[Rhodes22-list] National Applications Office (political)

[Michael D. Weisner]

Key members of Congress urged the Homeland Security Department to indefinitely postpone the launch of a controversial project to provide military spy satellite pictures and data to domestic homeland security and law enforcement agencies, citing the civil-liberties risks the project entails. 

DHS' newly created National Applications Office (NAO) planned to start the program in October. The department framed a procedure for shunting geospatial data from Defense Deparatment satellites to homeland security agencies to monitor counterterrorism and civil-safety matters, officials said...

... In addition to providing images based on the visible-light portion of the spectrum that typically reach a six-inch resolution scale, military satellites can generate various other types of data. 

For example, the satellites' Light Detection and Ranging technology, which is especially useful in analyzing smoke particles, water vapor and atmospheric conditions, could play a role in detecting air pollution emitted by illegal methamphetamine labs. Military satellites that can combine imagery from several parts of the electromagnetic spectrum could be particularly useful in pinpointing sites used to grow marijuana. 

(or smoke it?) For the rest of the story, see:
http://www.gcn.com/print/26_24/45023-1.html


Mike
s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
Nissequogue River, NY
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