APPLICATION-TAILORED MAPPING AND MONITORING WITH 
HIGH RESOLUTION SPACEBORNE IMAGERY, USING AN 
INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTED COMPUTER NETWORK 
Rainer Kalliany 
Institute of Computer Graphics / Technical University Graz, Austria 
A-8010 Graz, Münzgrabenstraße 11; Phone: +43 316 873 5043, Fax: +43 316 873 5050 
E-Mail: kalliany @icg.tu-graz.ac.at 
Commission IV, Working Group 2 
KEY WORDS: Mapping, Monitoring, Networks, Scanner, Cooperation. 
ABSTRACT: 
The beginning of 1996 marks the start of the Austrian remote sensing project MISSION, involving most of the country's 
remote sensing experts and several possible user institutions. This project is going to use high resolution optical data from 
the MOMS-02 sensor on the German-Russian "Priroda"-mission in 1996/97. This sensor is the first of a new generation 
of high resolution optical sensors, which are expected to serve applications which until now were restricted to aerial 
imagery. Therefore, close cooperation between scientists and user experts will develop new relevant methods and 
products in an interdisciplinary environment. Supplementing the improved data-quality, the recent boost in network- 
technology adds a second new aspect to give the project a new dimension. Therefore, the networking-aspect is an 
important issue and will be used for advanced communication, data-browsing and retrieval as well as for establishing 
distributed databases and computing. By the project described, the Austrian remote sensing community is expected to 
enter a new era of user-support and data-integration. 
1. REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS IN AUSTRIA 2. MOMS-2/PRIRODA BASED PROJECT "MISSION" 
Remote sensing with spaceborne sensors started in 2.1 Basic concept 
Austria some 20 years ago at several research-institutions. 
Up to now they have acquired a high scientific standard on For assessing as early as possible the new technical and 
various kinds of land-applications. Still, in many cases operational possibilities offered by high resolution optical 
introducing operational environmental mapping and sensors, an Austrian group of remote sensing experts has 
monitoring failed, because possible users complained set up the interdisciplinary project MISSION (Multi-Image 
about the lack of detail with remote sensing sensors ^ Synergistic Satellite Information for the Observation of 
compared to aerial photography. Although in many cases Nature). It is based primary on MOMS-02/Priroda imagery 
the sub-meter resolution of aerial images is not necessary, from the MIR space station, offering a pixelsize of up to 
the so far optimum 10m-pixelsize appeared to insufficient. 6m, supplemented by 4 multispectral channels and inflight 
stereo capabilities (Seige, 1995). 
Thus, a fatal deadlock has prevented possible applications: 
On the one hand, despite their acknowledged operational The Austrian MISSION-project is consisting of 8 tasks. 
merits, spaceborne data suffer from poor spatial resolution, Each is lead by a research body or similar organization, 
while on the other limited acquisition capacity and high who will work in close cooperation with a partner-institution. 
costs does prevent using aerial images (Kalliany, 1995). Contrary to some previous remote sensing studies, where - 
according to their own views and results - researchers 
High resolution Russian spaceborne images appearing on were tempted to define themselves what the user needs, 
the market by end of the eighties (Sirkià and Laiho,1985) for MISSION the close cooperation is the definitive goal. 
and - in specific for Austria - during the AUSTROMIR- The researchers are bound to tailor their investigations and 
mission in 1991 (Kalliany,1992; Kalliany et al.,1992) were products to the actual requirements of an application. 
a considerable step forward in terms of spatial resolution. 
However, usually just single takes from an arbitrary date The applications partners in MISSION typically are federal 
are available and therefore at present state these products or provincial administrative bodies, responsible for certain 
hardly are apt for operational monitoring. tasks in mapping, regional planning or environmental 
monitoring and management. By this specific programme, 
With the expected advent of high resolution spaceborne they get an opportunity to find out if the latest sensors and 
digital sensors, this deadlock is going to be solved. While ^ methodologies fulfill (at least parts of) their requirements. 
'eportedly there also are several commercial plans in the ~~ MISSION also ia a forum to find solutions to specific 
USA for the very next years (Treadwell,1995; Fritz,1996), problems in an interdisciplinary manner. Therefore, it is to 
in 1996 the German/Russian MOMS-02/Priroda project will ^ be expected that the application partners will adopt major 
launch the first civil digital optical sensor with a resolution parts of the methods and products developed by MISSION, 
betterthan 10m (Zimmermann, 1995; Bodechtel et al,1994). to incorporate them into their regular proceedings. 
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International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996