ASPRS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) formally entered into a contract agreement to support the ASPRS/NASA Ten-Year Remote Sensing Industry Forecast. Under the contract, NOAA will fund a complete written summary of the Forecast that will be available to those interested. James R. Plasker, ASPRS executive director, stated, “With NOAA’s focus on facilitating U.S. leadership in commercial remote sensing, and ASPRS’s breadth of visibility across the industry, this relationship is certain to further the Forecast’s ability to meet the needs of the remote sensing community.” Plasker further stated, “Charles Mondello, George Hepner (University of Utah) and Ray Williamson (George Washington University) will be finalizing the summary of Phases I through III of the Forecast by the second quarter of 2003. We are planning to make this document available to the membership of ASPRS upon completion.” Timothy Stryker, remote sensing licensing coordinator, NOAA, is the contract point of contact.

Charles Mondello, senior vice president of Pictometry International, a past ASPRS Board member, and ASPRS Forecast leader noted, “ASPRS, NASA, NOAA, and the Forecast team have provided the Society and industry with an unbiased projection of its direction. The content of the Forecast, now in its third phase, has received wide exposure. Downloaded 1700 times from the ASPRS website www.asprs.org and briefed to all levels including the United States Senate, the Forecast is being used to define and set industry policy. Over the course of the Forecast, dozens of employers have committed the support of their staff to make it possible. The ASPRS membership itself has participated in all phases of the study through the industry online surveys.”

The Forecast, now in its third phase, has focused on a multitude of key issues. In Phase I the Forecast provided an industry baseline. Phase II highlighted the requirements of geospatial end users. Phase III plans on a continued baseline with the addition of enhanced end user delineation by market segment. Given the tragedy of September 11, 2001 the Forecast also plans to assess the short and long term ramifications of the event and its industry impacts.

Results have been presented at each ASPRS spring and fall conference since the Forecast’s inception. The ASPRS 2003 spring conference in Alaska will also showcase the activities of the Forecast.