Statement of COSPAR to the 29th session of the UN committee on peaceful uses of outer space

Statement of COSPAR to the 29th session of the UN committee on peaceful uses of outer space

6. development of data documentation quality criteria or indicators to “label” the quality of existing data bases 7. a task directed at total exposure...

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6. development of data documentation quality criteria or indicators to “label” the quality of existing data bases 7. a task directed at total exposure estimations. This list provides just a sketch of a much larger set of recommendations including more technical topics such as those dealing with data measurement and standards, data evaluation, quality assurance, and data use in modelling. A report of the workshop will be prepared by the organizing committee in collaboration with workshop chairmen and rapporteurs responsible for the four main topics: air J. Hahn, R. Jaenicke (position paper prepared by both) R. Packham, D. Hunt (position paper prepared by water C. E. Hamilton) soils/biota H. Gyllenberg, B. 0. Fabricius (position paper prepared by D. S. Barth) data management -. Mums, B. Wiersma (position paper prepared by P. K. Hopke and D. L. Massart) organizing committee Chairman, M. Martin-Bouyer; members, G. C. Carter, J. L. Clark, A. Marsan, B. Diamondstone, J. Forslund, J. Hahn, E. C. Halliday, N. West; T. Plebanski, N. G. Rambidi (corresponding members).

1.10.STATEMENT OF COSPAR TO THE 29th SESSION OF THE UN COMMI’ITEE ON

PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE

New York, USA, 2-13 June 1986 presented by Dr. E. Mondre, COSPAR Observer Esteemed Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great homour and privilege for me to address, again, this distinguished Assembly on behalf of the Committee on Space Research, COSPAR. The President of COSPAR, Prof. C. de Jager, who had planned to attend this session in person, and was prevented from coming at the last minute for reasons of a personal nature, asked me to present the best wishes of our Committee and express our satisfaction with the close links developed with the United Nations. COSPAR will, of course, continue submitting to the United Nations its annual report, “Progress in Space Research”, which is being compiled by the COSPAR Secretariat from the inputs of the COSPAR Interdisciplinary Scientific Commissions. We will next report on the period covering 1985-1986 this coming autumn. Our Committee is most happy to arrange, together with the IAF, the symposia that are held on the occasion of the meetings of the Scientific and 33

Technical Sub-Committee of COPUOS. This year’s symposium was held on 11 and 12 February, and its topic was Remote Sensing for Developing Countries. In addition, a special presentation was made on 18 February, to the participants of the Sub-Committee Meeting, by the Chairman of the appropriate COSPAR Commission, on the Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. It was gratifying to us that the symposium and special presentation were met with great interest. Together with the IAF, COSPAR is now preparing the programme for the next Symposium in this series, to be held on the occasion of the 1987 Sub-Committee meeting, on the theme “Space Communication for Development”. We hope that it will be as successful as the previous ones. As the distinguished delegates may be aware, on 30 June 1986, the 26th COSPAR Plenary Meeting and associated activities will begin, in Toulouse, France. These COSPAR Meetings are witnessing a steady increase in the number of scientific events held and the number of participating scientists. This year will again be a record year - with some 12 symposia, 16 workshops, 23 topical meetings, and five special evening sessions and presentations, and an expected number of participants of the order of 1500. This development witnesses not only the great interest in scientific space research, but also an increasing quality of the scientific programme, attracting more and more scientists. Of the events to be held in Toulouse, one is co-sponsored by the United Nations, namely the Workshop on Remote Sensing of Interest to Developing Countries. COSPAR greatly appreciates the collaboration of the Outer Space Affairs Division in preparing this workshop, and of the United Nations in sponsoring the travel of four of the workshop participants from developing countries. In order to commemorate the International Year of Peace, as the year 1986 was proclaimed by the United Nations, COSPAR is organizing, in Toulouse, in collaboration with the International Academy of Astronautics, a special session, “Scientific Space Research: An Example of International Cooperation for Peaceful Purposes”. The session will include two presentations, by Profs. H. Curien of France and Yash Pal of India, and will be followed by a panel discussion with the participation of eminent scientists from various countries. Please receive the best wishes of the Committee on Space Research for the most successful outcome of the deliberations of this session. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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