PROGRAM

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Program Themes

Program Outline

Keynote Speakers

Workshop 1 - Environmental Satellite Observations of Australia at Moderate Resolution and High Frequency - One Day Workshop

Workshop 2 - Object Oriented Image Analysis with Definiens eCognition

Workshop 3 - ER Mapper Technical Update - Half Day Workshop

Workshop 4 - Hyperspectral Data - Half Day Workshop

Workshop 5 - Forging a National Remote Sensing Strategy

Workshop 6 - Standards in Remote Sensing - Half Day Workshop

Workshop 7 - High Resolution DEMs - Half Day Workshop

Workshop 8 - Future Trends in Commercial Remote Sensing - Half Day Workshop

Workshop 9 - STK Demonstration - Affect of Terrain on Coverage Analysis - 2 Hour Workshop

Program Themes

Technology Themes:
1. Global perspectives & Future Programs; (e.g. GEOSS, GMES)
2. Sensor Technologies (1) - Active Sensors (e.g. Radar, Lidar)
3. Sensor Technologies (2) - High Spatial and Spectral
4. Sensor Technologies (3) - Global Mapping Missions
5. New Missions and Sensors
6. Technology Transfer and Commercialisation

Data Analysis Themes:
7. Photogrammetry
8. Visualisation & 3D modelling
9. Image Analysis & Data Integration
10. Integration of Remote Sensing data into Earth System Models
11. Near-Real Time Applications & Delivery
12. Geospatial Data Interoperability
13. Web-based Mapping Applications

Application Themes:
14. Natural and Managed Ecosystems
15. Geology, exploration and mining
16. Hydrology and aquatic
17. Climate and atmosphere
18. Urban Mapping
19. Safeguarding Australia: National security, defence and disaster applications

Program Outline

The 13^th Australasian Remote Sensing & Photogrammetry Conference (ARSPC) will provide an opportunity for professionals and practitioners to share knowledge and experience in the application of remote sensing and photogrammetry to solve issues of national interest. Participants would be able to discover latest tools, technologies and remote sensing applications by attending the proposed workshops, technical and poster sessions. This conference will feature pre-eminent practitioners and speakers from Australia and overseas presenting recent developments and future trends in remote sensing.

Keynote Speakers

Gregory P. Asner
Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution, Stanford University, United States

Stephen Briggs
ESA

Dr Bruce Forster
School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems, The University of NSW, Australia

Dr Robert Green
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL), United States

Dr Tony Haymet
Director Scripps Institute of Oceanography - California, United States

Dr Yasushi Horikawa
Executive Director, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency - JAXA, Japan

Dr Virendra Jha
Vice-President, Science, Technology and Programs, Canadian Space Agency, Canada

Ian McKenzie
Director, Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation, DIGO, Australia

Andreas A. Mueller
German Aerospace Center, Germany

Associate Professor Stuart Phinn
Centre for Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science, Australia

Neil Williams
CEO, Geoscience Australia, Australia

Gregory P. Asner

Greg Asner is a faculty member of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. He also holds a faculty position in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University. His scientific research centers on how human activities alter the composition and functioning of ecosystems at regional scales. Asner combines field work, airborne and satellite mapping, and computer simulation modeling to understand the response of ecosystems to land use and climate change. Asner's most recent work includes satellite monitoring of selective logging and forest disturbance throughout the Amazon Basin, invasive species and biodiversity in Hawaii rainforests, and El Nino effects on tropical forest carbon dynamics. His remote sensing efforts focus on the use of new technologies for studies of ecosystem structure, chemistry and biodiversity in the context of conservation, management, and policy development. He directs the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, a new airborne laser and hyperspectral remote sensing platform designed for regional assessments of the carbon, water, and biodiversity services provided by ecosystems to society.

Stephen Briggs

Responsible for the exploitation of ESA Earth Observation missions for science, public sector (including GMES) and commercial applications. He is also responsible for the future technologies programme as well as for the studies relating to future missions and for the implementation of the requirements for advanced technology studies in the domain of Earth Observation. The Department also ensures the interface between ESA’s EO missions with the scientific, public sector and commercial user communities including consultation, setting requirements and providing scientific advice to the Agency, and ensures scientific support and providing application expertise in the development and exploitation phase of all missions and programmes.

Dr Bruce Forster

Dr Bruce Forster is a Visiting Professor in the School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems at the University of NSW, he is also managing director of a consulting company, Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing, and a property development company, Sydney Property Developments. He hold a Bachelor and Master degree in Surveying from Melbourne University, a Master of Science in Urban Land Appraisal from Reading University, and a PhD in satellite remote sensing from UNSW. Dr Forster was previously a Professor and Director of the Centre for Remote Sensing and GIS at UNSW. He has recently co-authored a Manual of Remote Sensing published by the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, entitled Remote Sensing of Human Settlements, and has published widely in the field of urban remote sensing. For his contributions to national and international remote sensing Dr Forster was awarded the Samuel G Gamble Award by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and the Professor Dr Boon Indrambraya Gold Medal by the Asian Association of Remote Sensing.

Dr Robert Green

Professional Experience

Experiment Scientist, Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) 1989 to Present

Co-Investigator, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM imaging spectrometer

Co-Investigator & Instrument Scientist, NASA Discovery Mission, Moon Mineral Mapper (M3)

JPL Principal, 1999 to present

Pursuit of imaging spectroscopy research from 1983 to present.

Science/instrument team member for 5 spaceborne and 5 airborne imaging spectrometers instruments. Focus on the end-to-end objective: photons to instrument to calibration to algorithm to science question.

Recent research activities include: spectroscopy of the three phases of water; atmospheric spectroscopy and radiative transfer; atmospheric correction; surface material identification and low concentration material abundance estimation.

Dr Tony Haymet

Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography
UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences
Dean of the UC San Diego Graduate School of Marine Sciences

Professor A.D.J. "Tony" Haymet is the tenth director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Professor Haymet also serves as UC San Diego's vice chancellor for marine sciences and dean of the Graduate School of Marine Sciences, and is a professor of oceanography at Scripps.

He served as Chief of Marine and Atmospheric Research, then Director of Science and Policy, at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world, before joining Scripps and UC San Diego in 2006. Professor Haymet is a highly distinguished chemist whose research has focused on freezing, phase transitions, nucleation, and Antarctic fish antifreeze proteins.

In his many leadership roles, Professor Haymet has focused on strategic research planning, partnerships, and safety issues, especially in field and laboratory work. At CSIRO he was charged with formulating the strategic science direction of the agency's international activities.

Born in Sydney, Australia, on February 5, 1956, Professor Haymet received an undergraduate degree, with first-class honors, in chemistry from the University of Sydney in 1977. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1981 and was awarded a doctor of science from the University of Sydney in 1997.

Professor Haymet was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Lyman Laboratory of Physics at Harvard University from 1981-83. He was an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1986-89) and a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator (1985-90) and held chemistry faculty positions at UC Berkeley (1983-88) and the University of Utah (1988-91). He returned to Australia in 1991 upon appointment as professor and Established Chair of Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Sydney.

In 1998, he became Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at the University of Houston and chair of its Physical Chemistry Division, became active in air-quality modeling, and set up the University of Houston's Environmental Modelling Institute. He was an affiliated faculty member at the W. M. Keck Center for Computational Biology in Houston in 1998-2002.

In 2003, Professor Haymet became Chief of CSIRO Marine Research, and in 2005, became Chief of the newly merged CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research. He also served as founding director of CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship, one of six outcome-driven, industrially focused research portfolios set by Australia's national priorities, and, in 2005-06, was chief-on-secondment to CSIRO in Canberra, as science and policy director.

Professor Haymet is incoming chair of the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans. He was a member of the board of directors of Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution. He is an honorary research professor of chemistry at the University of Tasmania. He previously served as CSIRO representative on the Australian Federal Government's Marine and Coastal Committee. For the last year he has chaired Australia's Oceans Policy Scientific Advisory Committee and has been a member of the National Oceans Advisory Group.

Among his many honors, he received the Distinguished Young Chemist Award from the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies in 1997, and the Antarctic Service Medal from the U.S. Department of the Navy in 1994. He is a fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, which awarded him its Rennie Memorial Medal in 1988 for contributions to chemical science.

He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the Society for Cryobiology, and the American Geophysical Union.

He is author of more than 160 peer-reviewed scientific articles, at least 40 of which have been cited 40 or more times.

Dr Yasushi Horikawa

Dr Yasushi Horikawa is an executive director of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tokyo Japan. He worked for many years in the field of spacecraft design. He participated in Japanese space development activities. He contributed to the successful implementation of Japanese meteorological satellite programs and the Earth observation programs as well as the laying down of the space station program. At the present time, he is directing to the activities of the development, operation and utilization of the Japanese Application Satellite programs, including Earth observation satellites and communication & broadcasting satellites. Author of many publications.

Dr Virendra Jha

Appointed Vice-President of Science, Technology and Programs at the Canadian Space Agency in July 2003, Dr Jha has over 30 years of experience in space-related programs in Canada. Mr. Jha was Acting President of the Canadian Space Agency from November 28, 2005 to February 25, 2006.

Dr Jha started his professional career with RCA Limited in 1972. He subsequently worked at Spar Aerospace in Montréal, Quebec, where he was Director of Engineering, responsible for all the engineering design activities related to space hardware built by Spar. Dr Jha joined the Canadian Space Agency in 1991 as Director of Space Mechanics. Subsequently, he was promoted to the position of Director General, Space Technologies, in 1997. During this period, several innovative technologies were developed under his leadership.

Dr Jha holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, a master's degree in mechanical engineering from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Concordia University in Montréal.

Dr Jha has published and presented more than 20 papers on space-related subjects, including innovative research, and has presented at international conferences. He is an internationally recognized figure in this area which is reflected through his participation as a board or committee member for various Canadian and international panels, committees and institutes. Dr Jha was one of the founders of the Master's Program in Aerospace Engineering. He has taught special courses at Concordia University.

In 1999, in recognition of his significant contribution to the Canadian Space Program, the Canadian Astronautics and Space Institute (CASI) presented him with the "Alouette Award."

On June 19, 2004, Dr Jha received the Professional Man of the Year Award from the Indo/Canada Chamber of Commerce in Toronto. Then in July 2004, he was nominated to be a Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. In October 2004, he was elected to a two-year term as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Bureau.

Associate Professor Stuart Phinn

Stuart Phinn directs the Centre for Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science (www.gpa.uq.edu.au/crssis) and is responsible for all remote sensing courses at the University of Queensland. The centre covers remote sensing, spatial ecology and spatial modelling and is funded through government and private agency projects. It also provides a shared learning environment where all students participate in industry linked projects. Associate Professor Phinn's primary research interests focus on developing remote sensing applications for monitoring the condition of coastal and other environments and the adoption of this information by management agencies. These applications are developed through collaborations with private companies and government agencies at all levels in Australia and internationally.

Neil Williams

Dr Neil Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Government's national geoscientific research and spatial information agency, Geoscience Australia (GA). He is also responsible for spatial information policy development throughout the Australian Government and chairs the Government's Spatial Data Policy Executive. He also represents the Commonwealth on ANZLIC - the spatial information council. Neil is a geologist by training with a BSc (Hons) degree from the Australian National University and PhD from Yale University. He worked for 10 years as an academic specialising in mineral-deposit geology, before joining the then MIM group as a mineral explorer. He spent another 10 years with MIM and held the position of Chief Geologist when he joined Geoscience Australia's predecessor, the Bureau of Mineral Resources, in 1991. Neil is Chairman of the board of Australian Marine Science & Technology (AMSAT) Limited, and was the last Chairman of the Snowy Mountains Council, the body that oversaw the running of the Snowy Mountain Hydroelectric Scheme prior to its corporatisation in 2002. Neil is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and
Engineering, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Workshop 1

Environmental Satellite Observations of Australia at Moderate Resolution and High Frequency - One Day Workshop

Date: Monday, 20 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Presenters: Ian Grant, Edward King, Brendon McAtee, Craig Smith, and others to be confirmed.
Cost: $80

Satellite sensors providing daily global observations with spatial resolution of around 1 km enable measurement of the land, ocean, and atmosphere, both for near-real time monitoring and through long time series. In Australia, utilisation of this capability has a strong heritage, first through the direct broadcast AVHRR time series, and more recently with MODIS. There is also growing interest in the hourly resolution offered by the geostationary imagers and in data from the ATSR and MERIS instruments.

With the maturing time series and operational feed of near-real time satellite products into environmental management systems, it is timely to review and plan the further development of the access to, and the application of, satellite data for large-scale high-frequency environmental measurement. Members of the community are invited to participate in this workshop to assess the current state of environmental remote sensing, especially with regard to the particular opportunities and challenges presented by the daily temporal resolution, near real time and long time series character of these data.

Expressions of interest to attend or present, and suggestions for themes for presentation or discussion are welcomed. The Workshop program and focus will be developed to be complementary to the papers presented at 13^th ARSPC 2006. A possible format is short overviews from participants of their provision or use of data, stimulating discussion on questions such as: What data streams are available to users? Do data archives need to be centralised or coordinated? How should satellite services for fire management be developed?

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-

Dr Ian Grant, Space Based Observations Section, Bureau of Meteorology
Phone: 03 9669 4080; Fax: 03 9669 4168
or
Dr Edward King, Land Air Interactions, CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research
Phone: 02 6246 5894; Fax: 02 6246 5988

Workshop 2

Object Oriented Image Analysis with Definiens eCognition - One Day Workshop

Date: Monday, 20 November 2006
Venue: Geoscience Australia
Cost: $250
Presenter: Dr Caiti Steele

A workshop on "Object Oriented Image Analysis with Definiens eCognition" is to be held in conjunction with the 13^th Australian Remote Sensing Conference, in Canberra 20 - 24 November 2006. The workshop will be run by Dr Caiti Steele, a US based researcher with extensive applications and training experience in Definiens eCognition software. This hands-on workshop will overview and demonstrate Definiens Version 5 and give current users a forum to discuss active projects and processing options.

The workshop will be held on Monday 20 November at Geoscience Australia and numbers will be limited to 10 participants. The workshop registration fee will be $250. As the number of workshop participants is limited to 10, please secure your place by completing the relevant section in the ARSPC Conference Registration Form.

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-

Guy.Byrne@csiro.au
Phone: 02 6246 5720
or
Medhavy.Thankappan@ga.gov.au
Phone: 02 6249 9310

Workshop 3

ER Mapper Technical Update - Half Day Workshop

Date: 22 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Cost: Nil
Presenters: Guy Perkins, CEO and Darren Mottolini, ER Mapper

This workshop will detail the new products being developed by ER Mapper in Australia and the emerging trends in image processing and management. This session will detail case studies of where ER Mapper is deploying geospatial image solutions.

Included in the session will be a discussion on the JPEG 2000 format, current developments and work undertaken by ER Mapper to ensure the format is accessible by everyone in the future.

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Darren Mottolini, ER Mapper
Email: darren.mottolini@ermapper.com

Workshop 4

Issues in the Application of Hyperspectral Data to Vegetation Mapping - Half Day Workshop

Date: 22 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Cost: $250
Presenters: Dr Geoff Taylor, Uni of NSW; Dr Stuart Phinn, Uni of Qld; Dr Glenn Fitzgerald, Dept Primary Industries Victoria; and other Specialists in Imaging Spectroscopy.

The topics to be covered in this workshop include:-

Sensor availability

BRDF effects

Seasonal/illumination considerations

Biochemical spectral responses

Vegetation indices

Segmentation issues for tree mapping

Halophytic vegetation mapping

Cellulose (litter/stubble) mapping

Moisture effects

Precision agriculture applications

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Dr Anthea Mitchell, Uni of NSW
Email: a.mitchell@unsw.edu.au
or
Dr Geoff Taylor, Uni of NSW
Email: G.Taylor@unsw.edu.au

Workshop 5

Forging a National Remote Sensing Strategy - 1 Day Workshop

Date: 22 November 2006
Cost: Nil - Attendance at this workshop is by invitation only.
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre

This workshop aims to bring together key policy analysts and remote sensing specialists to examine the state of Australia's remote sensing sector, to forge a collective view of the roles of Australia's remote sensing stakeholders and discuss the elaboration of a National Remote Sensing Strategy. The workshop builds on the conclusions and recommendation of an ACRES-commissioned study: National remote Sensing Data Requirements - Gaps and Opportunities for Australia.

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Dr Adam Lewis, Geoscience Australia
Email: adam.lewis@ga.gov.au

Workshop 6

Standards in Remote Sensing - Half Day Workshop

Date: 24 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Cost: $40
Presenters: Dr Robert Prandolini, Defence Science and Technology Organisation; Simon Cope, ER Mapper; and Chris Body, Geoscience Australia and Dr Kevin Moore, Mediaware

The topics for the workshop are:-

ISO and OGC Standards

JPEG2000

Motion Imagery Standards and

Systems being development for the International community

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Chris Body, Geoscience Australia
Email: chris.body@ga.gov.au
Phone: 02 62499328

Workshop 7

High Resolution DEMs - Half Day Workshop

Date: 24 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Cost: $ 40
Presenters: Dr Carl Menges, APOGEE Imaging International; Dr Gail Kelly, AAMHatch; Dr Tony Milne, Horizon Geoscience Consulting; and other Specialists.

The presentations will describe issues involved in the DEM generation from LIDAR, SAR, and imagery based methods.

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Craig Smith, ACRES Geoscience Australia
Email: Craigj.smith@ga.gov.au

Workshop 8

Future Trends in Commercial Remote Sensing - Half Day Workshop

Date: 20 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Cost: Nil
Presenters: Mr John Lee, Microsoft - Virtual Earth; USA; To be Confirmed, Google Earth; Mr Mike McGill, DigitalGlobe, USA; Mr Mark Tuohy, GeoEye, USA; Mr Rob Lees, SPOT Imaging Services, Australia; Dr Gail Kelly, AAMHatch, Australia; Mr Stephen Briggs, European Space Agency - Earth Observation; Mr Paul Stephens from DMC International Imaging, UK
Facilitator: Mr Stephen Ward, Symbios Communications

The aim of the workshop is to review and discuss the direction of commercial remote sensing, with the primary emphasis being on the customer's requirements both now, and what is likely to be demanded in future. The recent entry into the delivery of remotely sensed data by the global giants, Google and Microsoft, creates some interesting questions about their likely impact on demand, availability and the effect on the established product and service providers.

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Mr Tony Wheeler, SKM
Email: TWheeler@skm.com.au
or
Mr Rob Lees, Spot Imaging Services
Email: lees@spotimage.com.au

Workshop 9

STK Demonstration - Affect of Terrain on Coverage Analysis - 2 Hour Workshop

Date: 24 November 2006
Venue: Canberra Convention Centre
Cost: Nil
Presenters: Daniel Rutten, Senior Systems Engineer, Auspace Limited.

Workshop format includes a presentation followed by a worked example (demonstration) using Satellite Tool Kit (STK) for imagery planning and operations.

This workshop looks at how STK can be used to support planning for imagery collection and realtime operational replanning. STK can be used to model flight paths (for both satellites and aircraft) and the sensor coverage capabilities. STK can also use DEMs for the analysis and determine shadowing and distortion of the coverage area.

The worked example will include a look at how:-

terrain will affect coverage for a given satellite pass

terrain will affect coverage for a given aircraft flight plan

showing areas of shadowing

showing how the effect on low incidence angles

how the actual flight path versus planned flight path effects coverage

The worked example will include the use of real world constraints for the analysis including Loss of Signal (LOS), incidence angle, sun illumination angles, elevation angle of the sensors etc

This could be extended for future planning imagery collection in built up areas including city centres etc.

Inquiries and comments about this workshop can be directed to:-
Daniel Rutten, Auspace Limited, Email: drutten@auspace.com.au
James Machell, Auspace Limited, Email: jmachell@auspace.com.au