The ASPRS/NASA-CRSP 10-year remote sensing industry forecast was one of the many sessions at the ASPRS Conference in St. Louis. Predicting the future growth and potential of an industry is not only valuable but integral. This 10-year forecast, which began in October of 1999, is being conducted by ASPRS and NASA.

The forecast will be used to determine and assess the current and future state of the remote sensing industry.

The program is divided into two phases. The first phase consists of gathering preliminary data by conducting a survey. The survey, which varied by division, was answered by about 12 percent of ASPRS members.

The results of the survey give ASPRS and NASA a good basis for predicting the growth and trends in the remote sensing industry. The survey showed that photogrammetry is the largest primary business in the remote sensing industry. It also forecasted remote sensing as the up and coming leader in the industry. In addition, the survey indicated that the remote sensing industry is predicted to grow about 13 percent per year and hit $6 billion in sales by 2010. It also predicted that the government activities in photogrammetry and remote sensing will increase through 2004.

For the remainder of 2001 ASPRS and NASA will be making presentations about the survey results to educate the industry about the trends found.

After this stage is completed, phase two will be carried out. This will begin around the beginning of 2002. The final report for the 10-year forecast will be released sometime in 2002.

To view details about the forecast on the ASPRS site, www.asprs.org.