The Seasat Program was initiated as a proof-of-concept mission to evaluate the effectiveness of remotely sensed oceanographic phenomena from a satellite platform. From inception, this program has been user-oriented. These users, within the academic, government, and commercial ocean communities, have served as the architects of the program and are continuing to be involved in the validation and application of the satellite-derived data. While an early failure of the satellite deprived the user communities of a real-time multiseasonal data set, the program did yield a rare and valuable archive of data now being analyzed and validated by a variety of users. A unique program of evaluation exists to assess the impact of satellite-derived oceanographic observations in several segments of the commercial sector. Commercial users from such segments as marine transportation, ocean mining, offshore oil and gas exploration and operations, marine Fisheries, and marine safety are analyzing Seasat data to understand the operational and economic impact of such data on their various business activities. Early results from these studies show that satellite observations alone can provide commercial users with historical data for new and remote areas of operation which, to obtain by in situ measurements, would require enormous expenditures of funds for oceanographic instrumentation. More significantly, these studies are showing that timely oceanographic and weather forecasts, improved by the use of satellite-derived observations of winds, waves, and surface temperatures, can result in more efficient and safe operations, yielding industry savings of millions of dollars annually.
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