LAPAN ready `to sell' its services to public

LAPAN ready `to sell' its services to public

JAKARTA (JP): The National Space and Aviation Agency (LAPAN)
is now making its remote sensing services available to the public
at large, from private companies to research institutions.

The agency now operates three earth satellite stations in
Jakarta, Pare-pare (South Sulawesi), and Biak (Irian Jaya), each
one backed by data processing centers.

The agency can record and process various data which could be
used for various purposes from weather forecasting, detecting
forest fires, monitoring mountain activities to detecting
environmental pollution, Mahdi Kartasasmita, head of the LAPAN's
remote sensing section, told reporters yesterday.

The agency has also set up a data bank filing all products
that have been processed, Mahdi said.

LAPAN is also working in cooperation with orbit satellite
operators overseas to support its remote sensing facility, he
said.

The prices for an image complete with its processed data range
from Rp 800,000 to Rp 1.4 million, he said, LAPAN's price is
quite competitive compared to those offered overseas.

He said the agency charges private companies and government
agencies for using its remote sensing facility but research
centers and universities will be served free of charge.

So far, LAPAN has three government departments, 24 companies,
two universities and three research centers as its clients.

He said weather data collected by LAPAN's remote sensing
satellites found that the severe dry spell now affecting most of
Indonesia is likely to get worse.

Java is particularly critical, he said. "The drought is
affecting the island's vegetation and fertility," he said.

Data acquired from the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
satellite, operated by the United States, showed that the green
areas covered only 0.3 percent of Java's total surface. (rms)