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Modelling & Advanced Techniques
MAT SIG Annual Report 1998-1999
Background
The emphasis of research and teaching in remote sensing has tended to be application specific (for example, remote sensing applied in geology, oceanography, archeology, soil survey, biogeography, and so on). Many of the advances currently being made in remote sensing are, however, in modelling (which advances our understanding of spatial forms and spatio-temporal processes) and in the development and implementation of new techniques (which advance our ability to use our understanding to achieve some specific objective). The RSS MAT SIG was formed out of a perceived need to parallel the emphasis on application specific research with a second emphasis on cross-disciplinary research directed specifically at developing and disseminating new models and techniques.
Reports on meetings
Last year the MAT SIG ran a successful session at RSS98 at Greenwich focused primarily on BRDF modelling. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Phillip Lewis of the Department of Geography, University College London whose own interests are very much on BRDF modelling. See pages 561-662 of the RSS98 proceedings for papers resulting from the meeting.
Papers from the session of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG) 1998 annual conference on ‘Geostatistical and Geospatial Techniques for Remote Sensing of Land Surface Processes’ run by MAT SIG will this year appear as a special issue of Computers and Geosciences. A sister meeting held in conjunction with the Association of American Geographers Remote Sensing Specialty Group (AAG RSSG) in 1998 also resulted in a special issue of Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (volume 65).
Coming events
Following the RSS96, RSS97 and RSS98 MAT SIG special sessions there will be a breather this year at Cardiff University, with papers which typically slot into a MATSIG session appearing in general sessions. It is hoped that MATSIG will organise a special themed session next year.
MATSIG is involved in organising a one-day session of the RGS-IBG annual meeting on ‘Surface Modelling’ in Brighton in January 2000. The meeting is focused around the research group at Leicester which includes Dr. Nick Tate, Prof. Peter Fisher (both MATSIG committee members) and Dr. Jo Wood, amongst several others. You are encouraged to submit papers to Dr. Nick Tate ( ) on surface modelling (e.g., elevation modelling) and it is expected that papers from the remote sensing community will be mostly, although not exclusively, on photogrammetric research.
A further one-day meeting is planned for the year 2000 on the subject of ‘Uncertainty Modelling and Accuracy Assessment in Remote Sensing’. Details will be posted on the RSS-bulletin board as they become available.
Where now?
The committee will meet at this year’s RSS99 conference. A reshuffle of committee members is planned, so if you would like to join the committee please contact Peter Atkinson before then by email on . Several activities are planned for the coming year, but what the SIG actually does depends on what you want. So if you would like to see a particular event happen please contact the new MAT_SIG convenor.
Peter Atkinson
