This report addresses the transition of research satellites, instruments, and calculations into operational service for accurately observing and predicting the Earth's environment. These transitions, which take place in large part between NASA and NOAA, are important for maintaining the health, safety, and prosperity of the nation, and for achieving the vision of an Earth Information System in which quantitative information about the complete Earth system is readily available to myriad users. Many transitions have been ad hoc, sometimes taking several years or even decades to occur, and others have encountered roadblocksâ€"lack of long-range planning, resources, institutional or cultural differences, for instanceâ€"and never reached fruition. Satellite Observations of Earth's Environment recommends new structures and methods that will allow seamless transitions from research to practice.

Ten years ago the author, together with eight co-authors, edited a textbook Remote Sensing for Environmental Sciences within the series on Ecological Studies of Springer-Verlag. At that time there were not yet many books available on remote sensing. The decade that has elapsed was marked by a spectacular development in this field. This development took place in many directions: by widening the areas of application, by improvements of the methods and the sensors, by the introduction of new versatile platforms, but also by deepening the knowledge of the theoretical foundations. This evolution improved the ability to explain the interaction between electromagnetic radia tion and natural objects, which, in its turn, allowed for better modelization and for the creation of refined mathematical tools in the processing of remotely sensed data and in the determination of the physical status of remote objects. The community of research workers engaged in development and use of remote sensing methods changed accordingly from a modest group of scientists in the early 1970's to a considerable branch of specialized and interdisciplinary activity. The training of students had to be adapted to cope with the increasing number of people entering this new field and with the increasing quality of the material to be presented.

A comprehensive source book for anybody interested in the potential of remote sensing and GIS technology for the Eastern Europe countries in transition, and less developed countries in general. Leading experts from Europe, Canada and the USA cover a wide variety of applications, from the provision of satellite data to land, water and atmosphere planning issues. The individual contributions present a nice balance between theory and proved application methods. The book is suitable for a wide spectrum of readers, such as graduate students of the environmental and geo sciences, teachers and professors, specialists at various administrative levels, political decision makers and policy makers, and technical aid GOs and NGOs.