THE UNITED KINGDOM 
NATIONAL REPORT 
FOR 
PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING 
1989 - 1992 
Prepared for the UK National Committee 
for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 
by 
John D Leatherdale  (Photogrammetry) 
Consultant in Spatial Information Management 
and 
Robin A Vaughan (Remote Sensing) 
Department of Applied Physics and 
Electronic & Manufacturing Engineering, 
University of Dundee 
ABSTRACT 
The National Report of the United Kingdom outlines routine activities and new developments in 
photogrammetry and remote sensing during the period 1989-92. The involvement of all sectors 
is described including government, institutions and education, suppliers of systems and 
equipment, consultancy, contract services and end users. An attempt is made to estimate 
employment in photogrammetry and remote sensing. Facilities are categorised as internal 
resources, contract services and suppliers of systems. A wide range of applications is 
reviewed. The continuing commitment of the United Kingdom to education, mapping and 
environmental monitoring around the world is emphasized. 
COMPILATION OF THE REPORT 
Previous UK National Reports have contained over 80 pages. This abbreviated version, to 
comply with ISPRS space restrictions, is experimental and has been prepared from replies to 
questionnaires sent to organisations involved in Photogrammetry or Remote Sensing or both, 
from published literature, and from the authors' personal knowledge of activity in these 
disciplines in the period 1989-1992. 75 questionnaires were sent mainly to named individuals 
known to be active in Photogrammetry and replies were received, with a little persuasion, 
from 58 of them, a response rate of 77%. About 250 questionnaires were sent to organisations 
involved in remote sensing and 108 responses were received. 
The authors have used editorial discretion in presenting the opinions expressed by 
respondents. The report does not necessarily reflect the views of the UK National Committee 
for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. 
KEY WORDS: United Kingdom. National Report. Research. Applications. Employment. Institutions. 
1. INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLICATIONS 
The UK National Committee for Photogrammetry and 
Remote Sensing is the adhering body to the 
International Society for Photogrammetry and 
Remote Sensing and is funded by the Royal 
Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the 
Photogrammetric Society and the Remote Sensing 
Society. 
The Photogrammetric Society was founded in 1952, 
and currently has 369 UK individual members plus 
254 overseas members, almost identical to the 
numbers reported four years ago, and 8% more than 
in 1974. There are also 56 corporate members, 9 
of which are based overseas. The Photogrammetric 
Record, the official journal of the Society, has 
been expanded in size by about 20% compared with 
the four-year period before the previous 
Congress. 
The Photogrammetric Society has instigated and is 
financing a research project being carried out by 
C D Burnside into the use of analogue photo- 
grammetric equipment in the UK from the earliest 
times up to the present day. In an attempt to 
S1 
preserve some of the more important pieces of 
equipment, instruments are being labelled and 
catalogued with the hope that some will be 
preserved in museums and collections of historic 
instruments. 
The Remote Sensing Society was established in 1974 
and has a membership of about 850 (nearly the same 
as in the last report) of whom about a third are 
overseas members. New categories of membership 
have been introduced over the past few years to 
supplement its Ordinary, Student and Corporate 
memberships. These are Professional (Fellows and 
Associates), Retired, School and Affiliate 
Memberships. The Society operates Special 
Interest groups in education, geology, ocean 
colour, GIS and vegetation.The official 
publication of the Society is the International 
Journal of Remote Sensing, and it also publishes a 
quarterly Newsletter, an Annual Report and 
occasional monographs. A number of awards are 
given by the Society. The major event is the 
Annual Conference (which used to be called the 
Annual Technical Meeting) at which the Annual