you
it's not good enough just to do research
and prove that it can be done you have
to take that into production and again
is where the EO cap contracts been
really good for us the NASA yo cap one
project really got us off the ground to
the point where we have a commercially
viable service if you didn't have you a
cop I don't think you'd have the nature
of the contacts with the space
industries that are necessary for a
small company to make this a successful
operation you've just heard comments
from some of NASA's partners in EO cap
the earth observations commercial
applications program at Jhansi Stennis
Space Center but this is just one of
several opportunities available through
NASA these individuals represent
industry working with NASA to develop
commercial space technology applications
NASA offers a variety of partnership
programs aimed at building a u.s. remote
sensing industry ready to compete and
win in global markets as a partner with
business NASA can leverage small
investments in private enterprise to
generate substantial benefits to all
society NASA partnerships are not
one-size-fits-all propositions H is
tailored to the specific needs of the
private organization under four main
program opportunities VIP visiting
investigator program a short-term
low-cost agreement providing firms
opportunities for investigating remote
sensing and related technologies the VIP
gave us a very inexpensive a very
low-risk approach to take a look at
something that we absolutely knew very
little about industry agreements and
initiatives no exchange of funds
agreements allowing advanced firms
access to NASA facilities and expertise
one thing lockheed has learned about
trying to commercialize government
technologies that it's not as easy as it
seems
NASA here at Stennis Space Center has
helped educate us in terms of
understanding just what the customers
need and what they don't need without
their help and assistance the transition
for Lockheed would be much more
difficult Small Business Innovation
research opportunities for developing
NASA technology with potential
commercial applications the company was
founded with a view that there would be
a significant component of research at
the company funding from government
agencies grants and contracts and we
were fortunate to start with some SBIR
phase one programs and as a result of
being involved in those programs at NASA
Stennis we became aware of the EO cap
program yo cap a risk-sharing program
fitting the needs of knowledgeable
companies engaged in developing new
remote sensing products and services by
using digital image processing we've
actually been able to develop new
products products that in fact we would
not have been able to deliver to our
clients before our technological
development efforts with NASA here is a
technology through through NASA using
using commercial money and a C program
to develop technology that can be
brought to bear directly we feel on the
UH ability to comply with those
regulations and we think that's one of
the real beauties of the EO cap program
NASA's partners make substantial
investments of their own with the office
of commercial earth observations
programs providing bridges between NASA
technology and profitable commercial
products and services financial and
technical support helps offset the risk
of bringing new technology to the
marketplace that really is a partnership
because we're co-funding this we're
co-funding it at about sixty percent of
the total dollar amount per year so
NASA's putting us at forty percent this
is just the right amount to do this
project and roll out a product if we
haven't had yo cap funding we wouldn't
have been able to do this yo keV
investment success has been documented
using actual data from the yield cap one
second and third year performance the
annual gross revenue the yoke approach
are projected to average 10 million
dollars in seven years this compares
favorably with the fastest growing high
technology companies in the US this
model ill streets increasing levels of
success indicated by reportable
innovations enhanced our new products
and services or the realization of a
commercially viable business of nine yo
cap one projects for reached the highest
measure of success it's allowed us as a
small business to grow pretty
dramatically not that NASA's paid us to
grow but the small supplement of funds
they've given us has spurred us in other
business areas so that we've been able
to grow quite a bit in addition to the
benefits to the private sector these
companies are developing information
technology products and services for the
effective management and use of our
environment and natural resources I
think probably the most compelling issue
in land management today is changed how
is vegetation change of Korean how is
land use change occurring and the
biggest problem we've had has been
convincing our clients that you can use
satellite imagery to assess change with
the EO cap project has been able to give
us is the funds to develop
proof-of-concept products that we can
take to our clients and say see we did
it this is how it's done and it was a
successful product and here's the
product and then usually the minute
somebody sees that they buy into it the
far-reaching changes brought about by
the Superfund legislation back in
nineteen a he have altered the way we do
business the way we transfer property
the way we sell and deal with facilities
the way we dispose of waste and we're
coming in and trying to meet a need in a
given market that allows us to to make
it more efficient more expeditious both
for the government and super fund
projects as well as in industry and
commercial applications it's allowing us
to do it better and it less cost and
therefore the everyone benefits from
that these are real US companies who are
working with NASA to develop new
products processes or services to expand
their girl
clearly the EO camp and other commercial
program opportunities make this possible
in supporting commercial programs still
a Space Center maintains the airborne
instrument test system known as AI TS
AIT s is a service to the commercial
sector offering a full range of remote
sensing instrumentation image processing
software geographic information systems
and data processing facilities NASA
commercial partners work with an
innovative staff with extensive
experience in developing new remote
sensing and GIS products and services
NASA continues to search for efficient
ways to work with the private sector as
the commercial program evolves new
partnership agreements will develop
encouraging us industry to take
advantage of nyssa technology and become
more competitive at national and global
markets