Observing Earth
Conrad Lautenbacher, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wants to "give the Earth a physical." He plans to do that through a new global observation system. FP spoke with Lautenbacher about how this system could save lives before the next disaster strikes. Foreign Policy: You’ve just announced that the United States is ...
Conrad Lautenbacher, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wants to "give the Earth a physical." He plans to do that through a new global observation system. FP spoke with Lautenbacher about how this system could save lives before the next disaster strikes.
Conrad Lautenbacher, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wants to "give the Earth a physical." He plans to do that through a new global observation system. FP spoke with Lautenbacher about how this system could save lives before the next disaster strikes.
Foreign Policy: You’ve just announced that the United States is creating an early warning system for tsunamis coming off the Atlantic. How high is the risk that the U.S. eastern seaboard could be hit?
Conrad Lautenbacher: Well, the risk is low. The trouble is it only takes one of these to make a huge problem, as we saw in the Indian Ocean. But if you’re the one guy that gets caught, then it’s not so nice.
FP: Does the United States need an early warning system for both coasts?
CL: It is [about reassuring the public]. After the Indian Ocean tragedy, people are very interested in looking at how they can provide a feeling of security for the populations.
FP: You’re currently pushing for a Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS). What would this do?
CL: A GEOSS has nine large benefit areas, one of which is the mitigation of natural disasters. But it’s only one benefit that can be gained from wiring the world — putting together a system of sensors in the atmosphere and the ocean and the Earth.
FP: What are some other benefits?
CL: Probably one of the biggest values [is the] health benefits from making the connection between what goes on in the environment and the spreading of pathogens that have potential to harm great parts of the world.
FP: So this system will allow you to predict where epidemics would strike?
CL: Yes. We have a number of projects around the world that are using satellite data combined with health databases to work on cross-disciplinary studies of how disease travels.
FP: If we had another outbreak of SARS, for example, this system would be able to help identify that in advance?
CL: Absolutely. I believe that with a robust system we could easily predict where and when SARS outbreaks would occur. And when we know enough about it, we’d be able to prevent it.
FP: If the early warning aspects of the system had been in place, how many lives could have been saved during this most recent tsunami?
CL: Monday-morning quarterbacking is difficult, but studies show that… between 85 to 90 percent of the victims could have been saved.
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