The coordination of space activities across the continent is vital for unlocking the promise that space holds for sustainable development, as well as economic growth, said the Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor, in her opening address of the 37th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE).

The Symposium convened on Monday, 8 May and will continue until the 12 May 2017 at the CSIR International Convention Centre (ICC). It is one of the premier events for the international remote sensing community, attracting senior staff and scientists from space agencies and international Earth Observation (EO) programmes.

Mrs Pandor stressed the pivotal role Earth observation plays in South Africa. "We use satellite imagery extensively in South Africa to support the different legislative mandates of government.”

It’s about development

This year’s gathering is hosted by the South African National Space Agency with the overarching theme Earth observation for development and adaptation to a changing world. The CSIR will deliver 38 oral presentations to this year’s 580 international and local delegates.

“Earth observation is rapidly advancing and this conference allows South Africans to understand international programmes, technology trends and scientific findings on global change. The depth of the CSIR’s Earth observation research and development is coming to the fore at this year’s symposium as we seek international collaboration and partnerships,” says Dr Konrad Wessels, chief scientist at the CSIR and co-chair of the ISRSE37 Technical Programme Committee alongside Dr Renaud Mathieu, also a chief scientist at the CSIR.

"This premier remote sensing conference provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase the CSIR’s commitment to national human capital development in Earth observation. Out of 38 CSIR presentations, 15 will be delivered by students, with the vast majority delivered by researchers at PhD level,” says Dr Mathieu.

The first plenary session focused on the role of Space Agencies in contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through EO. The technical sessions covered a wide range of environmental themes including, natural resources and the environment, responses to natural hazards and disasters, fire, agriculture and food security, polar ice, urban monitoring, weather forecasting and climate-change mitigation and adaptation. From a technology perspective, topics included cloud-based processing of BIG EO data, novel satellite missions (including locally produced nano-satellites), Digital Earth and operational geospatial information systems. Private companies also showcase their commercial value added services in a rapidly evolving geospatial market (ISRSE37.org).

The general public can share in the excitement by attending a public lecture on Earth observation and space technology by Jim Adams, Deputy Chief Technologist of National Aeronautics and  Space Agency (NASA) (retired), at the CSIR ICC, 11 May 2017, 18:00 – 19:00  (please register for free at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/isrse-37-public-lecture-peeking-at-earth-tickets-32685562397)