ABSTRACT
Two sets of rules apply to remote sensing for the management of disasters. They are the UN Remote Sensing Principles,1 and the Disaster Charter.2 The Remote Sensing Principles apply to all non-security related remote sensing of Earth from space. The Disaster Charter covers not only remote sensing but also other space-based services of use in disaster situations. The Remote Sensing Principles were a culmination of many years of discussion and
negotiation, finally coming to fruition in 1986. They aim to strike a balance between the interests of sensing States and those of sensed States. In its 2011 report,3 UN COPUOS recognized the value of remote sensing in disaster management. The Disaster Charter was founded by ESA and the French space agency, CNES, and
formally began operating in November 2000. The Charter supports relief efforts and allows registered users to request and access free satellite data over stricken regions. In its first ten years, the Disaster Charter provided satellite data of more than 300 disaster events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, floods and fires, spanning nearly 100 countries.4
