From Science to Applications: Determinants of Diffusion in the Use of Earth Observations

Abstract

We offer a framework and empirical evaluation to demonstrate how the use of Earth observations data has diffused over time in social science research, across many applications topics and geographic regions of focus. Our research is motivated by the continuing debate by policymakers over whether the nation's investment in Earth observations is merited and how our community can improve our ability to help answer this question in a systematic and documented manner. We consider the role of factors including use of GIS as a complementary tool in use of Earth observations and the role of data prices. Our approach in this section of the paper uses statistical regression. In the second part of the paper we draw from standard bibliometric methods used by government agencies to evaluate the extent to which a research field is growing. This approach asks whether authors tend to cross-reference and build on each others' work, providing evidence of Earth observations adopted in a growing community of practice. We realize that these strands of the value of Earth observations are often part of policy debate but we offer insights into how to substantiate and document these claims. We find evidence of increasingly widespread use of Earth observations in an ever widening number of applications and regions. GIS and data prices do matter in influencing the diffusion. However, we see less evidence of a community of practice within the large social science literature represented in our data.

Satellite Earth Observation and National Data Regulation

“…In subsequent years there was a debate in the US about whether the Landsat satellites should be funded from the public purse or should be transferred to the private sector [2]. This debate has continued more or less unabated since then [3]. Most recently in 2018 the Landsat Advisory Group was asked to consider new prospects for cost sharing of Landsat data between the public and the private sectors to support the Sustainable Land Imaging model of Landsat continuity [4].…”