Remote sensing experts convene in PHL for disaster response

Remote sensing, according to Dr. Enrico Paringit, Executive Director of the Philippine Geosciences and Remote Sensing Society (PhilGRSS), involves gathering data from the Earth’s surface without actually making physical contact with it. It’s actually used in a lot of fields from tracking changes in sea surfaces temperatures, to studying the surface of other planets, to monitoring land deformations.

 

For the first time in more than a decade, the annual Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS) is going to take place again in the Philippines, PhilGRSS announced on Wednesday. The last time the conference took place in the Philippines was in 1998.

 

“The conference takes place at a significant moment when disasters and climate change continues to negatively impact our people and the community,” said Professor Kohei Cho, General Secretary of the Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS). “The conference, therefore, will provide an outstanding opportunity to learn and explore how remote sensing will help us build resiliency to these disturbances and to strengthen our capability to adapt to stress and change.”

 

The ACRS is a way for countries in the region to showcase and share their respective developments with their neighbors to help further the field. This year’s conference is aiming to help build resiliency in Asia using remote sensing technology.

 

Thirty-nine countries are expected to participate in this year’s conference, mostly Asian but with participation from North American and European countries as well. Around 700 presentations are expected at this year’s ACRS, including sessions held by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), PhilGRSS, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

 

The ACRS is going to take place at the Quezon City Crowne Plaza Galleria from 19-23 October, 2015. (Click here to learn more.) The registration fee for Philippine participants is set at PHP 5,500. This year’s conference is organized by the AARS, PhilGRSS, and DOST. — TJD, GMA News