THE UNITED KINGDOM NATIONAL REPORT 
FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING 2000 - 2004 
Prepared for the External Affairs Committee of 
The Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society 
by 
I. Downey" , J. Mills?, RSPSoc ISPRS Committee “ 
* Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society, RSPSoc Office, c/o School of Geography, 
University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK - rspsoc@nottingham.ac.uk 
? School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle, 
Newcastle upon Tyne, NEI 7RU, UK - j.p.mills@ncl.ac.uk 
Commission VI — National Reports 
KEY WORDS: Education, Industry, International, National, Organisation, Professional, Research, United Kingdom. 
ABSTRACT: 
The National Report of the United Kingdom describes current activities and new developments in photogrammetry and remote 
sensing during the period 2000-2004. The balance between photogrammetric and remote sensing interests is tabulated and new 
research, recent implementations and organisational developments are considered. The increasing use of digital imagery and lidar 
systems, the availability of imagery via the Internet, and the recently completed merger of the former Photogrammetric Society and 
Remote Sensing Society are noted as features of the report period. 
1. COMPILATION OF THE REPORT 
This short report follows the pattern of earlier reports. The 
information presented is partly derived from a 5 page 
questionnaire circulated to UK organisations in January 2004 
and partly from other reports and the authors’ personal 
knowledge of activities assisted by ISPRS Committee members. 
The lead author is Chairman of the Remote Sensing and 
Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc). Much of the corresponding 
2000 report (Kirby and Malthus, 2000) remains valid, and the 
structure of the present report has been maintained to reflect 
updated information although this may involve some repetition. 
This also reflects the modest number of (thirty) respondents on 
this occasion. Eleven of these were commercial organisations or 
other private sector individuals; twelve from (tertiary) education 
or specialist research establishments and seven from 
Government departments or agencies. Just under one quarter of 
respondents identified that their primary involvement with 
remote sensing and photogrammetry concerned both fields 
equally. One third identified photogrammetry as their primary 
activity. Forty six percent identified remote sensing as the 
primary activity. Opinions expressed by questionnaire 
respondents and by the authors do not necessarily. reflect the 
views or policy of RSPSoc, the Royal Institution of Chartered 
Surveyors (RICS) or the Institution of Civil Engineering 
Surveyors (ICES). 
2. INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLICATIONS 
The Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society is the UK’s 
adhering body to the International Society for Photogrammetry 
and Remote Sensing. This function is facilitated through an 
ISPRS Committee within the External Affairs Committee of 
RSPSoc and replaces the former UK National Committee for 
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, which has disbanded. 
The membership and joint funding for the ISPRS Committee 
are derived from RSPSoc, RICS and ICES. The ISPRS 
Committee supports the current (UK-based) Secretary General, 
Prof. lan Dowman and coordinates UK contact with ISPRS 
directly and via liaison with UK Commission Correspondents 
and the UK-based Chairs and Co-Chairs of respective ISPRS 
Commission Working Groups. 
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RSPSoc is a new Society formed in 2001 through the merger of 
the Photogrammetric Society and the Remote Sensing Society. 
The memberships of the two Societies voted in August 1999 by 
overwhelming majorities in favour of the merger, reflecting the 
trend in both the technology and its application. During the 
latter part of the last reporting period (1996-2000), the two 
Societies functioned jointly and thereafter as one society. Thus, 
the activities in this report reflect the merged status. Besides 
maintaining the objective of co-coordinating and promoting 
remote sensing and photogrammetry activities, the Society has a 
significant role in the encouragement of commercial and 
government participation in remote sensing and 
photogrammetry, both nationally and internationally. Current 
membership levels are relatively stable at c. 1100, of which 45 
are corporate members. 
The Society produces a number of publications. The quarterly 
Newsletter is an informative source of news and comment 
valued by the membership. The Society also publishes an 
annual report, conference proceedings and occasional 
monographs. The official journals of the Society are The 
Photogrammetric Record which is issued free to members and 
the /nternational Journal of Remote Sensing (IJRS). which is 
available to members at discounted rates. The two journals are 
key pillars of the Society. The Record is now published four 
times per year, whilst the IJRS expanded from 18 issues (of 200 
pages each) to 24 issues (of 200 pages each) from the beginning 
of volume 23. The online edition of the journal is proving 
popular with readers and members of the Society. 2003 was a 
particularly significant year for The Photogrammetric Record. 
After a period of 50 years during which it has been published by 
the Society the Record is now being published under an equal 
partnership arrangement between the Society and Blackwell 
Publishing Limited. An additional benefit which has 
materialised during the year has been electronic access to past 
and new papers via the "Synergy" website (www.blackwell- 
synergy.com) all linked to the major on-line bibliographic 
databases. 
Since October 2000 The Photogrammetric Record has 
published 58 refereed articles of which the authors of 25 articles