International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B6. Istanbul 2004
cours ou des ateliers. Deux principes sont utilisés: des professeurs espagnols apportent des connaissances et des méthodes
d'apprentissage de Télédétection en Amérique du Sud, et, en contre partie, des professeurs américains doivent aller en Espagne afin
de présenter des procédures de recherche sur la Télédétection. En paralléle, un réseau d'apprentissage est développé à distance,
proposant un accés « on-line », des CD-ROM et autres matériels, afin d'étendre le projet à d'autres pays hispanophones. L'objectif
pour la premiére période est atteint. Plus de 800 étudiants ont déjà participé à cette initiative durant les trois derniéres années.
Aujourd'hui un programme plus ambitieux est quasiment finalisé. L'idée est de permettre aux étudiants d'Espagne et d'Amérique
Latine de travailler ensemble sur un méme réseau académique d'apprentissage de la Télédétection oü la langue espagnole sera le lien
entre tous.
1. INTRODUCTION
Earth Observation datasets are a necesary condition to the
provision of a large number of information services which
provide economic benefits.
South America is a huge region where remote sensing has a
special interes. They are countries with a lot of resources and
they are in a period of development. But Remote Sensing has a
low repercution in this areas.
Similar to the rest of the world, scenarios, estimates of
socioeconomic impacts, quantitative statistics, trends and
forecasts are demanded at various geographical and temporal
scales. Quantitative assessment and control are required in
support of industrial and commercial activities (agriculture,
insurance, construction, tourism,...). But today, after thirty years
since the launch of the first satellite of land resources, Earth
Observation still remain largely an unknown tools in several
countries.
In other hand, spacial agencies have put their focus on the
development of space hardware and imagery rather than the
development of services where operators and specialist could
analize the datasets. High-level operational information services
are needed, and not simply space data or satellite images.
International cooperation lets an education and training project
where the transfer of technology is possible from multiple
focus: The aim is to bring an increase in the availability and
utilisation of data, product and services, not only in terms of
volume and variety, but also in the geographical spread of the
users.
The impulse requires that Earth Observation data, software,
methodology reach out as far as possible (researchers, students,
teachers, scientifics,...) giving a shift from the current
technology-pushed to an user-oriented aproach.
University of Salamanca in Spain, working together other
universities in South America, wish to improve the level of
knowledge and utilization of Remote Sensing in these
developing countries. It is seen like a rush today, giving
knowledge and skills, to prepare specialist in Remote Sensing
who can carry out independent project in the future.
2. THE BEGINNING
2.1 Complementary Courses in Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing and Earth Observation are an important source
of information for Cartography, Biology, Geography, Forest,
Agronomy, Civil Engineering and other sciences of Earth. But
time is limited in reglated courses, and teachers sometimes have
to omit several knowledges to focus in more important ones.
Four years ago, several teachers from University of Salamanca
decided to make a workshop for divulgating Remote Sensing
between students who were interested in this area.
So they made a course called Applied Remote Sensing where a
theoretical and practical curriculum was involucred.
People from goverment and academical institutions were our
lectures giving information on Remote Sensing in several
disciplines (Hidrology, Geology, Cartography, Environment...),
and showing real examples where Earth Observation Satellites
and Imagery had been used succesfully. See Table 1 for details
of whole program.
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Resources of Remote Sensing on the Net
Visual Analisis of Image in Remote Sensing
The CORINE Program: A Land Cover map.
Remote Sensing in Geology
The GeoRadar and its Applications
Evaluation of hidric parameter in rivers with Remote
Sensing methods
High resolution imagery applied to agricultural
environment
Image Map and Imagery Databases
Integration of SIG and Remote Sensing dataset
Review of Remote Sensing software
Table 1. Some of the lectures taught along the course.
Figure 1. Trainning kits for the students including Cartography,
software demo, practical and theoretical booktexts, imagery and
spreadsheets of the sessions.
