384 
THE TEACHING OF REMOTE SENSING IN SOUTH AMERICA 
Tania Maria Sausen* 
♦ISPRS-TC VI-WG1 
Ministry of Science and Technology-MCT 
National Institute of Space Research-INPE 
Teaching, Documentation and Special Programs Coordination-CEP 
Av. dos Astronautas 1758, Cx.P. 515 
ZIP CODE 12201-970 Sâo José dos Campos, SP, Brazil 
Phone: (55) (12) 345 6862 
Fax: (55) (12) 345 6870 
ISPRS Commission VI Working Group 3 
Abstract 
This paper presents an overview about the remote sensing teaching in South America, as well as to 
trends for the coming years. The remote sensing teaching in South America began in April, 1971 
with the installation of the remote Sensing Master Course in the National Institute of Space 
Research-INPE, in Sâo José dos Campos, Sâo Paulo state, Brazil. This was the first world’s master 
course in this area and for more than 15 years it was the only one. It was created with the purpose of 
qualifying Brazilian professionals, from natural resources area, to form the research team of INPE 
Remote Sensing Division. This came shortly after the beginning of the activities of remote sensing 
in Brazil and in Argentina, that were the first two countries of South America to work with this 
technology. Despite this near-simultaneous beginning the development of personnel's qualification 
and research activities was totally different. While in Brazil people were devoted more and more to 
remote sensing, in Argentina there was a progress for certain time, later there was a period of 
stagnation and in the last five years s recovery was undertaken. While Brazil qualified people in the 
master course, around 250 students, among Brazilians and Latin-American that already obtained 
theirs master degree in remote sensing in INPE, Argentina never created regular courses in this 
area. Existing courses were short terms one, that is to say training courses. Theirs professionals are 
qualified in Brazil, United States and Europe. Now there is a very big interest from National 
Commission of Space Activities-CONAE of Argentina and some universities in the creation of 
specialization courses. Brazil, after 1971, has created a specialization course (1985) in INPE 
dedicated to Latin-American students, where already more than 104 students has graduated, a 
specialization course in remote sensing to agriculture and cartography in Santa Maria's Federal 
University (South of the country), a specialization course in the Sâo Paulo State University-UNESP, 
Rio Claro Campus (in the Southeast of the country) today already extinct, one more master course 
(1990) in the Rio Grande do Sul Federal University (South of the country, close Argentina and 
Uruguay) and a doctorate course (1997) in INPE. Since 1996, together with ITC of Holland it was 
created in Cochabamba city, Bolivia, the Center of Aerospace Survey and Applications of GIS for 
Sustainable Development of Natural Resources-CLAS, that offers specialization courses in remote 
sensing and GIS. The Institute Agustin Codazzi-IAC, located in Bogota, Colombia, for a long time 
developed activities with ITC to offer courses in the photogrammetry and natural resources areas. 
This partnership no longer exists, but IAC continues offering courses in these two areas, and short 
term and specialization courses in the remote sensing and GIS areas. Since 1996 a growing concern 
about fundamental, secondary and undergraduate students qualification in the remote sensing area 
in South America has been observed. This concern was first addressed in 1997 when the I 
Workshop on Remote Sensing Teaching on Mercosul was held in Brazil. In this workshop was 
discussed the state-of-the-art of remote sensing teaching in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, 
Paraguay 
about ren 
America.] 
projects ii 
but all o> 
UNISPA(