The two-day program of presentations in parallel sessions covered a wide range of remote sensing applications. One focus was on environmentally relevant topics like monitoring climate change, the atmosphere, biomass and urban development. Other blocks of lectures were concerned with risk analysis and disaster management: how can relevant crisis information be obtained from remote sensing data, how can these data support decision-making, and what can remote sensing contribute to maritime safety? The symposium was rounded off with demonstrations of “The World in 3D” and geovisualizations, and with guided tours through the facilities of both EOC institutes.
In a guest lecture Ralf Dujmovits, the husband of extreme mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, informed a fascinated audience about the successful ascent of K2 via the difficult northern route undertaken just six weeks previously. Expedition planning was facilitated by 3D satellite data provided by EOC. His lecture was a highlight for the symposium’s 200 participants representing science, industry and public authorities, as was the ensuing jazz band performance and the ice breaker buffet, which was not only devoted to specialist discussions but also to cultivating contacts within the remote sensing community.