wu NS 
— (D "1" D 
<< (D (OD LÍ (p 
of cropping system which addresses crop-crop interaction, 
the long term effects of various cropping sequences on pro- 
ductivity, soil and environmental health is important. 
Research needs to be focused to identify indicators of sus- 
tainability, effect of green house gases on biomass produc- 
tion and carrying capacity. Application of high spatial reso- 
lution multi-spectral data for precision farming is another 
important area of research. While remotely sensed data has 
demonstrated its usefulness in crop monitoring and yield 
prediction, there is need for development of national level 
integrated systems for crop production forecasting and fur- 
ther research in improving yield models. FASAL (Forecasting 
Agricultural Output using Space, Agrometeorolgy and Land 
based Observation) programme being evolved in India is an 
interesting concept. 
Advances made in the information and telecommunication 
technology have led to conceptualising resource monitoring 
systems by integrating remote sensing and in situ observa- 
tions in GIS environment. Development of spatial informa- 
tion systems to support optimal resource management 
models and decision support to help e-governance should 
be gaining momentum. Standards for such databases and 
their inter-operability need to be identified. Availability of 
high spatial resolution optical as well as radar data, 
advances in GIS and GPS technology should provide impe- 
tus. Major research programmes need to be developed for 
environmental impact analysis, risk assessment, integrated 
coastal zone management, ecological assessment of recla- 
mation, groundwater pollution, etc. Networking between 
information provider and end-user, standardisation of data- 
exchange format, etc. need to be developed. 
A large number of cities all over the world are already using 
satellite and aerial data with GIS for preparation of devel- 
opment plans, transport network optimisation, utility man- 
agement etc. Availability of high spatial resolution remote 
sensing data shall enhance one's ability to monitor urban- 
isation, study its impact on environment and to help plan- 
ning rural infrastructure. Delineation and monitoring of 
environmentally sensitive areas would require attention. 
Research will also be focused on the use of high resolution 
SAR data, and its DEM likely to available from RADARSAT- 
Il, ENVISAT, SRTM etc. Recently, there has been emphasis 
on the conservation and management of natural heritage 
Sites and cultural landscapes. The role of remote sensing 
(aerial photographs, high resolution multi-spectral data, 
radar data, etc.) in GIS environment for restoration of some 
Such sites has been demonstrated. Standard procedures 
to routinely monitor such sites and conservation and 
preservation practices need to be evolved in close co- 
operation with CIPA and other international bodies. 
Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruption, fires and floods 
are natural hazards that kill thousands of people and destroy 
billions of dollars of habitat and property each year. Floods 
are the most serious disasters followed by earthquakes, 
(man-made) accidents and landslides. Disaster manage- 
ment comprehends the aspects of risk analysis (assessing 
vulnerability or hazard analysis) and preparedness, preven- 
tion (disaster warning or early warning), disaster relief (res- 
cue), and disaster mitigation and planning. Remote sensing 
has made significant contributions in identification of risk 
zones. However further efforts are required in providing 
warning and alert. Development of systems which integrate 
Space observations, modelling and space communication 
are important. Post-disaster management comprises res- 
cue, relief, and rehabilitation / reconstruction. Remote sens- 
ing play its most spectacular role in disaster damage 
assessment. The various technologies, which would be of 
significant use in disaster management, are rainfall meas- 
urement for flood and landslide warning, soil moisture 
measurements for flood, landslide and drought warning, 
application of high spatial resolution imagery for damage 
assessment, SAR data for timely damage assessment (in an 
operational phase, by using many satellites to enhance the 
repetition cycle), slope analysis for landslide vulnerability, 
determination of tectonic motion for earthquake prediction 
as a trigger for landslides. 
SAR Interferometry technique shows promising results for 
topographic mapping and change detection, especially, 
where the detection of height differences in terrain is nec- 
essary, e.g., in risk analysis with respect to earthquakes, 
mass movement and volcanic outbreaks. Through use of 
differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) it is possible to 
monitor minute surface movements which accompany a 
range of natural disasters. This technique is in rapid devel- 
opment and operational applications are starting to 
emerge. 
Space observations are an important step toward record- 
ing and under standing Earth changes, both natural and 
man-made. As remote sensing affords the opportunity to 
view the earth synoptically as an entity, it has been possi- 
ble to create long-term data sets on various aspects of 
global change, such as, radiation budget, atmospheric 
chemistry, ocean surface topography and circulation, sea 
surface temperature, oceanic biological productivity, 
ocean/atmosphere coupling, global vegetation, desertifi- 
cation, coastal change, volcanoes, snow cover, human 
induced changes. Among the complications in producing 
time series of remotely sensed data for large areas are the 
problems of storing data and processing them in a consis- 
tent and timely fashion. Also, many of the derived data 
sets from remote sensing should be checked for consis- 
tency using physical principles. Complementing the 
advances made in the understanding of the Earth system 
from remote sensing has been the advances made from 
numerical models. Models of the Earth's atmosphere and 
oceans are being used to predict global changes and par- 
ticularly the likelihood of global warming and its conse- 
quences. Efforts are put into modifying or designing these 
models to be able to accept remote sensing data as 
inputs. Considering the huge nature of this data and the 
analysis methodologies, there is strong need for interna- 
tional co-operation among the space technology providing 
countries for creating global database and co-operating in 
the large scale validation of numerical predictions. Organ- 
isations like IGBP and CEOS are a step towards that. 
Close co-operation with TC-IV is envisaged. 
Working Groups of Technical Commission VII for 
2000-2004 
WG VII/1 Fundamental Physics and Modelling 
Chair: Karl Staenz (Canada) 
Co-chair: Marc Leroy (France) 
ISPRS 
  
International Archives of Photogrammerty and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part A. Amsterdam 2000. i item OY