REMOTE-SENSING TECHNOLOGY FOR BANGLADESH

This paper describes NASA activities that contributed to the development of a remote sensing capability in Bangladesh since 1968. Initial efforts focused on the installation of an automatic picture transmission (APT) ground station at Dhaka which was situated at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Center. In 1982 the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) was formed to centralize all remote sensing activities. A relationship between NASA and SPARRSO has evolved over the years with the implementation of additional hardware, software, training programs and cooperative projects. This paper focuses on, but is not limited to, the activities of the Agro-Climatic and Environmental Monitoring Project (ACEMP) which began in 1980. Emphasis is placed on the contribution of the ACEMP to the development of the currently operational centralized remotely sensed data processing facility. This facility, which is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh is a major entity within SPARRSO and is of service to numerous active and potential local and national users. The current SPARRSO ACEM data processing system has evolved from serving a single group of meteorological applications, to its present unique position as a national resource for the processing of remotely sensed data for a wide variety of discipline applications. System upgrades are described.