May 28, 2013 -- The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) has initiated development of the fourth edition of theManual of Remote Sensing (MRS) under the leadership of Stan Morain as Editor-in-Chief, Mike Renslow as Associate and Technical Editor, and Amelia Budge as Associate and Design Editor. This project, planned for completion in 2015, will be designed and executed as an enhanced e-book and will focus on three Parts: Systems, Data Management, and Applications.

Part I: Systems focuses on the physical and chemical laws of nature that allow the “unseeable” to be sensed, mapped and analysed; describes system designs that collect and transmit spectral data; describes the new and emerging technologies that govern future system designs and provides the physical basis for their application. It will include new material since MRS-3 on unmanned aerial systems; and, describe processes for data and system calibration and validation.

Part II: Data Management, will discuss data archiving, storage, and retrieval systems; and image processing and analysis systems. This is important since previous editions of the Manual were focused primarily on aerial and first generation satellite sensor designs and applications, the latter being centered on Earth’s atmospheric, terrestrial, and oceanographic realms. In addition, systems for delivering data, imagery, and processed outputs were in their infancy; data were shared between colleagues; prices were high; and the range of processing hardware and software were limited. Part II recognizes recent dramatic changes in these areas and lays the foundation for a robust discussion of current and future applications.

Part III: Applications focuses on a broad range of data user topics under the rubrics of contemporary sensor applications, information and decision support systems, and societal benefits and policy. The first can be described as “gee whiz” in the sense that they represent individuals developing broader and more robust applications for specific sensors in specific ways. The second and third can be characterized as “so what” in the sense that multiple sensors from several systems may be combined into complex processing stages for delivery to specific user communities involved in decision making activities having regulatory and economic implications.

The editors are seeking to recruit chapter Author/Editors (A/Es) who will develop the technical content of the chapters, which takes advantage of selected material from the existing 3rd edition but primarily consist of new material. A/Es will be responsible for recruiting contributors to their chapters and for developing the basic technical content for further editing and production stages by the volume editors. We expect that contributors will include experts from all levels of professional development to develop the next generation of global leaders. Persons interested in serving as Chapter A/Es should contact Stan Morain at smorain@edac.unm.edu.

Stan Morain is a past president of ASPRS who also served as Editor-in-Chief of PE&RS and editor of Volume 1 of the 3rd edition of the Manual of Remote Sensing, former Treasurer of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), President of ISPRS Commission I (2000-2004), retired Director of the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC), and the editor/author of many publications/articles in the field. Mike Renslow is a past president of ASPRS, Technical Editor of PE&RS, Editor of the recently published Airborne Topographic Lidar Manual, Treasurer of the ASPRS Foundation, Chair of the ASPRS Evaluation for Certification Committee, and former Treasurer of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). Amelia Budge, an ASPRS Fellow was Director of the GIS Division and Chair of the Data Preservation Committee in ASPRS. She served six years on USDOI’s National Land Remote Sensing Data Archive (NSLRSDA) Advisory Committee. She has served as Technical Secretary for ISPRS Commission I (2000-2004); co-Chair and subsequently Chair of Commission VIII/WGII. She was co-editor with Morain on Volume 1 of the 3rd edition of the Manual of Remote Sensing (Sensors and Platforms), and co-editor on ISPRS Book Series Volume 2 (Post-Launch Calibration of Satellite Sensors), and Volume 9 (Environmental Tracking for Public Health Surveillance).