Pecora 14/Land Satellite Information III Conference “Demonstrating the Value of Satellite Imagery” December 6-9, 1999 by Thomas M. Palmerlee, Senior Program Officer, Transportation Research Board
ASPRS collaborated successfully with the Pecora 14 sponsors to put on an outstanding conference. Organized by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) and the North American Remote Sensing Industries Association (NARSIA), the goal of the conference was to examine applications of the next generation of high resolution land imaging satellites (30 meters and finer). Eight federal agencies sponsored the two and a half day conference held at the DoubleTree Hotel Denver in Denver, Colorado.
The conference was focused on the end user; the professional who uses or potentially could use satellite imagery for problem solving. Steering Committee Chair Donald T. Lauer, chief of the EROS Data Center, USGS, described the goal of the conference: “The conference offers a unique opportunity for resources managers, land planners, and transportation and environmental specialists to learn about the kinds of valuable information that can be extracted from satellite imagery. Data providers and end users will have a forum for sharing ideas and practical solutions to information challenges. While attention will be given to the latest satellite systems, discussions will be in the context of how these systems can assist the end user.”
Over 700 people attended this conference, approximately 100 more than the 1997 Land Satellite Conference which had grown by about that number over the 1995 conference. Attendees came from many types of organizations with especially strong representation from the Federal and private sectors. The private sector portion grew slightly, by three percentage points. A scan of the registration list shows 137 companies represented at the conference. The largest relative growth was in the academic sector, which increased from 12% to 20%.
Eight half-day workshops, organized by ASPRS Workshop Coordinator, Dr. Russell Congalton, were offered prior to the start of the conference, with topics ranging from relevant technologies like SAR interferometry to applications such as land use/land cover change detection analysis. Attendees earned continuing education credit for their participation.
A hybrid approach was used by Kass Green, technical program chair, to develop the technical program content. Speakers were invited for the five general sessions and most of the presenters in the 20 concurrent session were selected from responses to a call for presentations. Thus, the program was a blend of general sessions that reviewed the status of major satellite systems and breakout sessions that focused on application areas. The CEOs of all the major satellite companies gave presentations in what again were the best attended sessions. Having a successful launch of Space Imaging’s Ikonos satellite added much excitement to the conference. The breakout sessions focused on specific application areas. The keynote address was presented by Dr. Thomas J Casadevall, former deputy director, USGS.
The William T. Pecora Award was bestowed upon John E. Estes during the opening conference session. (See Box this page).
More than 30 poster presentations rounded out the technical program.
A separate, one-day, classified session, organized by Murray Felsher (NARSIA) and William Stein (NIMA), on “Federal Government Applications of Satellite Imagery,” held off-site, attracted 100 people. There were also three sold-out technical tours to Space Imaging’s Primary Operations Center and the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping Center.
In addition to the sessions, there were 39 exhibitors representing commercial vendors, government agencies, educational institutions, and others. The Exhibit Hall proved to be popular with both attendees and exhibitors. All respondents on the evaluation survey had visited the Exhibit Hall, spending an average of 4.7 hours there. One attendee enthusiastically reported, “(This was) the best group (of exhibitors) ever at any conference.”
Summary
The conference again served as an excellent forum to showcase the new generation
of land sensing satellites. The growing attendance figures reflect expanding
interest in these capabilities, especially now that the first commercial
high-resolution satellite is operational. The increase in private sector
and academic attendance shows the interest is broadening beyond the federal
government.
The Conference Proceedings on CD-ROM contains many of the presentations made
at the conference in addition to some detailed produce and service information
from exhibitors. The proceedings are available for purchase from ASPRS (see
the Publications Catalog in this issue of PE&RS).
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William T. Pecora Award Presented to John E. Estes University of California, Santa Barbara In recognition of his outstanding contributions as a researcher and teacher in the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies to analyze earth resources. Dr. John E. Estes is an internationally recognized leader in developing and applying remote sensing and GIS tools for mapping land use/land cover, validating land cover map products, monitoring land cover change, mapping protected areas, identifying agricultural crop types, modeling fire fuels, modeling water demand, analyzing biodiversity, and detecting marine oil pollution. He joined the faculty of the Geography Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1969, and has served as the department chairman and director of the Department’s Remote Sensing Research Unit. Dr. Estes has a unique ability to lead and guide graduate students, rather than direct them, in pursuit of their education and research objectives. Dr. Estes has also made significant contributions to the remote sensing and GIS communities that extend far beyond the academic community. He has taken extended assignments with both the USGS and NASA to assist in formulating national and international programs and policies for Earth observation. He is currently chair of the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping, and serves on the NASA’s Space Station Science Utilization Advisory Committee and Earth System Science and Applications Advisory Committee, as well as the National Academy of Sciences Space Applications Board and Mapping Science Committee. The William T. Pecora Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions by individuals or groups toward the understanding of the Earth by means of remote sensing. The award is sponsored jointly by the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The award was established in 1974 to honor the memory of Dr. William T. Pecora, former director of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Under Secretary, Department of the Interior. Dr. Pecora was a motivating force behind the establishment of a program for civil remote sensing of the Earth from space. His early vision and support helped establish what we know today as the Landsat satellite program. |
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