Remote Sensing, Digital Mapping, and Geographical Information Systems: The Creation of National Policy in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology has examined remote sensing and digital mapping, taking the view that these represented converging fields of endeavour which are now of considerable scientific and commercial importance. This paper reports the way in which the Committee worked and how it saw the main issues—such as establishing user needs, the availability of trained manpower, and the availability of software tools (Geographical Information Systems or GIS) for handling the rapidly increasing data volumes. The Committee's conclusions with regard to GIS are itemised and the Government's response to these recommendations is examined. Finally, the roles of the leading ‘actors’ in the report creation process are briefly examined.