It is also evident that photogrammetry and remote sensing, regarded in the
past as two separate disciplines, are coming closer. They are emerging as
an extended discipline, sharing common technological challenges with respect
to data acquisition, data processing, data analysis, instrumentation and
applications.
These would, undoubtedly, have strong influence on future approaches taken
in education. These would even necessitate a complete re-structuring of
curricula and course patterns at our institutions. The traditional educa-
tional links between engineering and S&M have been strong in the past.
These seem to continue. Nonetheless, the alliance that visibly started dur-
ing the 1950s -- the alliance with scientific disciplines concerned with
natural resources and planning, need now to be forged further. These dis-
ciplines are emerging as more important users of our services.
We are now in a time of rapid changes. This necessitates that our education
should have two fundamental components. Firstly, it should provide the edu-
cation of "know-how". Secondly, it should be directed toward equipping the
graduate with the materials of change in order to keep up with the advances
of technology, user expectations and (even) the intricacies of disciplines
other than ours to which our services and products will have to relate.
The technology also continues to change in our own field, with the digital
computer playing the key role at present. Continuous imaging of the earth
surface from orbiting satellites is a reality as are on-line computer as-
sisted mapping and on-the-job calibration of the working system, amongst
others. We have witnessed during the past three decades a shift in photo-
grammetry from an analog based discipline to one which is digital data
based. Considerable advancement in software applications is expected. We
are seeing now the beginning in the development of instruments for process-
ing digital imagery, either original records created by array cameras or de-
rived records by scanning conventional frame photographs. The end result
would give a unique blend of the digital processing techniques of photogram-
metry and the digital analysis techniques of remote sensing.
Our world is "shrinking". We have started realizing the utility of using
one properly structured geo-coded data-base instead of sixteen or more el-
lipsoidal data-base systems. The development, maintenance and utilization
of such land information systems now interjected by photogrammetry and re-
mote sensing are bound to have the greatest impact ever on S8M activities.
Education (in terms of both, curricula and programs) must respond to these
changes. Our objectives must be formulated in these regards. This means
that we should be prepared to restructure our educational programs and even
to help other disciplines restructure themselves in view of our impacts on
Sciences and technologies.
The program and course designer should avoid indiscriminate elimination of
older techniques simply because they are old. For example, even though cer-
tain analog photogrammetric procedures may not be practiced any more, they
can be used advantageously in the classroom to demonstrate certain basic
concepts. Disciplines other than ours can benefit from our approaches.
Photogrammetry and remote sensing would be excellent carriers for demonstra-
ting practical applications of theories of physics and mathematics; for ex-
ample, in the areas of matrix and vector algebras, transformation theories,
numerical analyses, electromagnetic radiation, information theories, con-
cepts of scale, standard, unit and so on.
T2