RSPSoc is a supporting organisation for this initiative – along with the National Centre for Earth Observation, the British Association of Remote Sensing Companies and various other bodies – and RSPSoc member participation is warmly encouraged.

Conveniently, the EO Technology Cluster kick-off meeting is being held in sequence with other RSPSoc events: the Remote Sensing and the Carbon Cycle conference and RSPSoc Annual Lecture and Conversazione.

For further details, see the flyer “AO flyer here” at the link below, email: EOTechCluster@nottingham.ac.uk or visit www.EOTechCluster.org.uk. A researcher job opportunity related to this initiative will be advertised soon.

Paul Aplin
Chairman, RSPSoc

It is my pleasure to inform you that, in the frame of the National Bicentenary, from October 4th to 8th, 2010, the “Servicio Aerofotogramétrico del Gral. Juan Soler Manfredini”, a Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Chilean Air Force) agency, is organizing the First Latin American Remote Sensing Week (LARS-2010), jointly with the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and “Sociedad de Especialistas Latinoamericanos en Percepción Remota y Sistemas de Información Espacial” (Society of Latin American Specialists on Remote Sensing and Space Information Systems/SELPER, for its acronym in Spanish). This First Symposium, which is intended to become a biannual activity, is also intended to be positioned as a Meeting Point for distinguished representatives of the national and international scientific community linked to geospace sciences, and becoming a platform of opportunities in Latin America for the generation of networks, transfer of knowledge and application of new technologies in the field of Remote Sensing and its related techniques.

It is an honor, in the name of “Semana Latinoamericana de Percepción Remota” (LARS-2010) “Exploradores del Sur” Scientific Committee, to invite you to present the results of your studies and research and contributing to the development of geosciences. Do not miss this opportunity to participate in scientific presentations, workshops and high-level technological exhibitions, and enjoying cultural and leisure activities that will take place in the frame of the event.

LARS is an opportunity for scientists, academics and organizations to present their research and spreading the latest scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field of Remote Sensing, as well as a wide spectre of applications, in what is expected to be a stimulating internacional meeting, with outstanding lecturers and special guests.

Visit our Webpage http://www.lars.cl/ and request the information regarding the participation options. For further questions, do not hesitate to contact lars@saf.cl.

Due to multiple requests we extended the abstract submission deadline for the ISPRS Commission VII Symposium, which will take place July 5-7, 2010 at the Vienna University of Technology, Austria, by one week. The new deadline is March 7, 2010.

Please note that only one paper per registered participant is allowed. Early bird registration is possible until April 19, 2010.

We are looking forward to welcome you in Vienna!
Wolfgang Wagner, Symposium Chairman
Balazs Szekely, Scientific Coordinator

hosted by: UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France 31st May – 3rd June 2010

Please remember: The final deadline for submission of abstracts expires

MONDAY, 15th FEBRUARY 2010.

Details: http://www.earsel.org/symposia/2010-symposium-Paris/fees.php

Best regards,
The Organisers

—
EARSeL Secretariat
Nienburger Str. 1
30167 Hannover, Germany

phone: +49-511-762 2482
fax: +49-511-762 2483
mail: secretariat@earsel.org
http://www.earsel.org

13th – 17th September 2010

Alice Springs Convention Centre, Northern Territory, Australia

For full details on the Conference, click on the link below.

NOTE: the submission date for Abstracts has been extended to the 5th March 2010.

I am pleased to inform you that the second call for research proposals of the Changing Earth Science Network has been published on the STSE web site (www.esa.int/stse).

The main objective of this new initiative is to provide support to young researchers who have a doctoral degree and who would like to initiate a scientific career in the context of Earth Science. The selected young researchers will undertake cutting edge research to respond to the new scientific challenges of the Living Planet Program.

In this context, the initiative aims at:
• Contributing to the scientific advancement in Member States towards the achievement of the new 25 strategic challenges of the Living Planet Programme.
• Fostering the use of ESA EO data by the Earth science community maximising the scientific return (in terms of scientific results and publications) of ESA EO missions;
• Contributing to consolidate a critical mass of young scientists in Europe with a good scientific and operative knowledge of ESA EO missions, assets and programmes;
• Preparing for the future by fostering the development of a dynamic research network in ESA Member States addressing key areas of relevance for ESA missions and the ESA science strategy;
• Enhancing interactions, exchanging know-how and allowing cross fertilisation between ESA and Earth science laboratories, research centres and universities.

With this call for proposals, ESA will select and co-finance up to 10 projects of 2 years duration proposed by scientists at post-doctoral level through their Host Institutions.

For selected Project proposals, ESA will place a contract with the Host Institution for a maximum budget of 40KEuro per year as a co-funding contribution to a standard post-doctoral position. The Host Institution shall co-finance and provide a post-doctoral contract to the candidate to undertake the research activity proposed. The University shall contribute with, as a minimum, 30% of the overall cost for the two years.

The initiative incorporates as an option the possibility to carry out a research period (of duration from 6 to 12 months) in ESA establishments as visiting scientists. During this period, selected candidates will work in close collaboration with ESA staff to complete part of the proposed work.

The call for proposals and its documentation has been published on the STSE Web Site (http://www.esa.int/stse/news/news157.asp).

Proposals must be sent by e-mail to: EOScience@esa.int not later than 29/3/2010.

Background
The Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO) has been established and endorsed by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) as a direct response to a call from the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Following detailed discussions with the WMO and others it is now being evolved to ensure its applicability to all Earth Observation communities and stakeholders, including those making in-situ measurements. The UK has played a major role in the development of QA4EO and there is now an opportunity to continue the further development and exploitation of this initiative.

The aim of the workshop is to explain the concepts behind QA4EO in the context of the drivers for quality assurance and to help develop a framework and roadmap for how the UK could exploit its leading position.

The workshop will be of interest to those wanting to understand the latest international developments in QA and wish to contribute to further UK activities in this arena.

Registration is required.

To register, just email name and affiliation to:

Niki Legge email:niki.legge@stfc.ac.uk

EO DQ Workshop Agenda

Registration – 9.00am to 9.30am

Session 1 – Context 9.30am to 10.50am
Focus on the end-user perspective and the need for QA.

• Workshop introduction (Andy Shaw, NCEO)
• Introduction to the international context (Pascal Lecomte, ESA)
• Climate Drivers (Alan O’Neill, NCEO)
• UK-EOF presentation (Beth Greenaway, ERFF)

COFFEE (10.50am to 11.10am)

Session 2 – QA and QA4EO 11.10am to 12.30pm
To present some UK QA activities and provide overview of QA4EO

• QA4EO Overview (Nigel Fox, NPL)
• ESA Perspective (Giuseppe Ottavianelli, ESA)
• Current and future optical missions: from MERIS to OLCI (Samantha Lavender, Argans)
• NCAVEO perspective (Ted Milton, Southampton Uni.)
• CEOI Instrumentation Perspective (Paul Monks, Leicester Uni.)

LUNCH (12.30pm to 1.30pm)
A buffet lunch will be provided.

Session 3 – Exploitation 1.30pm to 2.50pm
To show how QA4EO concepts can be exploited.

• DMC Developments (Steve Mackin, SSTL)
• ESA QA/QC in QA4EO context (Sian O’Hara, Vega )
• Met Office presentation on their QA/QC systems (TBD, Met Office)
• ATSR/SLSTR Quality Assurance (Dave Smith, RAL)

COFFEE (2.50pm to 3.10pm)

Session 4 – Discussion 3.10pm to 4.00pm
To discuss how UK should proceed to create harmonised framework.

• Development of a UK RoadMap

The deadline date for receipt of nominations for the Society Awards (to December 2009) has been extended to the 12th February 2010. Full details are at:
http://www.rspsoc.org/about-rspsoc/honours-and-awards/awards/

We look forward to receiving nominations.
RSPSoc Office

The Defence Surveyors’ Association (DSA) is to run the fourth in its series of annual seminars on historical military and hydrographic surveying, mapping and charting at the Royal School of Military Survey, Hermitage, Newbury on Saturday 19th June 2010. The seminar will run from 1025 to 1700 hrs during which seven presentations will be given. Cost of attendance is £15, to include tea and coffee breaks and a finger-buffet lunch. The provisional programme is : –

“A distinct and separate corps something similar to that of the Engineers of the Army”: War-time Experience, Peace-time Opportunity, and The Emergence of the RN Hydrographic Service, 1803 to 1823.
By Mike Barritt, R.N. Vice-President Hakluyt Society and DSA member.

The Report on the Military Map of the U.K. 1892.
By Dr. Peter Collier of Portsmouth University and DSA member.

Charles Close – His role in African Boundary Demarcations.
By John W. Donaldson, Research Associate, International Boundaries Research Unit, University of Durham.

The Links between Photo Interpretation, Intelligence and Photogrammetry.
By Chris Halsall, a former Chief Instructor of the Joint Services School of Photographic Interpretation and a Trustee of the Medmenham Collection.

Accurate Distance Measurement before the advent of Electronic Distance Measurement.
By Jim Smith, author of Everest The Man and the Mountain.

Trevor Wadley and 50 years of the Tellurometer.
Alan F. Wright previously of Tellurometer (UK) Ltd and the British Antarctic Survey, now with Global Surveys Limited.
Brian Sturman previously of Tellurometer (Pty) Ltd, now consultant with Tellumat (Pty) Ltd.
David R. Green previously of Tellurometer (UK) Ltd, now with Green Electronics, the UK representative of Tellumat (Pty) Ltd.

Technologies For Fusing GIS, Terrain and UAV Data in Realtime Intelligence Support.
By Richard Goodman, Principal Application Engineer, SG&I, Intergraph UK Ltd.

Bids to attend may be made to Mike Nolan as follows : – By Email – maptnolan@googlemail.com
Cheques should be made out simply to DSA.
For those arriving by car, it would be appreciated if bids could include car make, model and registration number.

We have recently shown that airborne and satellite remote sensing can be used to retrieve the concentration of the cyanobacterial biomarker pigment phycocyanin in waterbodies. This potentially provides a route to near real-time monitoring of cyanobacterial populations at local-to-global scales. This studentship will build on basic and/or applied aspects of this research. Research areas might include coupling bio-optical datasets with radiative transfer modelling for algorithm development and testing, investigating algorithms for carbon-based productivity and bloom physiology, and/or examining downstream applications in biogeochemical cycling or health risk alert monitoring.

The project will be jointly supervised by Dr Andrew Tyler and Dr Peter Hunter. Further supervisors from institutions outside Stirling may be appointed if considered beneficial to the project. Informal enquires should be directed to Dr Tyler at School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland UK, or preferably by email to a.n.tyler@stir.ac.uk. The closing date for preliminary applications is 15 March. The anticipated start date is 01 October 2010, although an earlier start date is possible.

Formal applications must include a covering letter, curriculum vitae and details of two academic referees.

The entry qualification for postgraduate studentships is a first class or upper second class honours degree, and/or a relevant Masters degree, in geography, environmental science or similar.