iU
ds
- 297 =
Past experience with aerial photography has set a distinct pattern, whereby
exploitation of the metric information became the domain of professional
photogrammetrists, and the application of the semantic (thematic) information
was mainly done by experts in the various disciplines such as the earth
Sciences, Attempts to create airphoto interpretation as a separate profession
met with relatively little Success, although this type of work is still
continued at a few places,
to create separate remote Sensing centres for the Servicing of user organization
The tendency has been Strengthened by the telemetric transmission of
data from automatic remote sensing satellites, requiring special and expensive
receiving facilities, many of which are also equiped as image processing
and user support centres. This new set-up, whereby image processing,
information extraction and servicing of user organizations are becoming
functions separated from the end users, is in contrast with the current
system with aerial photography, where its utilization has been almost
entirely integrated in those same user organizations,
This in turn is leading to the establishment of a separate category of
'remote sensers' (or remote sensing specialists), distinct from the categories
of geologists, geomorphologists, geographers, soil scientists, civil engineers,
agricultural engineers, vegetation Specialists, ecologists, environmentalists,
foresters, etc. who are Specializing in airphoto interpretation applied to
their discipline.
This increasing divergènce between the approach to (non-photographic) remote
sensing - with in addition emphasis on digital image processing - and the
use of aerial photography with much work done using optical-visual techniques,
runs counter to the advantage of exploiting the complementarity of all
airborne and space remote sensing systems in different bands of the electro-
magnetic spectrum, Hence f.i. the opposition of an outstanding personality
like Professor Yash Pal (Ref. 1). In addition, it may become a major factor
in impeding the identification and development of some of the most promising
and socially beneficial applications of (satellite) remote sensing (Refs. 2, 3).
Faced with the presence of two rather conflicting schools of thought, one of
which advocates a Strategy aiming at developing and perfecting remote sensing
as a separate professional activity, and the other which favours an integration
to the extent possible of remote sensing applications in the various professions
themselves, one has to question the usefullness of an endeavour to elaborate
generally acceptable standards of competence for remote sensers and to
accomplish appropriate recognition of the remote sensing profession within
any nation. |
The author wishes to defend the Second position, that of an integration of
remote sensing in a wide range of disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and
multidisciplinary activities as well as integration of image processing and
information extraction/information handling in the user organizations. He
is of the firm opinion that this is not only in the best interest of the Third
World, now and in future, but also that it will in the long run be the most
promising approach for the industrialized world of today and the 4
post-industrialized world of the twenty-first century. It will simultaneously
Strengthen the social position of all those engaged in the use of remote
sensing techniques,
The use of remote Sensing.
The range of proven and potential applications of remote sensing, from aerial
photography and airborne multispectral Scanning MSS, thermal infrared
linescanning TIR and side-looking airborne radar SLAR and synthetic aperture
radar SAR to photography from manned spacecraft and MSS, thermal and microwave
Voute 2