The Asian Assocation on Remote Sensing and ITC

Professor John van Genderen Division of Applied Geomorphological Survey International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC)

On behalf of ITC I am very honoured to be invited to write a small contribution to this Memorial Book to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Association. ITC has had a long and very strong relationship with the remote sensing community in Asia for many years, and my personal relationship to the people of Asia is well known.

The Asian Conferences on Remote Sensing are unique events in the international symposium circuit. Nowhere else do you find a conference that is so cheap and provides such value for money. Of course price does not make for a successful conference. It is the typical Asian atmosphere that makes the ACRS always so enjoyable and successful.

The AARS has seen remarkable changes in Asia during the past twenty years. Spectacular economic growth in many of the member states, coupled with a real boom in the expansion of remote sensing activities in the region have meant a rapid growth in the remote sensing community.

The friendships made at ACRS are warm and long lasting. Whether the conference has been in the hot tropical south Asian (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta and last year in Manila), the cold north (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) or in the arid west (Tehran, Iran), the sharing of common problems such as natural hazards, food security, natural resource management, etc. always results in fruitful discussion and debate. Over the years, the quality of presentations has become very high. For me, some of the highlights include the involvement of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand in the conferences in Bangkok and Ulaanbaatar, as well as the Annual Cultural evening. Of course for me personally, it is always nice to meet so many ITC alumni each year and to monitor their progress over the years.

I wish the Asian Association on Remote Sensing a Happy 20th Anniversary and hope that it will continue to grow and prosper in the new Millenium and make its contribution to the social welfare and economic development of the people of Asia.