24 
be sketched 
he change of 
lotogramme- 
r and larger., 
$y. We can, 
w fields with 
Another consequence of the generalized development concerns a new competitive situation. Sur 
veyors and photograumietrists are suddenly not any more amongst themselves. Their extended 
operations are technically and conceptually influenced by and dependent on other disciplines. 
It means that within our established fields, not to speak of their recent extensions, other scien 
tists and other users are there and take part in the game. For instance remote sensing is widely 
occupied by scientists from various geo-sciences and from physics. Equally GIS is a platform 
for computer scientists. And even more so in image processing do we meet and depend on the 
concepts and results of other disciplines, of electronics with regard to digital cameras and of 
a backward 
in the same 
Iropped and 
iificulties in 
ards will be 
ions. 
computer vision and artifical intelligence with regard to methods of information retrieval and 
management. Knowledge based methods and artificial intelligence will constitute the basis for 
extended progress in image analysis. Once the geometrical and the low level operations will 
be.mastered the problems of automated image interpretation and information extraction will 
constitute the real challenge of development. As long as the feature extraction for mapping 
remains an essentially interactive process there will no substantial progress be achieved. 
lion 
4.2 It seems a logical consequence of the development that the formerly closed professional world 
of photogrammetry and surveying is opening itself, on a higher level, into wider space where 
other techniques, methods, disciplines, products and users interface and interfere. An almost 
levelopment 
¡c, as well as 
d expansion 
insequences 
hat we face 
The driving 
aspects au- 
the area of 
unavoidable result is that the former identity as a profession will fade away. It cannot be 
maintained in the previous sense, but will interface on the new level with other professions. 
That other people see it in a similar way can be shown by the following quotation, taken from 
the GMAP newsletter of October 1989: 
\ .. whirlwind changes are bringing about both threats and opportunities to suppliers of equipment 
and services related to mapping and geographic positioning. The cozy worlds of remote sensing 
and photogrammetry, dominated by enormously skilled craftsmen providing custom (and high 
priced) service ... , are threatened by do-it-yourself PC-based automation of geographic informa 
tion systems (GIS).' 
lich we can 
e now. The 
ips, as GIS 
services we 
It simply means that automation makes conventional skills obsolete and touches all structures 
which were based on them. 
A special aspect of such general evaporation of fixed structures concerns the old relationship 
between photogrammetry and the world of surveying. As photogrammetry is a method, and a 
tool, which is not identified by its application, it has always had a wider scope than surveying 
oduced the 
mpanies as 
in the field 
) the many 
and mapping in particular. Nevertheless, the dominating activities especially of aerial pho 
togrammetry have overwhelmingly been in those fields, to the extent that photogrammetry has 
been linked to surveying and mapping almost entirely. This situation is changing, the aspects of 
image data acquisition becoming predominant. Remote sensing or close range photogrammetry 
have covered and will operate in large areas outside the conventional survey world. They over 
take mapping in volume and importance. 
ive systems 
mse of the 
have been 
>pen them- 
tliey want 
3 new min 
ce agencies 
:ally viable 
1 K* 
4.3 How the anticipated modifications and merging procedures on the technical, scientific, or 
ganisational, and economic level will happen cannot be really predicted. The conditions are 
different in different countries. Professional structures may change. But they may re-establish 
themselves on a higher level. That there will be more interfacing with neighbouring disciplines 
and more open competition is ;is such not a threat. It has happened to other professions as well. 
I do not consider the anticipated changes to represent great dangers to the profession. They are 
in first instance a great challenge, out of which new structures will emerge.