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Figure 1: Levels of education related to types of activities in
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neighbourhood, reduced responsibility.
working environment (from "universities" to "camps in the
bush”).
4 AQUICK LOOK TO A MARKET
Analysis of open positions in the Journal of Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing (1995) gives an overview of the present
US market for openings in Photogrammetry, Remote Sens-
ing, GIS and related fields in all levels, from chairholders to
operators. The investigation lead to the following result:
65 positions for photogrammetric operators (mostly conven-
tional plotting)
15 positions for academics (R--D)
10 positions for sales representatives
10 positions for GIS
There was surprisingly little concern about " progessive" fields
like " data network support funcions" , " multimedia" or "qual-
ity control". As a "progressive" example we give the text for
a position open for a research scientist (" cartography/GIS")
at The Ohio State University (PERS, 1995, p.219):
".. The candidate should have a strong background in Theo-
retical Cartography, Quality and Quality Control Issues, Visu-
alization, modern Map-Updating techniques, GIS design and
implementation. A strong understanding of Least-Squares-
Adjustment, Mathemetical Communication Theory, Linguis-
tics, Holography, and Distributed Processing of Multiplatform
Systems are a plus. Strong programming skills in C/C++
are highly desirable. The position requires a PhD in Geodesy,
Cartography, Geography, Geographic Information Systems, or
related fields ...." ("Whow....!")
In nearly all cases related to GIS or Remote Sensing, a com-
bination of both was required. The interdisciplinary concept
obviously develops primarily in this environment. It may drive
away from Photogrammetry towards softer geographic appli-
cations.
The somewhat "traditional" image of today Photogramme-
try in the USA given by the open positions is also reflected
in the advertisements of the companies. Main services of-
fered are " Aerial Photography" and "Mapping" advertised by
dozens of companies. Modern equipment is mostly used, like
FMC-controlled cameras, GPS and " digital" mapping. But it
15
is not cear what "digital" really means in this environment:
does it only mean "computer supported" or does it refer to
soft copy methodology? For "Digital Orthophoto”, however,
the approach is clear since it has already been operationally
established.
5 KEY ELEMENTS WHICH DRIVE A
PROFESSIONAL WORLD
In the preceding paragraph, particularly the diversity was ad-
dressed. We may, however, rise the level of abstraction and
put together significant common elements which drive a pro-
fession. There exist characteristic elements which represent
strong indicators for a robust professional world:
a) Specific tools, procedures and products
b) Volume of demand for operational output (data, informa-
tion, service, consultancy)
c) National and international standards
d) Legal recognition
e) Specific education (different levels)
f) Established professional careers (different levels)
g) National and international societies, journals, meetings,
etc.
The list is a generalization, valid for any profession and has
to be checked with respect to Photogrammetry and Remote
Sensing looking both backward and forward. As mentioned
earlier, the answers will depend on each country and we have
primarily the conditions in Central Europe, USA and Brazil
in mind.
Looking backward, it is relatively easy to show what elements
made our profession "big and strong". This applies charac-
teristically to analogue and analytic photogrammetry: spe-
cific tools, procedures and products were in interaction with
a strong demand for the output, particularly analogue and
digital mapping. As a consequence, operational procedures
were established based on national and international stan-
dards. This is an indispensable step for the success of an ap-
proach. In conjunction training in Photogrammetry became
part of cartographic education in most countries and pro-
fessional careers were offered for "specialists in Photogram-
metry". In the academic domain, national and international
societies together with journals and meetings completed the
scenery.
At this point we have to state two facts:
Photogrammetry was a highly specialised field in the past due
to its sophisticated instruments and procedures.
Its main activities were performed in a closed cartographic
environment.
As far as Remote Sensing is concerned, these two obser-
vations can t be accepted. From the beginning of opera-
tional use (about 1972 when ERTS-1 was launched), Remote
Sensing was considerably less specialised than Photogram-
metry because of its digital approach. On the other hand,
Remote Sensing was strongly driven by Space Technology
and dominated by political constraints of the respective na-
tional/international Space Agencies.
Presently, we observe a growing trend towards " commercial-
isation" of Remote Sensing from Space. Commercially oper-
ated Earth Observation Satellites (EOS) of high geometrical
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B6. Vienna 1996
