BRAZILIAN REMOTE SENSING COMMUNITY: HISTORICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL AND ECONOMICAL ASPECTS 
Tania Maria Sausen 
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais 
Secretaria da Ciencia e Tecnologia 
Avenida dos Astronautas, 1758 
Caixa Postal 515 
12201 - Sào José dos Campos, SP, Brazil 
Abstract: 
Since 1968 the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil has been working on remote sensing. 
After 24 years, the number of remote sensing users registered at INPE data base is around 3000 people. This 
paper presents a study of the historical, geographical and economical aspects that determine the 
distribution of remote sensing community in Brazil and its behavior during the past fourteen years. In this 
study the following topics are analysed: papers presented in the Brazilian Remote Sensing Symposiums, 
training courses that have been developed since October 1985 and user questionnaires. With this piece of 
information, it was possible to identify that 50Z of Brazilian Remote Sensing Community is located in the 
Southeast region. The Southeast and South regions together represent 807 of Brazilian Remote Sensing 
Community. Both these regions represent only 257% of the country area, but they are the richest and most 
developed regions in Brazil. 
KEY WORDS: Brazilian Community, Remote Sensing. 
1. INTRODUCTION a) The information obtained through the users 
questionnaires: 
Since 1968 the National Institute for Space 
Research (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas In September 1988 a questionnaire was mailed to 
Espaciais-INPE) in Brazil has been working on 3000 remote sensing users, and 336 answers to this 
remote sensing. questionnaire were sent back until January 1989. 
This represents just 11Z of the total amount,but 
In 1973 Brazil started tracking the  LANDSAT through the questionnaires it was possible to have 
satellite through the installation by INPE of a basic information about the Brazilian Remote 
complete system of collection, processing and Sensing Community.The following pieces of 
imagery generation. INPE is one of the most information were obtained through the 
important satellite image distributors in the questionnaires: 
world. Researches in remote sensing in INPE study 
the process of extracting information from images - profession; 
of terrestrial surface obtained from remote sensors - institution (private, public, university); 
installed on board aircraft or satellites. - when the user started to work on remote 
sensing; 
Main activities in remote sensing are undertaken - city where the user office is located; 
through the following areas: agriculture, - region where the user developed his 
forestry/vegetation, geology, environmental researches; 
analysis, cartography, imagery processing, basic - research subjects; 
researches in digital image processing, and remote - user age. 
sensing. 
b) The information obtained through the papers 
One of the main concerns of the remote sensing area presented in the Brazilian Remote Sensing 
is the transfer of knowledge and methodologies Symposiums-BRSS, 
developed in INPE to different sectors of the 
national community, and Latin Amarican and African Through the Symposiums registration books and 
communities. This is | done through regular proceedings, it was possible to get the following 
graduation courses, regional laboratories, pieces of information: 
Symposiums and training courses. 
— paper subjects; 
After 24 years, the number of remote sensing users - author origin (city and State); 
registered at INPE data base is around 3,000 - author institution; 
people. - number of presented papers / symposiums. 
In the past 14 years, INPE held 6 Brazilian Remote c) The information obtained in training course 
Sensing Symposiums, each one in a different region files: 
of the country.In these symposiums the participants 
number is usually around 500 people. The pieces of information were obtained in the 
traning course files from October 1985 to December 
In September 1988, 3000 questionnaires were mailed 1990. From these files it was possible to get the 
to Brazilian remote sensing community. following pieces of information: 
2. METHODOLOGY 
To develop this study, three kinds of information 
were considered, as follow: 
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