The 16th ACRS in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 1995 - Fond memories of a participant

On behalf of all European ACRS - enthusiasts, Armin Gruen, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

When I applied for Associate Membership of Switzerland in the Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS) on occasion of the 12th ACRS in Singapore in early November 1991, word has spread out already worldwide that this was an organization of substantial impact in the field of remote sensing and GIS. At that time I was impressed by the very warm welcome which I received from all delegates of the member countries and the participants of the Conference. Both the technical program and the social events were superb.

Therefore I was very pleased and honoured when I received the invitation to give the Keynote Lecture at the 16th ACRS in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand (20-24 November 1995). As it later turned out, there were 358 participants from 31 countries plus 2 UN organizations. It is worthwhile to note that at the time of the Conference AARS had a membership of 17 countries. It reflects the relevance of the organization and the Conference that the membership was almost doubled by the countries attending the Conference.

My speech was scheduled for 20 November, 10.00 - 10.30 am, on the topic "Advanced Technologies in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing". The Opening Ceremony, which took place prior to my presentation was gracefully inaugurated by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. She also presented the Dr. Boon Indrambarya Gold Medal to Prof. Shunji Murai to honour his achievements in remote sensing and photogrammetry as a world leader and in appreciation of the great impact which he made in these fields in Asia and in Thailand specifically. For me it was a great and touching moment to see a good friend of mine receiving this award from a beloved member of the Royal Family. I was also impressed by the strong interest that Her Highness took in the issues and material which I presented (she took notes extensively all through my speech).

Instead of presenting here technical details of my talk I just would like to refer to my introductory remarks:

"Your Royal Highness The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Honorable Minister of University Affairs, Mr. President of Suranaree University, Distinguished Guests, Dear Colleagues and Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

My thanks for this invitation go to the Organizing Committee and to Prof. Shunji Murai, who deserves so much credit for promoting and organizing this Conference every single year in another country of Asia.

This is for me the first keynote speech in front of such a distinguished audience in this region of the world. I am fully aware that, for a photogrammetrist and remote sensing expert, this is a very exciting time to be in Southeast Asia.

As evidenced by the large participation in this Conference, remote sensing, photogrammetry and GIS are technologies of great relevance for the further sustainable development of this region. And it is amazing for us to see how fast things are developing here and to what extend these technologies are applied to real world problems.

I am a photogrammetrist by education. But since modern digital techniques are used in all imaging sciences it is not surprising that a photogrammetrist can talk about remote sensing issues as well. Actually, this is the key message of my presentation: satellite remote sensing, aerial photogrammetry and close-range techniques are all using similar, if not the same technology. This applies to data acquisition, to the type of sensors used, and to systems, procedures and algorithms for processing the data.

However, in order to have some structure in my talk I have arranged the issues according to the three basic different platforms used for data acquisition: satellite remote sensing, aerial photogrammetry and close-range photogrammetry (machine vision, videogrammetry). We will have a brief look at all these areas. Of course, the given time constraints will only allow me to selectively highlight some particular aspects. This can therefore only provide for a small glimpse at the vast and rich research and development activities that are currently underway on in our field worldwide."

The main message of my talk was this : The present day digital technologies offer an almost unlimited range of technical and scientific opportunities. The limitation is in our own mind and creativity. This is the time to work together in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary mode, in order to contribute successfully to the solution of the big problems that our societies and the world as a whole are facing nowadays !

During the following days we enjoyed a rich technical program with 115 presentations scheduled. It was a particular treat for the participants that the WORLDTECH'95 Conference took place in Nakhon Ratchasima at the same time.

No ACRS without exciting social program - again it was a lifetime experience to participate in Welcome Party, Dinner Party and other events. Especially the outdoor Dinner Party with great food and drinks, singing and traditional and not so traditional Thai dancing is still remembered with great pleasure. Due to the politeness of the judges I was awarded first prize for "Male traditional Thai dancing" The award, a colourful "Thai silk tie" still gets its share of wear at occasional festivities back home.

These are the words of praise of an European photogrammetrist who became addicted to the programs and pleasures of the ACRS. Therefore the 20th Anniversary of the ACRS is some great event to look forward to again.

Thanks and congratulations go to all people who contributed over so many years to the success and the tradition of AARS and ACRS. But beyond and above everybody else it is Prof. Shunji Murai, who is running the show from its beginning, and who is deserving most credit. Great job, Shunji, and much success whith the next decade of conferences!