ISPRS
AL
Schermerhorn, who was a member of the Academy from
1956 until his decease in 1977, was trained as a geodesist
after finishing his study for his masters degree in civil engi-
neering and subsequently became an internationally
renowned photogrammetrist. His influence has been far-
reaching within this discipline. Of course, there are also
other persons who have become well known, for instance
the Academy members Baarda, Rummel and Teunissen.
It, of course, goes without saying that for a densely-popu-
lated country such as The Netherlands, which historically
seen, has largely been reclaimed from the surrounding
waters, it is paramount to know what is the dynamic devel-
opment of the prime factors determining the possibilities
for housing, industrial development and leisure activities
and maintaining a clean environment and that all in a sus-
tainable way. You may imagine that this is, practically
speaking a nearly impossible requirement. For instance,
there have been studies that predict that within five to ten
years, the traffic in The Netherlands is bound to come to a
standstill, at least without taking very drastic measures. It
is clear that detailed information on what is going on in
such circumstances is vital.
The Dutch government supported for fifteen years, a pro-
gramme in remote sensing which is now coming to an
end. At the moment there is an attempt to establish a plat-
form upon which the government, the scientific institutions
and commercial enterprises are working together. Besides
this, there is an attempt to start a programme in which the
protection of coastal areas is largely monitored by radar-
equipped airplanes. It will be quite clear to you that The
Netherlands needs very reliable information on the status
of the country to be able to create conditions for a future
worth living. In this respect we expect much of this con-
gress. | close my opening speech by wishing you a very
successful congress and a rewarding stay here in The
Netherlands.
Proposal for Honorary Membership of Prof. Dr. Shunji Murai
by Lawrence W. Fritz, ISPRS President
Distinguished Guests, Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Statutes and Bylaws of the International Society for
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing provide for the
election of individuals as Honorary Members *nominated
by the Council and elected by the Congress." Honorary
Membership is "In recognition of distinguished services to
the ISPRS and its aims." *There may not be more than
seven living Honorary Members of the Society at any given
time. Honorary Members shall have the right to attend all
meetings of the Society, except Council meetings, and
shall not be called upon to pay registration fees at func-
tions sponsored in the name of the Society."
Today our Society has six Honorary Members: Dr. Freder-
ick Doyle, Mrs. Aino Savolainen, Prof. Wang Zhizhou, Mon-
sieur George de Masson d'Autume, Prof. Dr. Gottfried
Konecny, and Prof. Dr. Friedrich Ackermann. Just prior to
the 1996 Vienna Congress, our 7th Honorary Member, Prof.
Placidino Fagundes, passed away. Council nominates Prof.
Dr. Shunji Murai to be elected by this Congress. Prof. Murai,
may | ask you to come onto the stage?
Prof. Shunji Murai was born in Tokyo in 1939. As an
undergraduate, he was a sportsman and he represented
Japan in rowing at the Rome Olympics in 1960 and at the
World Championship in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962. He
graduated in 1963 from Department of Civil Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo. He worked as
a Civil Engineer in Ghana for a year and returned to the
University of Tokyo where he worked in photogrammetric
research. In 1970, he received his Doctoral Degree of
Engineering from the University of Tokyo, where he
became Professor of the Institute of Industrial Science in
| :
ES
Larry Fritz presenting the title ‘Honorary Member’ to
Shunji Murai
1983. During 1992 through to 1999, he served also as
Professor of Environmental Remote Sensing and Geo-
information at the Asian Institute of Technology. He per-
formed this dual Professorship between Tokyo and
Bangkok, Thailand remarkably well.
He entered the international scene and became Secretary
of ISPRS Commission | on behalf of Japan from 1976-
1980 and took on a major role in running the Commission.
In 1980 he was instrumental in the formation of the Asian
Association on Remote Sensing and he has served ever
since as its General Secretary. For each of the past 20
years he has organised the very successful Asian Confer-
ence on Remote Sensing.
- International Archives of Photogrammerty and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part A. Amsterdam 2000.
