Space Technologies for the Benefit of Human Society and Earth [electronic resource] / edited by Phillip Olla.

Improving Global Resource Management and Protection of Terrestrial, Coastal and Marine Resources -- SMOS – Earth’s Water Monitoring Mission -- India’s EO Pyramid for Holistic Development -- Shifting Paradigms in Water Management -- Operational Oceanography and the Sentinel-3 System -- Advanced Space Technology for Oil Spill Detection -- Innovative Tele-Heath Applications and Communication Systems -- From Orbit to OR: Space Solutions for Terrestrial Challenges in Medicine -- Bridging Health Divide Between Rural and Urban Areas –Satellite Based Telemedicine Networks in India -- TEMOS – Telemedicine for the Mobile Society Telemedical Support for Travellers and Expatriates -- Convergence of Internet and Space Technology -- Using Inflatable Antennas for Portable Satellite-Based Personal Communications Systems -- Disaster Monitoring, Mitigation and Damage Assessment -- Space-Borne Tsunami Warning System -- GEONETCast Americas – A GEOSS Environmental Data Dissemination System Using Commercial Satellites -- Space Technology for Disaster Monitoring, Mitigation and Damage Assessment -- Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques for Natural Disaster Monitoring -- EO Products for Drought Risk Reduction -- Space Technologies for the Benefit of Society -- The Diffusion of Information Communication and Space Technology Applications into society -- Humanitarian Aids Using Satellite Technology -- National Development Through Space: India as a Model -- Space Based Societal Applications -- Space for Energy: The Role of Space-Based Capabilities for Managing Energy Resources on Earth -- Sharing Brains: Knowledge Management Project for ESA Space Operations.

When discussing the advancement of space science and space technology, most people instinctively think about deep space flights, lunar stations, and thrilling outer space adventures. The fact is that the majority of the human technology in space, which consists of interconnected satellites, points towards Earth, and is used to provide services for and fulfil the goals of people on planet Earth. Over the next decade, there will be an increased need for innovative Earth information systems to support the international space community's efforts to provide a robust infrastructure. This book describes some of the most important applications being developed, along with the space infrastructure upgrades being implemented to support them. It also provides a comprehensive review of how space technology can be used to resolve fundamental environmental, technological, and humanitarian challenges that we are experiencing on our planet. Finally, the book demonstrates to the IT and business communities how space technology can be incorporated into terrestrial IT applications to facilitate decision-making.