ABSTRACT
The development of a commercial satellite imagery (CSI) industry and its associated services is now commonly noted as a major element in the 'information revolution' sweeping the globe. This chapter looks in some detail at some issues concerning the UN, CSI and peacekeeping. It turns to some issues related to these which arise in the context of broader Canadian security requirements. Peace operations could benefit greatly from more extensive use of geographic information systems (GIS) technology, which quickly integrates operational information with electronic maps of the mission area, for applications as diverse as demobilization, civilian policing, voter registration, human rights monitoring and reconstruction. The Report emphasized the need for a properly planned and integrated information technology (IT) structure, and suggested that an Information and Strategic Analysis Secretariat (EISAS), under the Executive Committee on Peace and Security (ECPS), could perform a significant supervisory role in this.
