Special Invitation Workshop Announcement

Remote Sensing and the Kyoto Protocol: A Review of Available and Future Technology for Monitoring Treaty Compliance

October 20-22, 1999 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

You are cordially invited to participate in a workshop designed to address the issues of remote sensing of vegetation biomass and land cover within the context the Kyoto Protocol. There will be a special emphasis on the potential of synthetic aperture radar systems. The workshop is sponsored by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and the University of Michigan.

The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change contains quantified, legally binding national commitments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allows carbon emissions to be balanced by carbon sinks represented by vegetation. The impending ratification of the Protocol among participating countries is stimulating policy debates about the adequacy of current remote sensing systems to both assess carbon stocks/sinks and monitor treaty compliance. Optical and multispectral systems are generally represented in these debates while microwave systems are mostly overlooked.

The workshop is designed to: (1) clarify the specific requirements on global biomass monitoring as stipulated by the Kyoto Protocol, (2) review potential and limitations of current operational remote sensing systems in this context, (3) propose a system better suited for these specific tasks, achievable with current microwave technology, and to (4) appraise the thematic potential and technical limitations for building and launching such a system.

The preliminary program, listing the invited panel speakers and the topics to be addressed can be found on the conference website (http://www.eecs.umich.edu/kyoto/). Open floor discussions will follow each presentation. A workshop report will be compiled by the panel members the day following the workshop (i.e. Friday Oct. 22). However, if you feel that you also could contribute to this part of the work, please inform us.

The results of the workshop will be published by the ISPRS and presented at the ISPRS Congress in Amsterdam 2000. It will also be submitted to NASA, the Committee of Earth Observation Systems (CEOS), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and other suitable national and international interests.

We are in the early stages of planning and need to determine your willingness to participate in the workshop. Names of panel members will appear with the report.

Please RSVP to Craig Dobson by Sept. 19, 1999 so that we can reserve space for you. A registration form is available on the web site.

Hosts:
Craig Dobson: University of Michigan, dobson@umich.edu
Marc L. Imhoff Code 923 NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Ake Rosenqvist Joint Research Centre of the E.C.
Anthony K. Milne, University of New South Wales