Keeping an Eye on the Islands:
Remote Monitoring in the South China Sea
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Keeping an Eye on the Islands:
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Vipin Gupta and Adam Bernstein
| Abstract |
| This paper explores the technical feasibility and utility of aerial and commercial satellite imaging for cooperative monitoring of islands, islets, and reefs in the South China Sea - a region that has been a source of conflict amongst the coastal states. We examine a subset of islands and reefs to test overhead imaging systems that may be useful for verifying possible future agreements designed to defuse the multilateral conflict. Moderate-resolution (5-10 meter), commercial satellite imaging was generally limited in utility, with the notable exception of Radarsat-1 imagery. Radar imagery proved to be an effective wide area search and detection tool, capable of detecting ships and structures independent of weather or lighting conditions. High-resolution (<1 m), aerial images provided a significant amount of information that was extremely useful for change detection analysis, ship identification, and infrastructure assessment. Based on this result, high-resolution satellite imagery is expected to provide comparable detail from a higher vantage point, but only for limited time periods during daylight hours. Our study concludes that a combination of aerial and satellite imaging can provide timely, substantive information on ships, structures, and activities in the South China Sea. Specific political agreements covering the area may be verifiable if the provisions are tailored to the imaging capabilities and limitations that were identified in this study. All of the necessary aerial and satellite imaging platforms for South China Sea monitoring will be in place by the year 2000. From that point onward, a formal monitoring regime optimized for the South China Sea will be technically feasible. |
| Acknowledgments | ||||||
Disclaimer: This research was supported in part by the Cooperative Monitoring Center at Sandia National Laboratories. This paper was done under the auspices of the US Department of Energy by Sandia National Laboratories under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000. The analysis, views, and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors alone.