This is one gem of a post and I can relate to a lot of it from my prior years at the European Space Agency. For more than a year I worked with a project on how satellite applications could better benefit countries in the Alps. After bringing relevant stakeholders together from different sectors, the most obvious point for improvement was shared data standards and IT compatibility that would allow joint innovation and sharing of key information. Especially for environmental protection, search and rescue efforts at the borders (the mountains do not recognize lines on a map).

However, you quickly notice how all countries want to stimulate growth in their own economies and build excellence in this cutting edge IT. So most would have their own funding programmes for national SMEs, resulting in numerous efforts to reinvent the same wheel, resulting in incompatible solutions that were not enabling collaboration and joint coordination.

Especially since Satellite Data, and Earth Observation images in particular, are now increasingly open and free for anyone to use, I see this as a key area where blockchain-based solutions are the way to go. With the data being open and free to anyone, and the problems it help solve being in everyones joint interest (detecting forest fires, avalanche-dangers, lost airplanes and ships etc), open-sourced solution that anyone can contribute to and benefit from would make the most sense economically in terms of cost versus benefit for all.

I actually started drafting a Steem-based solution for it, but now @steempress is taking all of my time so I'm postponing it to when I have more time :P

Again, great article!