ICIMOD has the following grounds for promoting the development of Earth observation. • Earth observation bears special signifi cance in a mountain environment like the Hindu Kush-Himalayas (HKH) with its remoteness and rugged terrain. It allows a fi rst interpretation and analysis in a situation where in situ analysis is excessively time consuming or impossible. Where good case studies and individual fi eld work have been conducted, Earth observation allows cost effective scaling up and generalisation. • Geo-coded information based on Earth observation makes it possible to show a complicated situation in an illustrative, graphic way, which can replace long text explanations.