Memories of ACRS

Dr. Suvit Vibulsresth Thailand

First of all, congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS). For me, it has been a great honor and privilege to be associated with ACRS from the beginning and continued for so many years. ACRS has provided many opportunities and experiences which had been so valuable to young people from all Asian countries in terms of international cooperation, concerted efforts in overcoming some obstacles and modes of coordination at the regional level. No doubt, through ACRS we gain so many new friends and we learn so many new things. Let me now offer my recollections of ACRS.

I did not attend the ERIM Symposium in San Jose, Costa Rica in April of 1980 like Professor Murai or Mr. Manu Omakupt. Mr. Manu came back and told me that all the Asian participants to that Symposium had decided to choose Bangkok, Thailand as the first venue of Asian remote sensing meeting. He also said that I, as the Director of Remote Sensing Division, National Research Council of Thailand, should do something about it. Since I was quite junior at that time, to organize a regional conference within 6 or 7 months was a challenging job. Moreover, in Thailand, we have a national coordinating committee on remote sensing chaired by the Secretary-General of NRCT with the responsibility on all remote sensing matters. To organize an international conference, we need to receive cabinet approval and the case must be considered favourably by the national committee. Therefore, I invited Professor Murai to come to Thailand to present the case together with Mr. Manu, to the committee. Fortunately, Professor Dr. Sanga Sabhasri, the then Secretary-General of NRCT, was very receptive and far-sighted, so the proposal was accepted without much difficulty, although some members questioned the success given the short preparation period and some doubted about the participation by Asian countries. I learned later that Professor Murai stayed only two nights just to present the case with all the expenses paid from his personal pocket. This really impressed me, because Professor Murai was doing his best for the sake of Asian people. This gave me great courage to work hard for the conference.

At this juncture, I would like to mention two persons whose sacrifice and good intention had made it possible to organize the first ACRS and subsequent ones in Thailand. The first person is Professor Dr. Pradisth Cheosakul, former Secretary-General of NRCT before Professor Dr. Sanga, and the second is Professor Boon Indrambarya who was the first coordinator of Thailand National Remote Sensing Program. It was Professor Dr. Pradisth who pioneered the remote sensing activities in Thailand which he was the Secretary-General of NRCT in 1971. Since then and until today at the age of 86, he has provided positive guidance and advice to the remote sensing community. He supported Professor Murai's proposal to host the first ACRS in Bangkok very strongly and attended all the important remote sensing gathering in Thailand and even abroad, for example, in the Philippines. Professor Boon, with his vast experience in domestic affairs as former Director-General of the Fisheries Department and Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries of Kasetsart University, and in international affairs as former Regional Director of FAO Office in Bangkok, had shaped the working ethics of Remote Sensing Division at NRCT to be one providing service to others like the boyscout. Professor Boon also chaired the first session of the First ACRS with great success. He always mentioned that if the first time is done right then the rest would be OK. We brought with him a big watch to keep time of each speaker. Of course, there are mentors like Professor Pradisth and Professor Boon in other countries. For example, we remember Professor Chen Shu Peng of China, Professor Deekshatulu of India, Professor Wiriyosumarto of Indonesia, etc.

The next exciting thing happened the following year in Beijing, China, where the Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS) was established and the bylaws enacted. We spent several nights in the hotel room at Friendship Hotel during the cold weather in Beijing to draft the bylaws and discussed the future of AARS. To be honest, we were not quite sure how long could we continue this conference. But at least if we have the bylaws, it would be much more secured. When Bangladesh hosted the Third ACRS successfully the following year, we were relieved and confident of the sustainability of the conference. From there, we were very proud of ourselves as Asians when countries after countries Volunteered to host the conference. We made new contacts and new friends in places like, Kathm-andu, Hyderabad, Colombo, Tehran, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Ulan Bator, Guangzhou, Manila. Not only Asian people came to the conference, but also our friends from USA, Canada, Europe and soon Australia and New Zealand were accepted as part of Asia as they became ordinary members.

Of course, the most exciting one for me was probably the 9th ACRS when Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously opened the conference and delivered the keynote paper with one of the best slide multivision show I have ever seen. And at the 16th ACRS in Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand had the honour to say "Thank you" to two Asian professors for their dedication and contribution to remote sensing activities in Asia; namely, Professor Dr. Shunji Murai and Associate Professor Dr. Kaew Nualchawee. This came in the form of gold medals in memory of Dr. Boon Indrambarya, and the medals were bestowed by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. I was also grateful to Mr. Manu Omakupt who took over the position of Deputy Secretary General of AARS at the end of 16th ACRS, as I had a lot of commitment at that time.

It is really a great joy for all of us that now remote sensing, together with GIS, is playing a great role in almost all Asian Pacific countries. Compared to other regions of developing world, it seems that we have made great progress. Our members also grew from less than ten in the beginning to 24 at present. All this is made possible because of several factors. First and foremost is the undaunted spirit of leadership of Professor Dr. Murai who continues to work day and night for ACRS. Secondly the contribution of Ms.Chiwako Fujino is not to be forgotten. Very few people could endure and enjoy hosting the conference for so many years with smiling face and make it a success like her. Thirdly it was all of us, that is, all the members of AARS, who took great interest in sustaining the conference. Of course, our friends from North America and Europe also helped a lot in making it an international gathering with high technical input blended with our own Asian hospitality. I am sure as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of ACRS in the eve of the new millennium, a new horizon with greater hope for prosperity and friendship is opening up for all of us.