12th Brazilian Remote Sensing Symposium (SBSR)
The 12th Brazilian Remote Sensing Symposium (SBSR) took place at the Convention Center in Goiânia, Goiás State Capital, from April 17th to 21st, 2005. This was the largest symposium in the series since its inception in 1978, attracting 1,043 participants from sixteen countries across nearly all continents.
The event was organized by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) through its General Co-ordination of Earth Observation, and the Latin-American Society of Specialists in Remote Sensing (SELPER) Brazilian Branch. Prior to the main symposium, thirteen courses were conducted over the weekend, covering topics from sensor technology like Hyperspectral Remote Sensing to specific applications such as GIS in Environmental Analysis and Optical Remote Sensing of Aquatic Environments.
The opening ceremony included the presentation of the book "Remote Sensing and Advanced GIS" by Dr. Thomas Blaschke and Dr. Hermann Kux. Approximately six hundred papers were presented across 42 oral technical sessions (257 papers) and three interactive poster sessions (345 papers). Additionally, eleven workshops, five special sessions, and two round-tables were held. Workshop themes included Advances in Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, Applications of MODIS Data, Use of Remote Sensing Data in Operational Oceanography, and Monitoring and Forecasting. Special sessions covered topics like The Brazilian Space Program and the China-Brazil Resource Satellite. Round-table discussions focused on Remote Sensing Education and Remote Sensing Training for the Market. Poster sessions primarily showcased applications of remote-sensing technology in areas such as agriculture, urban analyses, geology, and oceanographic and coastal analysis.
This symposium was the first SBSR since the launch of the CBERS 2 satellite in October 2003. Following INPE's decision in April 2004 to make CBERS images freely downloadable, two hundred papers presented results based on the use of these images. A Technical Exhibition featured twelve private and public companies working in remote sensing and GIS in Brazil.
Furthermore, Dr. Tania Maria Sausen and Dr. Bernardo Rudorff of INPE delivered a special lecture for grammar and high-school teachers on using remote-sensing data as an educational resource. An image-map of Goiânia, developed using CBERS/CCD imagery, was distributed to 1,500 schoolteachers and SBSR participants for this lecture and the symposium.