Editor: Christopher S. RufCumulative Issue #102

March 1997ISSN 0161-7869

See page 10 for a description of image.

Christopher S. RufDepartment of ElectricalEngineering121 Electrical Engineering EastThe Pennsylvania StateUniversityUniversity Park, PA16802-2705TEL: 814.865.2363FAX: 814.865.7065EMail: ruf@rufece.psu.edu

Editor's Comments

Hello to all the members of the Geoscience and Remote SensingSociety. I begin my editorship of our Newsletter with this issue, andwould like first to thank the Society's AdCom and the membershipas a whole for entrusting me with the duties and responsibilities ofthe position. I hope and anticipate that the Newsletter will continueto serve as a forum for communications, both technical and informal,amongst our membership.

The outgoing Newsletter Editor is Dr. Prasad Gogineni. Prasadbegan this service to our Society with the December 1994 issue, andhe deserves all of our thanks for giving of his time and effort. In thecourse of preparing for the transition of the editorship in recentmonths, l have corresponded with both Prasad and his editorialassistant, Ms. Donnis Graham, at the University of Kansas' RadarSystems and Remote Sensing

Laboratory. They have both been helpful easing me into theposition, and I would also like to acknowledge and thank Donnis forthe time and effort she has provided to our Society over the pasttwo years.

The Editorial Board for the Newsletter has had other changes ofpersonnel and of positions. The Board now includes Michael Collins(Assoc. Ed. for University Profiles), Timothy Kane (Assoc. Ed. forReview Articles), Brian Laursen (Assoc. Ed. for European Affairs),David McLaughlin (Assoc. Ed. for Experimenter's Notebook), andMark Sletten (Assoc. Ed. for Organizational Profiles). TheseAssociate Editors will be soliciting articles proactively, but I alsoencourage anyone interested in providing articles, comments, orletters of interest to our members to contact them or myself directly.Contact information, as well as a brief biography of each member ofthe Editorial Board, are provided later in this issue.

Several other items of interest appear in this issue. Contactinformation is provided for the incoming Chairperson of the GRSSChapters and Speakers Committee, Dr. Eni G. Njoku, as well as forthe Chairpersons of all current chapters of the Society. Followingthis is an article describing the Whats, Whys and Hows of forming alocal GRSS Chapter, provided by outgoing Chapters and SpeakersCommittee Chairperson Dr. James C. Tilton. A news item isincluded announcing the election of one of our Society's members,Dr. Robert E. McIntosh, to the National Academy of Engineering. Iworked and trained under Bob and his colleague, Cal Swift, while agraduate student, and can attest firsthand that this honor is very welldeserved.

President's Message

Martti Hallikainen Laboratoryof Space Technology HelsinkiUniversity of TechnologyOtakaari 5A SF-02150 EspooFINLAND 358/0451-2371358/0460-224 fax e-mail:hallikainen@ava.hut.fi

Greetings !The GRSS Administrative Committee had its meeting on

February l l in San Antonio, Texas. The venue reminded me of myprevious visit to San Antonio: I was a graduate student at theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1974-1975 and my

girlfriend (wife since 1975) Airi came over to spend the Christmaswith me. We visited San Antonio, including the 750 feet high tower,and we enjoyed the trip in spite of cold weather. During the AdCommeeting in February, the temperature was again below normal, butSan Antonio proved to be as wonderful as 22 years ago.

Some changes in the AdCom took place in January and February1997, in addition to those published in the December issue of theNewsletter. I would like to thank Dr. Vincent Salomonson, whodecided to step down after his successful term as Vice President ofProfessional Activities in 1996. He is succeeded by Dr. Eni Njoku.Thanks are also due to Dr. R. Michael Hardesty for his valuablecontributions to the Society. He resigned in February. I would liketo welcome our new AdCom member Dr. Haruhisa Shimoda.

The main topic at the AdCom meeting was the "GRSS 1997Priorities": a work plan of 15 actions to improve the services toSociety members and to develop the operations of GRSS in 1997. Ihad started collecting ideas for this action list after my

re-election in November 1996. A preliminary work plan wascirculated in January and a more detailed version was discussed at theAdCom meeting. The AdCom considered five actions as veryimportant items needing immediate attention, and ten as importantitems needing attention in 1997. The items are as follows(responsible person in brackets):

Very Important Items:1. Polling the membership (Karen St. Germain)

· A questionnaire to be printed in the June issue of theNewsletter to ask the membership what they would like to seeperformed or undertaken by the Society leadership.

2. Improve quality and timeliness of the Newsletter (ChristopherRuf)· Adopt the content and format of the Newsletter to be moreresponsive to the needs and desires of the Societymembership. Distribute the Newsletter to Society members ontime.

3. Complete the Operational Manual (Nahid Khazenie)· The AdCom operated in a reorganized form in 1996. DavidGoodenough did a remarkable job in producing a preliminaryversion of the Operational Manual; it will be completed in1997, and revised and updated annually.

4. Develop policy for GRSS symposia (Albin Gasiewski)· IGARSS is the flagship symposium with an establishedformat. Develop CO-MEAS as the main specialty symposiumwith format and presentation primarily by invitation, and thetime and location to complement IGARSS. Seek a host for thenext CO-MEAS.

_. Long range planning (Nahid Khazenie)· Determine the status and objectives of GRSS relative to thefield of remote sensing. Establish a process for keeping in tunewith changes in the GRSS objectives in relation to the changingtechnical and political arenas.

Important Items:1. Membership drive (Karen St. Germain)

· IEEE is currently developing a policy for recruiting non-members who participate in IEEE conferences. GRSS has anopportunity to learn from their research and should complywith the new IEEE policy.

2. Develop GRSS educational program (Michael Collins)· Develop a sustainable educational program whose goals andactivities are matched to the needs and interests of theSociety membership.

3. Develop the IGARSS Exhibit (Albin Gasiewski)· Solicit large aerospace and remote sensing companies toexhibit at IGARSS.

4. Attract industrial attendees and students to IGARSS (AlbinGasiewski)· Identify actions to attract attendees from outside academiaand research institutes. Develop technical sessions that are ofinterest to them.

Continued on page 15

Newsletter Editorial Board Members:Christopher S. Ruf, EditorDepartment of Electrical Engineering121 Electrical Engineering EastThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA 16802-2705TEL: 814.865.2363FAX: 814.865.7065EMail: ruf@rufece.psu.edu

Michael CollinsAssociate Editor for University ProfilesDepartment of Geomatics EngineeringUniversity of CalgaryCalgary, AB, CANADA T2N 1 N4TEL: 403.220.5826FAX: 403.284.1980EMail: collins@ensu.ucalgary.ca

Timothy Kane,Associate Editor for Review ArticlesCommunications and Space SciencesLaboratory318 Electrical Engineering EastThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA 16802-2705TEL: 814.863.9727FAX: 814.863.8457EMail: tjk7@psu.edu

Brian Laursen,Associate Editor for European AffairsDepartment of Electromagnetics SystemsBuilding 348Technical University of DenmarkLyngby, DENMARKTEL: 45.45.88.14.44FAX: 45.45.93.16.34EMail: bl@emi.dtu.dk

David McLaughlin, Associate Editor forExperimenter's NotebookElectrical and Computer EngineeringDepartmentRadar Systems LaboratoryNortheastern UniversityBoston, MA 02115TEL: 617.373.2032FAX: 617.373.8970EMail: d.mclaughlin@nunet.neu.edu

Mark Sletten, Associate Editor forOrganizational ProfilesCode 7255Naval Research Laboratory4555 Overlook Ave. SWWashington, DC 20375TEL: 202.404.7971FAX: 202.767.3303EMail: msletten@ccf.nrl.navy.miI

1997 AdCom Members' Names and AddressesAndrew J. BlanchardPast-President, IEEE GRS-SCollege of EngineeringUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaW1013 Engineering Bldg. EastColumbia MO 65211TEL: 573.884.7872FAX: 573.882.2490ajb@ecvax2.ecn.missouri.edu

Albin J. GasiewskiVP of Meetings and Symposia, IEEE GRS-SGeorgia Institute of TechnologySchool of Electrical & ComputerEngineering777 Atlantic DriveAtlanta GA 30332-0250TEL: 404.894.2934FAX: 404.894.4641ag14@prism.gatech.edu

James A. GatlinVP of Operations, IEEE GRS-SCode 704NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt MD 20771TEL: 301.286.6680FAX: 301.286.1750j.gatlin@ieee.org

David GoodenoughSenior Past-President, IEEE GRS-SHead, Adv Forest Technologies ProgramPacific Forestry Centre506 West Burnside RoadVictoria BC V8Z 1M5 CANADATEL: 604.363.0776FAX: 604.363.0775dgoodenough@A1. PFC. Forestry.CA

Martti T. HallikainenPresident, IEEE GRS-SHelsinki University of TechnologyLaboratory of Space TechnologyP .O.Box3000Espoo 02150 Espoo FINLANDTEL: 358.0.451.2371FAX: 358.0.451.2898martti.hallikainen@hut.fi

Thomas J. JacksonSecretary, IEEE GRS-SUSDA-ARS Hydrology Lab104 Bldg 007 BARC WestBeltsville MD 20705TEL: 301.504.851 1FAX: 301.504.8931tjackson@hydrolab.arsusda.gov

Nahid KhazenieExecutive Vice President, IEEE GRS-SCode 170Educational Programs CoordinatorMission to Planet Earth Of ficeNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt MD 20771TEL: 703.917.8655FAX: 703.917.8656khazenie@chrpisis.gsfc.nasa.gov

Charles LutherVP of Technical Committees, IEEE GRS-SCode ONR 321 SROf fice of Naval Research800 Quincy StreetArlington VA 22217TEL: 703.696.4123FAX: 703.696.3390lutherc@onrhq.onr.navy.mil

1996- 1998

1997- 1999

1997- 1999

1997- 1999

1996- 1998

1996- 1998

1996- 1998

Ram M. NarayananIGARSS'96 General ChairmanUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnDepartment of Electrical Engineering209N Walter Scott Engineering CenterPO Box X805 11Lincoln NE 68588-0511TEL: 402.472.5141FAX: 4()2.472.4732rnarayanan@unl.eduEni G. NjokuMS 300-233Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of Technology4800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena CA 91109TEL: 818.354.3693FAX: 818.354.9476njoku@lorjpl.nasa.govVincent SalomonsonVP of Professional Activities, IEEE GRS-SCode 900Earth Sciences DirectorateNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt MD 20771TEL: 301.286.8601FAX: 301.286.3884vinces@esd.gsfc.nasa.gov

1995- 1997

1997- 1999

1995- 1997

Haruhisa ShimodaNational Space Development Agency of JapanEarth Observation Research CenterPoppongi First Bldg 14F1-9-9 Roppongi Minato-kuTokyo 160 JAPANshimoda@eorc.nasda.go.jpAlois SieberSpace Applications InstituteInstitute for Remote Sensing ApplicationsIspra EstablishmentIspra Varese 21020 ITALYTEL: 39.0.332.789089FAX: 39.332.785772alois.sieber@jrc.itKaren M. St GermainNaval Research LaboratoryRemote Sensing Division, Code 72234555 Overlook Avenue SWWashington DC 20009TEL: 202.767.3443FAX: 202.767.9194ksaint@ultraimg.nrl.navy.milKiyo TomiyasuLockheed Martin Corporation366 Hilltop RoadPaoli PA 19301-1211TEL: 610.53 1.5740FAX: 610.644.8521

Werner WiesbeckInstitute for High Frequency & ElectronicsUniversity of KarlsruheKaiserstrasse 1276128 Karlsruhe GERMANYTEL: 49.721.608.2522FAX: 49.721.691.865werner. wiesbeck@etec.uni -karlsruhe.deGRSS Additional AddressesHock LimFaculty of ScienceCentre for Remote Imaging, Sensing andProcessingNational University of SingaporeLower Kent RoadSingapore 119260TEL: 65.772.3220FAX: 65.775.7717

1997

1996- 1997

1997- 1999

1996- 1998

1995- 1997

I G A R S S ' 9 7General Chairman

Leung Tsang GRS-S Transactions Editor;Electromagnetics and IGARSS'98Remote Sensing General ChairmanLaboratory/FT I 0Department of Electrical EngineeringUniversity of WashingtonSeattle WA 98195TEL: 206.685.7537FAX: 206.543.3842

Werner Alpers IGARSS'99Institute of Oceanography General ChairmanUniversity of HamburgTroplowitzstr 7Hamburg D-22529 GERMANYTEL: 49.40.4123.5432FAX: 49.4().4123.5713alpers@ifmsun1.uni-hamburg.de

Fawwaz T. UlabyUniversity of Michigan3228 EECS BuildingAnn Arbor M1 48109-2122TEL: 313.764.0501FAX: 313.747.2106ulaby@eecs.umich.edu

HonorarvLife Member

Keith R. Carver HonoraryDept of Electrical & Computer Life MemberEngineeringUniversity of MassachusettsAmherst MA 01003TEL: 413.545.1665FAX: 413.545.461 1kcarver@ zouker.ecs.umass.edu

Michael J. CollinsDirector of Educational InitiativesUniversity of CalgaryDept of Geomatics EngineeringCalgary Alberta T2N I N4 CANADATEL: 413.220.5826FAX: 413.284.1980collins@ensu.ucalgary.ca

Keith Raney GRS-S Rep toSpace Dept, Applied Physics Lab Society onThe Johns Hopkins University Social ImplicationsJohns Hopkins Road of TechnologyLaurel MD 20723-6099TEL: 410.792.5000

John A. ReaganECE Dept, Bldg 104University of ArizonaTucson AZ 85721TEL: 520.621.6203FAX: 520.621.6189reagan @ ece.arizona.edu

PACE

Christopher S. Ruf GRS-S Newsletter EditorDepartment of Electrical Engineering121 Electrical Engineering EastThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA 16802-2705TEL: 814.865.2363FAX: 814.865.7065ruf@rufece.psu.edu

Ms. Tammy 1. SteinGeoscience and RemoteSensing Society2610 Lakeway DriveSeabrook TX 77586-1587TEL: 281.291.9222FAX: 281.291.9224tstein@phoenix.net

Director ofConferences and

Infarmatian Services

National Academy of EngineeringElects Robert E. McIntoshRobert E. McIntosh, Distinguished University Professor in theDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University ofMassachusetts in Amherst, was elected in 1997 to the NationalAcademy of Engineering. The Academy comprises engineers whohave been accorded the highest professional distinction. He washonored for his significant contributions to microwave and millimeterwave radar remote sensing and its applications.

Dr. McIntosh was President of the IEEE Geoscience and RemoteSensing Society in 1984, and he was General Chairman of the 1985IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium heldin Amherst, MA. He received the GRSS Outstanding Service Awardin 1985, and its Distinguished Achievement Award in 1987. In 1996he served as Co-Guest Editor of a Special Issue of the IEEETRANSACTIONS on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. He is aFellow of the IEEE. and he received the IEEE Centennial Medal in1984.

Dr. McIntosh is the author of nearly100 journal publications and 114conference papers. He has presentedmore than 100 invited lectures onelectromagnetic field theory, microwaveengineering, wave propagation, andremote sensing.

He received the B.S. degree fromWorcester Polytechnic Institute inElectrical Engineering in 1962, the S.M. degree from HarvardUniversity in 1964, and the Ph.D. degree from the University ofIowa in 1967. He joined the University of Massachusetts in 1967,and he now co-directs the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory atthe University.

Our heartiest congratulations to Bob McIntosh!

—K. Tomiyasu

Robert E. McIntosh

GRSS Local Chapters:

by Jim TiltonThe IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society has severalchapters throughout the world which serve local membership needs.For more information concerning the activities of these chapters,contact the Chairperson of your local chapter. For information onforming a new chapter in your area see the article "Local Chapters:What, Why and How" in this issue of the newsletter, or contact theGRSS Chapters and Speakers Committee Chairperson.

As of September 1996, Dr. Njoku is the new GRSS Chapters andSpeakers Committee Chairperson. The previous Chairperson, Dr.James C. Tilton decided to step aside to insure he had enough timefor his new duties as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactionson Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

GRSS Chapters and Speakers Committee ChairpersonDr. Eni G. Njoku Jet PropulsionLaboratory California Institute ofTechnology 4800 Oak Grove Drive MS 300-233 Pasadena, CA 91109 (818) 354-3693;(818) 354-9476 (FAX)njoku@lor.jpl.nasa.gov

Current Chapters and ChapterChairpersons IEEE REGION 1Boston SectionDr. John P KerekesMIT Lincoln Lab.

244 Wood St.Lexington, MA 02173(617) 981 -0805(617) 981-0969 (FAX)kerekes@ll.mit.edu (Internet)Springfield SectionJames B. MeadRoom 113 KEBUniversity of MassachusettsAmherst, MA 01003(413) 545-2463; (413) 545-4652 (FAX)mead@alex.ecs.umass.edu (Internet)(Chapter is joint with Antennas & Propagation, Microwave Theory

IEEE REGION 2Washington/Northern Virginia SectionsDr. Eric F. VermoteMail Code 923NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, MD 20771(301) 286-6232eric@kratmos.gsfc.nasa.gov (Internet)

IEEE REGION 3Atlanta SectionJoseph A. BruderGTRI/SDLGeorgia Tech Research InstituteAtlanta, GA 30332-0800(404) 528-7745; (404) 528-7749 (FAX)joe.bruder@gtri.gatech.edu (Internet)

IEEE REGION 4

Southeastern Michigan SectionDr. Kamal SarabandiUniversity of MichiganRadiation LaboratoryElectrical Eng. & Comp. Science Dept.Ann Arbor, MI 48105(313) 936-1575; (313) 747-2106 (FAX)sarabandi@eecs.umich.edu (Internet)

IEEE REGION 5Denver SectionRichard G. GeyerNIST E. M.Field Div.Mail Stop 813.08325 BroadwayBoulder, CO 80303(303) 497-5852; (303) 497-3122 (FAX)geyer@boulder.nist.gov(Chapter is joint with Antennas & Propagation, and MicrowaveTheory and Techniques)

Houston SectionDr. Robert D. NevelsTexas A & M UniversityDept. of Electrical Eng.

College Station, TX 77843-3128(409) 845-7591; (409) 845-6259 (FAX)nevels@ee.tamu.edu(Chapter is joint with Antennas & Propagation, Microwave Theoryand Techniques, and Lasers and Electro-Optics)

IEEE REGION 7Toronto SectionDr. Franklin Ziang Y. Gao85 Dundalk DriveToronto, Canada M1P 4VI(416) 292-0038 (home)(Chapter is joint with Signal Processing, VehicularTechnology, Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Ultrasonics,Ferroelectronics and Frequency Control, and OceanicEngineering)

IEEE REGION 10Tokyo SectionProf. Yoshiyuki KawataInformation Science LaboratoryKanazawa Institute of TechnologyOgigaoka 7-1, NonichiIshikawa 921, Japan81-762-48-1100 ext. 259481 -762-48-7753 (FAX)kawata@infor.kanazawa-it.ac.jp (Internet)

GRSS Local Chapters, cont.

What, Why and HowAccording to the IEEE Bylaws, "[a] Chapter is a technical subunit ofone or more Sections, or a Council, constituted by a minimum oftwelve (12) members of a Society and established by petition to theparent unit(s) and Societies concerned to represent and fulfill theneeds of the members and the missions of IEEE." The Geoscienceand Remote Sensing Society currently has nine Chapters covering tenIEEE sections. See "Current Chapters and Chapter Chairpersons" onpages 6 and 7 of the newsletter for a complete listing of GRSS localchapters.

Local chapters exist to serve society members in a localgeographical area (e.g. a section or combination of sections). Themost common chapter activities are technical meetings. A chaptermay have anywhere from three to twelve technical meetings a year.These technical meetings serve to not only disseminate technicalknowledge to society members, but also serve to facilitatenetworking among local society members. Involvement as a chapterofficer often acts as a springboard to involvement on section orsociety committees and as section or society officers.

What if your section does not have a GRSS local chapter? Thereare three main options in forming a local chapter. The first option isthe straightforward forming of a standalone chapter in a singlesection, the second is the forming of a joint chapter covering two ormore societies, and the third is forming a joint chapter covering twoor more contiguous sections. The later two options should beconsidered especially if there are less than 40 or 50 GRSS membersin your section. In addition, one may form a joint GRSS chapter bychanging the status of an existing chapter (of another society) tobecome joint with the GRSS.

The process for forming a standalone chapter in a single sectionstarts with getting a petition to form an IEEE chapter signed by notless than twelve (12) GRSS members, above Student grade, whoreside in your section. This petition is first submitted to the SectionExecutive Committee, via the Section Secretary, for approval. Thepetition is then reviewed by the Regional Activities Board which willwork with the petitioner to resolve any problems. The petition thengoes on to the GRSS President and the Regional director, and if theyhave no objections, the petition is approved.

The process for forming a joint chapter covering two or moresocieties is the same as above with the exception that each societyinvolved must be represented by a minimum of three signatories(who are members of that society). If an individual is a member ofmore than one of the societies, his/her signature can be counted forboth societies. A total of twelve signatures is still required.

The process for forming a joint chapter covering two or morecontiguous sections is similar. However, a minimum of one personappears to be all that is required on the petition from a particularsection, though twelve total signatures are required from the society(or societies). The petition must

designate which section will be the administration parent section,and must be approved by each of the involved Sections' ExecutiveCommittees.

The process for changing the status of an existing chapter (ofanother society) to be joint with GRSS can be done without thesubmission of a petition. A written request with full details on theproposed change (societies involved, the name and address of thechapter organizer and chairman) should be submitted through theSection Executive Committee to the Regional Activities Board. Thestatus change will be approved after the Regional Activities Boardreceives approvals from the all entities including the involvedsocieties.

For assistance in forming a new GRSS chapter in your areacontact:

Dr. Eni G. Njoku,Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800Oak Grove Drive, MS 300-233,Pasadena, CA 91109Phone: (818) 354-3693, FAX: (818) 354-9476 (FAX) E-mail: njoku@lor.jpl.nasa.gov

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Associate Editor BiographiesMichael J. Collins (S'87-M'93) received the B.Sc.Eng. degree insurvey engineering (University of New Brunswick, 1981), the M.Sc.degree in physical oceanography (University of British Columbia,1987), and the Ph.D. degree in earth and space science (YorkUniversity, 1993). His Ph.D. research was a theoretical andexperimental analysis of the response of a synthetic aperture radar tosea ice.

He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department ofGeometics Engineering at the University of Calgary. Prior to comingto Calgary, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department ofSurvey Engineering at the University of Maine (1993- 1994); aProject Scientist with the Institute of Space and Terrestrial Science inToronto, Canada (1988-1992); and an Engineer with theMcElhanney Group in Vancouver and Calgary (1982-1984). He hasalso served as a Consultant to government and industry on sea iceremote sensing. He has research interests in several aspects ofmicrowave remote sensing, including coherent imaging of distributedtargets and the fusion of active and passive microwavemeasurements; multisensor imaging of polar and vegetated regions;and the geometric properties of remote sensing systems.

Dr. Collins is a member of the American Geophysical Union andSigma Chi.

Tim Kane received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from theUniversity of Illinois in 1992.

He is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering atthe Pennsylvania State University, working in the field of OpticalRemote Sensing, with an emphasis on Laser Radar. In addition to thedevelopment, operation and data analysis associated with suchinstrumentation, he has current research interests in modeling ofatmospheric dynamic/chemical processes as well as upperatmospheric rocket-borne in situ measurements. He also holds aResearch Associate position at Penn State's Applied ResearchLaboratory as well as an Affiliate Assistant Professorship at theGeophysical Institute of the University of Alaska.

Brian Laursen received the M.Sc.E.E. degree in 1992 from theTechnical University of Denmark (TUD). He held a ResearchAssistant position at the Department of Electromagnetic Systems atTUD from 1992 to 1995 working with aperture synthesis formicrowave radiometry. He focused on ground demonstration of theprinciple of aperture synthesis and on calibration of the EuropeanMIRAS (Microwave Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis)breadboard instrument.

Brian Laursen is currently a Ph.D. student at the Danish Centerfor Remote Sensing at TUD. His current research activities arewithin correlation radiometry used for polarimetric radiometry.Ocean surface waves are studied with an airborne polarimetricradiometer with the perspective of measuring both

wind direction and speed from a conical scanning polarimetricradiometer.

Daniel J. McLaughlin (S'82-M'89) was born in Haverhill, MA, onAugust 30,1962. He received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electricalengineering- from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in1994 and 1989, respectively.

In September 1989 he joined the Department of Electrical andComputer Engineering- at Northeastern University as an AssistantProfessor, and he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professorin 1996. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in remotesensing, radar systems, linear systems, electromagnetics, andcomputer programming, and has developed an experimental radarresearch program at Northeastern University. His research interestsare microwave remote sensing, polarimetric scattering andpropagation phenomenology, radar oceanography, and advancedradar system design. He has served as principal investigator on radar,remote sensing, and electromagnetic scattering studies sponsored bythe Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Air Force, and the NavalResearch Laboratory.

Dr. McLaughlin is a member of the IEEE Geoscience and RemoteSensing, Antennas and Propagation, and Ocean Engineering Societies,as well as the American Geophysical Union, Tau Beta Pi, and EtaKappa Nu. He has served as chairman of the New England Section,Boston Chapter of the Antennas and Propagation Society of theIEEE. He has also served on the technical and steering committees ofthe 1996 IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium(IGARSS'96), the 1996 International Symposium on Phased ArraySystems and Technology and, currently, the 1999 National RadarConference (NATRAD'99) to be held in Boston, MA.

Mark A. Sletten received the BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees inelectrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in1984, 1987, and 1991, respectively.

From 1985-1987, he was a Research Assistant and ECEDepartment Fellow at the Wisconsin Center for AppliedMicroelectronics, involved in the development of optical detectors,and held internships at Hewlett Packard's integrated circuit researchfacility in Corvallis, OR. As a doctoral student under the RockwellInternational Doctoral Fellowship Program, his research includedexperimental and theoretical investigations of polarization-alteringguided wave optical devices. Since joining the Naval ResearchLaboratory in Washington, DC, he has been involved in radar seascatter research. Recent work has involved the development ofultrawideband, polarimetric systems for the study of radar seaspikes, and he is currently developing airborne systems as part of amultidisciplinary program designed to understand the physics ofremote sensing in the littoral zone.

Force for Space, responsible for overall supervision of Air Forcespace matters. At the same time, he served as Director of theNational Reconnaissance Office ' responsible to the Secretary ofDefense and the Director of Central Intelligence for the development,acquisition, and operation of all U.S. satellite reconnaissanceprograms. Other facets of Mr. Faga's career include service as aprofessional staff member for the Select Committee on Intelligenceof the House of Representatives where he was a member and laterhead of the program and budget staff. He received bachelor's andmaster's degrees in electrical engineering in 1963 and 1964 fromLehigh University. Mr. Faga stated that, "My interests and those ofMITRE are closely aligned with those of OGC. MITRE participatesin standards consortia because we are committed to open systemsand the use of commercial equipment in systems for government usewhenever possible. OGC addresses interoperability among GISsystems and integration of GIS into the general informationinfrastructure, which are very important issues for us."

About OGCOGC coordinates development of the OpenGIS Specification andalso organizes related business development and institutionaladoption of open systems approaches to the collection,management, distribution, and processing of digital geographicinformation. See http://www.opengis-orgCONTACT:

Lance McKeeThe Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC)(508) 655-5358lmckee@opengis-orgOR

Mary CadwalladerThe Rainier Companymary@rainierco-com508-464-5302

Cover FigureInformationThe Tropical Rainfall Mapping Mission (TRMM) Project is sponsored byNASA and the Japanese National Space Development Agency (NASDA).Instruments on the TRMM satellite include the: I ) Precipitation Radar (PR);2) TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) radiometer; 3) Cloud and Earth RadiantEnergy System (CERES); 4) Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS); and 5)Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). TRMM represents the first time a weatherradar will be flown on a spaceborn platform. Its goal is to determine the verticalprofile of latent heating in the physical atmosphere. The information is neededto further our ability to predict global climate changes and to understand therate of convection in driving global circulations. The TRMM satellite is beingbuilt at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, while the precipitation radaris being developed by NASDA in Japan. Launch is anticipated in late 1997.(Cover photo courtesy of NASDA)

Robert Corell and Martin FagaJoin Open GIS Consortium BoardWAYLAND, Mass.—April I 5,1997—The Open GIS Consortium,Inc. (OGC), the organization that coordinates collaborativedevelopment of the OpenGIS Specification for interoperablegeoprocessing, announced today that Dr. Robert W. Corell of theNational Science Foundation (NSF) and Martin C. Faga of theMITRE Corporation (McLean, VA), have become members ofOGC's Board of Directors.

Dr. Corell is chair of the interagency committee that developedand now coordinates the U.S. Global Change Research Program.Prior to his appointment as Assistant Director for Geosciences atNSF in 1987, he served in leadership roles in various international,national and regional organizations, including the Vice Chair of theUniversity-National Oceanographic Laboratory Systems (UNOLS),Chair of the NSF Ocean Sciences Division Advisory Committee formany years, Chairman of the Marine Sciences Council for the Stateof New Hampshire, and Chair/President of several nationaloceanography societies and organizations. Currently, he serves inleadership roles in many other national and international researchorganizations in the geosciences and related fields. Dr. Corell hasserved as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Global Change Researchof the NSTC Committee on Environmental and Natural Resourcessince 1987, and he directed the 1990 White House Conference onScience and Economics Research Related to Global Change. Prior tohis work at NSF, he was a professor and director of several programsat the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Corell graduated from CaseInstitute of Technology (BSME, 1956; Ph.D., 1964) and theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (M.S.M.E., 1959).

Commenting on his interest in OGC, Dr. Corell said, "OGCrepresents a critical and timely partnership among industry,government, and academe essential to serving a broad range of users'needs for geospatial data and information systems. l am delightedwith the opportunity to serve on the Board and to share the interestsand perspectives of the research communities concerned withunderstanding the complex and interdependent systems of planetEarth: from the earth sciences to oceanography and from theatmospheric and meteorological sciences to polar research. OGC aprovides unique and extraordinarily effective venue to provide theinteroperability and standards methodologies, research, andeducation for GIS systems of the twenty-first century."

Martin Faga is Senior Vice President and General Manager,Center for Integrated Intelligence Systems at The MITRECorporation in McLean, Virginia. The Center serves Department ofDefense and Intelligence Community Sponsors in the integration ofintelligence systems from sensor through presentation to theultimate user. Prior to joining MITRE, Mr. Faga served from 1989until 1993 as Assistant Secretary of the Air

Proposals for FutureSymposia

Next Available Date: 2001Proposals Due: 01 July 1997

For more information regarding future symposia, contact:

IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society2610 Lakeway Drive · Seabrook TX 77586-1587 · USA

(t)281.291.9222 (f) 281.291.9224 (email) tstein@phoenix.net

GRSS will be accepting proposals forIGARSS'01 (non-U.S. teams only) through01 July 1997. Presentations will be madeby proposing teams at the 03 August1997 AdCom meeting to be held inSingapore. Interested parties shoulddirect inquiries and submit proposals to:

IEEE GRSS2610 Lakeway Drive

Seabrook TX 77586-1587 USA+1.281.291.9222 (f) +1.281.291.9224

tstein@phoenix.net

Potential hosts should consider inpreparation of proposals weatherconditions, accessibility to travel,availability of accommodations, andconflicts with other known meetings ofclosely related societies, such as APS,MTT, PIERS, and AGU.

IGARSS'97 ... 4-8 August 1997 Singapore International Convention and Exhibition CentreSingaporeHock Lim, CRISPGeneral Chairman

IGARSS'98 . 6-10 July 1998Sheraton SeattleSeattle Washington USALeung Tsang, University of WashingtonGeneral Chairman

IGARSS'99 . 28 June - 2 July 1999Congress Centrum HamburgHamburg GermanyWerner Alpers, University of HamburgGeneral Chairman

IGARSS 2000 24-28 July 2000Hilton Hawaiian VillageHonolulu Hawaii USAAndrew J. Blanchard & David GoodenoughGeneral Co-Chairmen

Proposals should include the following:

a. Year, Date (usually between May andSeptember, 5 days)

b. Location (country/state/city)

Host Institution, Group or Agency

d. General & Technical Prgm Chairmen

e. Steering Committee

f. Conference Facilities -- 10 paralleltechnical sessions -- plenarysession, seating for 1000 -- hotelaccommodations, including currentroom rates

g. Potential Sponsors

h. Preliminary Budget (in US$ at theprevailing rate) -- a sample budget isavailable upon request

Upcoming Conferences(continued from back cover)

Name: Future Directions of Remote Sensing, EARSeL 21st Annual AssemblyDates: June 17-19, 1997Location: Lyngby, DENMARKContact: EARSeL Secretariat,

2 Av Rapp, 75340 Paris, Cedex 07, FRANCE

Name: International Conference on Marine Electromagnetics

Dates: June 23-26, 1997Location: Imperial College, London, UKContact: Marelec '97

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Eng. Imperial College, Exhibition Road London, SW7 2BT, UK voice: 44-0-171 -594-6166, FAX: 44-0-171-823-8125 Email: marelec@ic.ac.uk URL: http://www.ee.ic.ac.uk/conferences/marelec

Name: Third International Airborne Remote Sensing Conference and ExhibitionDates: July 7-10, 1997Location: Copenhagen, DENMARKAbstracts Due: December 13, 1996Contact: ERIM/Airborne Conference, P. O. Box 132001, Ann Arbor Ml 481134001, USA Phone: 313/994-1200, ext. 3234 Fax: 313/994-5123 Email: wallman@erim.org

Name: Progress in Electromagnetics ResearchSymposium (PIERS'97) [Note change]

Dates: July 7-11, 1997Location: Schlumberger-Doll Research, Cambridge MAAbstracts Due: December 2, 1996 USAContact: T. M. Habashy, Schlumberger-Doll Research, Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield CT 06877-4108, USA Phone: 203/431-5563, Fax: 203/438-3819 Email: habashy@ridgefield.sdr.slb.com

Name: 1997 IEEE AP-S International Symposium and URSINorth American Radio Science Meeting

Dates: July 13-18, 1997Location: Montreal, CANADAContact: Mrs. Doris Ruest, Conference Manager, National Research Council Canada, Building M-19, Montreal Road Campus, Ottawa, Ontario K1 A OR6, CANADA Phone: 613.993.9228, Fax: 613.993.7250 Email: doris.ruest@nrc.caWeb site: www.nrc.ca/confserv/apsursi97/welcome.html

Name: International Symposium on Spectral Sensing Research (ISSSR'97)

Dates: August 3-8, 1997Location: San Diego CA, USAAbstracts Due: February 15, 1997Contact: Chamber Corporation, Attn: ISSR 1997, 601 13th Street, NW, Suite 350-N, Washington DC 20005 Phone: 202.393.1648, Fax: 202.628.8498 Email: register@isssr.org Web site: www.isssr.org

Name: IGARSS'97Dates: August 4-8, 1997Location: Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, SingaporeAbstracts Due: January 13, 1997Contact: IEEE GRS-S, 2610 Lakeway Drive, Seabrook TX 77586, USA Phone: 713/291 -9222, Fax: 713/291 -9224 Email: tstein@phoenix.net

Name: 1997 International Symposium on RadioPropagation

Dates: August 12-16, 1997Location: Qingdao, PR CHINAContact: Prof. Jiao Peinan, China Research Institute of Radiowave Propagation, P. O. Box 138/97, Xinxiag, Henan 453003, CHINA Fax: +86/373-305-2232 Email: CRIRP@mimi.cnc.ac.on

Name: 1997 Pacific Rim Conference on Communications, Computers and Signal ProcessingDates: August 20-22, 1997Location: Victoria, B.C., CanadaAbstracts Due: May 1, 1997Contact: Dr. Vijay K. Bhargava Dept. of Electrical and Computer Eng. University of Victoria, PO Box 3055 Victoria, BC, CANADA V8W 3P6 FAX: 1-250-721-6048 Email: bhargava@ece.uvic.ca

Name: 1997 IEEE-USA Professional ActivitiesConference

Dates: August 29 to September 1, 1997Location: St. Petersburg FL, USAAbstracts Due: March 1, 1997Contact: IEEE-USA, Attention: Ann Hartfiel, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202, Washington DC 20036 Phone 202.785.0017, Fax: 202.785.0835 Email: a.hartfiel@ieee.org Web site: www.ieee.org/usab

Name: Remote Sensing of Coasts and Extuaries-ECSA28: Estuarine and Coastal Science AssociationDates: September 1 -6, 1997Location: St. Andrews, UNITED KINGDOMContact: John McManus, Department of Geology, University of St. Andrews At. Andrews, Fife, UNITED KINGDOM Email: jm@standrews.ac.uk

Name: Remote Sensing Society AnnualConference (RS5'97)-lnteractions andObservations

Dates: September 24, 1997Location: University of Reading, Reading, UKContact: Dr. K. White, Dept. of Geography, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK Phone: +44/1734-875-123, ext. 7752 Fax: +44/1734-755-865 Email:k.h.white@geography.reading.ac.uk

Name: Conference on Sensors, Systems and Next Generation Satellites III (a part of The European Symposium on Aerospace Remote Sensing)Dates: September 22-26, 1997Location: The Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE),London, UNITED KINGDOMAbstracts Due: February 23, 1997Contact: Dr. Hiroyuki Fujisada, Electrotechnical Lab., Electron Devices Division, 1-1-4, Umezono, Tsukuba-Shi, Ibaraki 305 JAPAN Phone: +81.298.58.54.63, Fax: +81.298.58.55.23

Name: European Symposium on Satellite and Airborne Remote SensingDates: October 6-10, 1997Location: Rome, ITALYContact: The EUROPTO Series, c/o Direct Communications GMBH, attn: Susan Jones, Wantener Str 22, 10701, Berlin, GERMANY

Name: Radar'97Dates: October 14-16, 1997Location: Edinburgh International Conference

Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, UKContact: Miss Jane Chopping, Conference Organizer, IKE Conference Services, Savoy Place, London, WC2R OBL, UK Phone: +44/171-240-15469, Fax: +44/171-240-8830 Email: jchopping@iee.org.uk

Name: Chapman Conference (Application of GIS, Remote Sensing, Geostatistics, and Solute Transport Modeling to the Assessment of Non Point Source Pollutants in the Vadose Zone)Dates: October 19-24, 1997Location: Riverside CA, USAAbstracts Due: June 30, 1997Contact: AGU Meetings Department, GlS/Remote Sensing Conference, 2000 Florida Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20009 Phone: 202.462.6900 (outside North America) or 800.966.2481 (toll free in North America), Fax: 202.328.0566 Email: meetinginfo@kosmos.agu.org

Name: IEEE Conference on Intelligent TransportationSystems (ITSC'97)

Dates: November 9-12, 1997Location: Boston MA, USALetter of Intent Due: November 15, 1996Contact: Prof. U. Ozguner-lTSC'97, Center for Intelligent

Transportation Research, The Ohio StateUniversity, 2015 Neil Avenue, Columbus OH43210, USA or IEEE Boston Section, 255 Bear HillRoad, Waltham MA 02154, USA

Phone: 617/890-5290, Fax: 617/890-5294 Email: sec.boston@ieee.org

Name: Applied Geologic Remote SensingDates: November 17-19, 1997Location: Denver CO, USASummaries Due: March 24, 1997Contact: ERIM/Geologic Conference, P. O. Box 134001, Ann Arbor Ml 48113-4001 Phone: 313.994.1200, ext. 3234, Fax: 313.994.5123 Email: wallman@erim.org (inquiries) or geology@erim.org (summaries) Web site: www.erim.org/CONF/GRS. html

Name: Space Technologies & ApplicationsInternational Forum (STAIF-98)

Dates: February 15-19, 1998Location: Albuquerque, NM, USAAbstracts Due: May 31, 1997Contact: Institute for Space and Nuclear Power

Studies ATTN: Prof. M. S. El-Genk STAIF Technical and Publication Chair

University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, 87131 voice: 505-277-5442 Email: mjbragg@unm.edu

Name: Second Conference on Applications ofThermophysics in Microgravity

Dates: February 15-19, 1998Location: Albuquerque, NM, USAAbstracts Due: May 31, 1997Contact: Rodney Herring Canadian Space Agency 6767 route De I' Aeroport Saint-Hubert, Quebec CANADA J3Y 8Y9 voice: 514-926-4773, FAX: 514-926-4766 Email: rodney.herring@space.gc.ca

Name: Second Conference on Future Space andEarth Science Missions

Dates: February 15-19, 1998Location: Albuquerque, NM, USAAbstracts Due: May 31, 1997Contact: Peter Ulrich NASA Headquarters, Code SM Washington, DC 20546 voice: 202-358-0357, FAX: 202-358-3096 Email: peter.uirich@hq.nasa.gov

Name: Third Conference on CommercialDevelopment of Space

Dates: February 15-19, 1998Location: Albuquerque, NM, USAAbstracts Due: May 31, 1997Contact: Raymond P. Whitten NASA Headquarters, Code XP Washington, DC 20546 voice: 202-358-1996, FAX: 202-358-2886 Email: rwhitten@osat.hq.nasa.gov

Name: Third Conference on Next Generation LaunchSystems

Dates: February 15-19, 1998Location: Albuquerque, NM, USAAbstracts Due: May 31, 1997Contact: Jess Sponable USAF Phillips Laboratory PL/VT-X, Bldg. 423 Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776 voice: 505-846-8927 X 127, FAX: 505-846-8930 Email: sponablj@plk.af.mil

Name: 15th Symposium on Space Nuclear Power andPropulsion and Synergistic Technologies

Dates: February 15-19, 1998Location: Albuquerque, NM, USAAbstracts Due: May 31, 1997Contact: Michael G. Houts Los Alamos National Laboratory PO Box 1663, MS K551 Los Alamos, NM, 87544 voice: 505-665-4336, FAX: 505-665-3167 Email: houts@lanl.gov

Name: Ground-Penetrating Radar Conference 1 998 (GPR'98)Dates: May 27-39, 1998Location: The University of Kansas, Lawrence KS, USAAbstracts Due: October 1, 1997Contact: GPR'98 Technical Committee, Radar Systems and Remote Sensing Laboratory, The University of Kansas, 2291 Irving Hill Road, Lawrence KS 66045-2969, USA Phone: 913.864.7735, Fax: 913.864.7789 Email: gpr98@rsl.ukans.edu Web site: www.rsl.ukans.edu/~gpr98/

President's Messagecontinued from page 4

5. Globalization of GRSS (Martti Hallikainen)· Identify ways and means to make GRSS a trulytransnational society.

. Develop technical committees (Charles Luther)· Energize the membership of each technical committee toresult in greater participation in committee activities.

.. Increase the number of Chapters (End Njoku)· Investigate the potential for increasing the number of GRSSChapters, especially in Europe, and pursue new Chapterformation where feasible.

S. Strengthen GRSS support to Chapters (End Njoku)· Provide continued support, resources, and information flowto GRSS Chapters.

9. Increase GRSS presence in the IEEE TAB (MarttiHallikainen)· Provide the AdCom with detailed information on the

activities of the Technical Activities Board that may affectGRSS. Announce available positions on TAB committees toAdCom members.

10. Secure the finances of GRSS overseas symposia (AlbinGasiewski)· Due to the different financing structure of overseassymposia, their finances need special attention. TheMemorandum of Understanding drafted and available forsignature at the time that an IGARSS symposium isproposed.

Progress will be monitored at each AdCom meeting. Some ofthese actions are long-term projects that will no doubt continue in1998. Additional information on the "GRSS 1997 Priorities" isavailable from AdCom members. Your inputs are welcome!

Name: IEEE National Radar Conference (NATRAD'97), Approaching a New Century in RadarDates: May 13-15, 1997Location: Syracuse NY, USAContact: 1997 IEEE National Radar Conference, Attn: Michael Wicks, Technical Program Chairman, Rome Laboratory/OCSS, 26 Electronic Pkwy, Rome NY 134411-4514, USA Phone: 315/330-4437, Fax: 315/330-2528

Name: International Symposium: Geomatics in the Era ofRADARSAT (GER'97) (A joint conference of The 9thInternational Geomatics Conference, The 19thCanadian Remote Sensing Symposium, The Mid-term RADARSAT ADRO Meeting, and The FourthGlobeSAR Symposium)

Dates: May 24-30, 1997Location: Ottawa, CANADAAbstracts Due: November 29, 1996Contact: GER'97, 588 Booth Street, 3rd Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1 A 0Y7, CANADA Phone: 613/996-2817 Fax: 613/947-1382 (or -1385) Email: ger97@ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca

Name: 1997 IEEE MTT-S International MicrowaveSymposium (IMS)Dates: June 8-13, 1997Location: Denver CO, USAAbstracts Due: December 2, 1996Contact: International Microwave Symposium 1997,c/o LRW Assoc./ChesapeakeMailing Services, 707 E Ordnance Road, Suite 401,Baltimore MD 21226- 1741, USAPhone: 410/768-8757

Name: 1997 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit(RFIC) Symposium

Dates: June 8-10, 1997Location: Denver CO, USAAbstracts Due: December 2, 1997Contact: 1997 RFIC TPC Chairman, c/o LRW Assoc./ Chesapeake Mailing Services, 707 E Ordnance Road, Suite 401, Baltimore MD 21226-1741, USA or Vijay Nair, Technical Program Chairman, Phone: 602/413-5922, Fax: 602/413-5934 Email: v.nair@ieee.org

Name: 1997 10th Scandinavian Conference on Image Analysis (IAPR)Dates: June 9-11, 1997Location: Lappeenranta, FINLANDContact: SCIA'97, Department of Information Technology, Lappeenranta University of Technology, P. O. Box 20, FIN-53851, Lappeenranta, FINLAND Fax: +358-53-621-3456 Email: SCIA97@1ut.fi

Name: 49th Automatic RF Techniques Group (ARFTG)Conference (theme: Characterization ofBroadband TelecommunicationsComponents)

Date: June 13, 1997Location: Denver CO, USASummaries Due: March 1, 1997Contact: Roger Marks, Conference Chair, NIST, MS 813.06, 325 Broadway, Boulder CO 80303, USA Phone: 303/497-3037

(Continued on page 13)