that once seemed uninhabitable to an Earthbound observer thereby giving nations a new area for food production [Music] Landsat investigators in many countries working with limited budgets find they can gain significant information from individual black-and-white images without using expensive electronic analyzers the price varies with the size of the print ordered a black-and-white image of this size cost $12 some make their own color composites Landsat has helped many other nation on seeking additional water resources in desert regions with little rain care nomads wander in search of water since people cannot survive long without water to drink or grass for their animals to feed on most people in desert regions live around an oasis where natural springs and deep wells supply water from underground rivers Landsat has helped Egyptian geologists learn a little bit more about the origin of some of their oases Landsat images revealed that oases in the baja ria depression and their western desert were in a straight line but Landsat imagery showed that a fault connected the Oasis at this oasis in mo NT 75 million years ago two of the Earth's plates shifted an earthquake resulted the uplifted slabs of Earth you see are visible evidence of what happened when the quake occurred the earthquake brought underground water to the surface as a spring there is a very good chance water can be found by digging wells along the fault connecting the Oasis in this area properly used the deserts could bear more food for thousands of people [Music] this is true in many other parts of the world plagued by drought or little rainfall the acquisition of drinking water for the family occupies a good bit of every day some trek a half a day to deep wells or water storage tanks to get fresh water vital if life is to be sustained the methods of getting fresh water vary so do the uses [Applause] [Music] without water crops would never grow [Music] in South America Asia and Africa Landsat images are helping agronomist monitor a variety of agricultural practices to determine where the land suitable for farming is being used efficiently since Landsat data can assist specialists in determining soil types the resulting information can be used to identify new areas for crop production helping planners introduce new crops to people unfamiliar with them in Kenya there is interest in using Landsat data to assess the effects of hail damage on one of the nation's more profitable crops tea in many areas of the world remote sensing images are being used to map new land formed by moving water Landsat imagery of Bangladesh helped cartographers properly mark the channels of the Ganges Brahmaputra Delta Landsat also revealed that eight new islands had been formed in the Bay of Bengal over 260 square kilometres of fertile land within a year the size will increase to over 10,000 square kilometres for cultivation while investigators in one country found land investigators in zaire discovered a lake not shown on their country's maps another image provided a clue as to how one of their rivers became polluted the pollution was traced to a diamond processing plant several hundred miles upstream corrective action was taken additional Landsat images are being monitored to see that the practice is not continued [Music] chemicals used to separate diamonds from tons of Earth are believed to have killed fish used as food by people living in villages along the riverbanks people relying on the river as a source of drinking water had to travel to distant wells for a more reliable supply since Landsat can often reveal streams stagnant pools and wet marshlands frequently the breeding grounds for disease carrying insects there are indications that satellite data may someday help detect breeding areas and assist pest control teams to identify trouble spots so that they can carry out control measures the Landsat images from space show that more than one-fifth of the land surface of our planet is desert Landsat images reveal that most deserts are not composed of sand in Egypt for example much of the surface is limestone Landsat data revealed most sandy holes are formed by a sea of shifting sand moved daily by the prevailing winds or violently churned in sandstorms Landsat images clearly record the size and direction of movement the dunes like giant waves are always moving slowly imperceptibly often engulfing an area in no time at all crushing villages dating back thirty four centuries [Music] the sand covers everything in its path a fallen animal a discarded can a disabled vehicle [Music] crossing roads the sand inundates oasis covering 80-foot palm trees that stand in its way it covers highways stretching across its path current maps available do not indicate the location or direction of this Menace properly interpreted Landsat images can be useful in planning future highway construction linking cities and villages on-site investigation revealed the shifting sand had found another prey a vital railroad line is being constantly buried by the sand as the Train attempts to make its way to Cairo sweepers clear the tracks ahead [Music] in areas most affected by the moving sand entire villages of men and boys work long days clearing stretches of track which have been buried during the night under tons of sand living a month at a time in tent camps set up along the side of the tracks workers wage a futile battle with nature Lance and data will be a valuable aid in planning future railroad routes across difficult and uncharted terrain [Music] there are more than 2 billion cattle in the world livestock of every kind is an important source of nutrition for many of the world's peoples milk a basic element of many diets grass the basic diet for cattle the Masai are a nomadic people roaming the rangelands of Eastern Africa in search of water and grass for their herds because Landsat data can reveal vegetation and surface water specialists have used it to help the Masai locate new Range lands while areas previously over grazed by the cattle are receded in time discoveries made using Landsat data should help the people in drought prone areas to sustain themselves and reduce flooding during the rainy season in most of southern and eastern Africa forests and grasslands make up the landscape much of the region is covered with smoke caused by Burnie burning is the common way forests and grasslands are cleared for farming [Music] the practice is also used to hunt animals in Zaire Landsat images have been used as part of an educational program to discourage this age-old practice Landsat can help Nations inventory their timber reserves and help them replace lost trees although timber once covered half the earth consumption and destruction and reduced timber lands to a third in Thailand Landsat data showed investigators that the portion of their country covered by forests was much less than the 60% indicated by an earlier aerial survey Landsat images revealed that less than 40 percent of the land remained covered by forests people had cut down the trees a variety of other causes took their toll as well Landsat images aided these forestry offices by providing solutions to problems that might otherwise have escaped detection in Bolivia Landsat helped decision-makers conduct a national resources evaluation on-site ground checks of Landsat data verified the presence of extensive Mineral Resources Landsat images were used to select areas for mineral exploration by eliminating areas where the chance of discovering minerals was low geologists were able to concentrate their efforts on lands most likely to pay off in valuable resources with the help of Landsat the entire country was remapped many bends and rivers were found to be as much as 24 kilometres from those indicated on previous maps by studying two Landsat images planners saved over 12 million dollars in building a pipeline and highway through difficult terrain geologists at this iron ore mine in Egypt used images from land set to locate additional deposits 24 kilometres away this knowledge will enable officials to continue mining operations long after the present line is depleted the potential return from the applications of information gained from Landsat images is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually the benefits affect agriculture industry [Music] commerce and the man-in-the-street [Music] preliminary studies suggested using Landsat data for four applications a crop measurement Water Management range management and mapping could prove helpful in planning for the future [Music] all the Landsat is a valuable tool it is just that a tool the data although pertinent must be properly interpreted and verified by other means that the investigators disposal Landsat images by themselves will not solve all the problems each of us face in making a better life in meeting all our needs at once Landsat can only give us a new perspective a longer more intense look at the face of our changing world [Music] [Music] Landsat a new perspective for men and women everywhere people with vision knowledgeable people meeting the vast agricultural challenges that face us everywhere on our planet [Music] hybrids new crops more resistant to disease maturing and shorter growing period crops to fatten our cattle and feed our children industry industry which means to the face of enemies industry sensitive to the problems which come with growth often we stand too close we cannot see ways to protect our planet to bring life to the desert to bring life to dead land for people concerned with the future working for a better life the goal of a better tomorrow is near at hand how soon this goal is realized will depend on the plans and decisions made today decisions that will help people everywhere improve the images of life [Music]