Symposium on Remote Sensing for Resources Development and Environmental Management/Enschede/August 1986 
© 1987 Balkema, Rotterdam. ISBN 90 6191 674 7 
1065 
Working Group 7: Human settlements 
W.G.Collins 
Chairman 
B.C. Forster 
Co-chairman 
Papers and posters were presented at four sessions 
divided into: 
1. sensor evaluation for urban application (+ poster 
session) 
2. low-cost information systems for urban planning 
in developing countries 
3. monitoring urban dynamics 
4. archaeological uses of remote sensing 
A fifth session on conclusions and recommendations 
was also held. 
The sessions were all well attended, given the 
selected interest of the Working Group, and numbered 
approximately 20-30 at each session. 
The papers presented can be divided into those 
dealing with the application of traditional airphoto 
techniques, and those more experimental papers deal 
ing with spaceborne radar and combined sensor re 
sponse. A further division could also be noted be 
tween developed and developing country applications. 
Questions raised and comments made tended to support 
the need for rapid and cost effective systems for 
monitoring urban areas, and the need for greater 
training facilities in developing countries. 
The recommendations can be summarized as follows: 
1. That greater research activity should be directed 
to the optimum use of combined multilevel datasets 
for human settlement analysis. 
2. That reports on practical applications of remote 
sensing to human settlement analysis in developing 
countries be systematically collected and widely 
distributed. 
3. That adequate resources be made available to de 
veloping countries to organise and manage suitable 
training programmes and develop relevant teaching 
materials and participate in international scien 
tific meetings and information exchanges. 
4. That ISPRS Commission VII promote the development 
of thematic map accuracy standards. 
5. That Working Group IV and Working Group VII com 
bine their efforts to study the conflicts between 
agricultural and urban land uses. 
6. That military authorities be urged to lift re 
strictions on the availability and publication of 
aerial photography. 
7. That support is given to the careful preservation 
of aerial photographs for historical studies. 
8. That educational efforts be expanded to archae 
ologists and other resource scientists to apply re 
mote sensing for cultural heritage preservation. 
9. That collaboration between Working Groups in 
areas of common interest should be encouraged.