The FCV was an early adopter of the possibilities offered by satellite imagery.

"In mid-1972 and again in 1973, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration will fly experimental spacecraft instrumented to study earth resources from space. These spacecraft will be called Earth Resources Technology Satellites (ERTS) A and B."

"The scale of ERTS imagery (approximately 1:1,000,000) will limit resolution to approximately 700 feet. However, as yet the interpretation of this imagery is an unknown art. It is conceivable that subtle features that are lost on a mosaic of ordinary air photos will be noticeable on 100m x 100m photos taken under conditions of uniform lighting. The immediate problem will be to learn how to make use of this imagery. To this end, the Forests Commission will undertake studies relating to forestry.
See: Small Format Aerial Photography, R Spencer, VSFA Newsletter 30 (May 1972) p29.