Having independent control of its own state-of-the-art observation capability, with the ability to determine the satellite work plan and possessing image and data processing facilities totally in line with the local geographic and economic environment will benefit Thailand in myriad ways.
Thailand is situated in a part of the world where, as the events of December 2004 so tragically demonstrated, conditions can be suddenly extreme, with devastating consequences. With its long thin southern peninsula, coastal monitoring is a necessity, and the country is subject to both flooding and drought – with 55% of available land given over to rice-growing, a mainstay of the economy with around 7 million tonnes exported annually and farmed by 3.6 million families, accurate, specific forecasting is essential. In a newly industrialised country such as Thailand, the ability to monitor land use is crucial both for natural resource management (such as keeping track of how the forests are being used or abused, or in the mining industry) and for economic development (agriculture, telecommunications infrastructures, urban planning). Narcotics production and the associated illegal trafficking is clearly a cause for concern where better information will be of value.
