International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium held for the first time in Malaysia

Over 2,500 participants from 71 economies attended the 42nd annual International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), which was held in a hybrid mode. The event saw the physical participation of more than 600 participants while the participants who joined the event online were about 2,000.

IGARSS is the flagship conference of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS). It aims at providing a platform for sharing knowledge and experience on recent developments and advancements in geoscience and remote sensing technologies, particularly in the context of earth observation, disaster monitoring and risk assessment. Previously, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IGARSS 2021 and 2020 were conducted via an online platform in Brussels and Hawaii respectively.

This year, the theme of IGARSS was Preserving Our Heritage, Enabling Our Future Through Remote Sensing. Held for the first time in Malaysia, it featured a wide range of activities that allowed participants from around the world to share knowledge and experience on recent developments and advancements in geoscience and remote sensing technologies.

The opening ceremony of IGARSS 2022 was held on 18 July 2022 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. It was graced by YB Dato’ Sri Dr Adham bin Baba, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). Also present at the ceremony were IGARSS 2022 General Chair and UTAR Council Member Ir Academician Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik; IGARSS 2022 Co-Chair and Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) Director General Tuan Haji Azlikamil Napiah; IGARSS 2022 Co-Chair and National University of Singapore (NUS) Emeritus Professor Dr Yeo Tat Soon; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (IEEE-GRSS) President Dr David B. Kunkee; IGARSS 2022 Technical Programme Chair and UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat; organising committees, speakers and participants.

At the opening ceremony, Dato’ Sri Dr Adham bin Baba said, “The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society spearheaded a significant initiative in 1980 to have the Society sponsor an annual international conference to bring together the global community of geoscience and remote sensing scientists and executives. IGARSS started in the year 1981 in Washington DC, United States of America and over the years, it has been held in many countries such as Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Scotland, Finland, Italy, China, Australia, Singapore and others.”

He continued, “Remote sensing plays a vital role in our daily lives as the technology of remote sensing provides essential information for monitoring and forecasting climate and weather change, macro-scale land-use changes, as well as monitoring and protecting our borders. Remote sensing and earth observation have undergone dramatic changes in the last decade, with a plethora of new observation platforms becoming available and scientists and researchers being inundated with new data. Manufacturers in the related fields are increasingly integrating systems in remote sensing and earth observation, such as Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) with satellite, aerial, and UAV platforms. With the availability of sufficient and reliable data that can be obtained from the Copernicus dataset, Landsat, and Sentinel satellite data, remote sensing specialists will employ machine learning and deep learning techniques that are capable of handling large and diverse remote sensing datasets to better observe the Earth.” 

He also mentioned that since 1988, Malaysia has utilised the advancement of space remote sensing technology for various applications, particularly in agriculture, natural resources, disasters, environment, community and health management. He also shared the importance of space remote sensing technology and mentioned that participants would benefit from the symposium which serves as a platform to deliver innovative research findings and  the latest trends in science and engineering in line with the implementation of National Space Policy 2030 by MOSTI through Malaysia Space Agency (MYSA). “I believe that all the attendees will enjoy and benefit from this symposium as this symposium serves as a platform to deliver innovative research results and the latest trends and development in the sciences and engineering fields. The sharing from the participants will create awareness in the field of remote sensing,” he said. 

Tan Sri Chuah, in his opening remarks, said, “The impacts of climate change are seen throughout every aspect of the world we live in. In view of the importance of tackling global climate change, the IEEE Board of Directors has set up an IEEE Climate Change Committee to respond to the global challenges. The GeoScience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) deals with earth observation, natural resources and disaster monitoring, and risk assessment which are all very important contributors to facing the challenges posed by climate change. Thus, it is natural that GRSS will be able to contribute significantly towards the IEEE Climate Change Committee.”

He continued, “The symposium this year, themed ‘Preserving Our Heritage, Enabling Our Future through Remote Sensing’, would include a variety of programmes such as keynote talks, technical sessions, tutorials, exhibitions, fun run, awards banquet, pre-and post-conference tours, and a map design competition for secondary school students, in addition to a summer school programme. We hope that you will have a great time at this very special and meaningful symposium. As the GRSS flagship conference, IGARSS generally focuses on the observation and modelling of our environment which is highly related to global climate change and therefore it is highly aligned to the general theme of IGARSS 2022.” He hopes that the symposium would also serve as an excellent source of motivation for researchers and participants to discuss and share research outcomes, ideas and knowledge besides providing them an opportunity to know one another and seek future endeavours.

The symposium, hosted by IEEE GRSS and UTAR, was supported by The Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), and Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB). Other supporting institutions include the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), Curtin University Malaysia, Institution of Geospatial and Remote Sensing Malaysia, Multimedia University, The Institution of Engineers Malaysia, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Taipei Tech, Telkom University, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Mara and Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC).

More relevant news about IGARSS 2022:

IGARSS 2022 plenary highlights remote sensing technology 

IGARSS 2022: TIE Programme promotes exchange of knowledge among researchers

A fun-filled week at IGARSS 2022