1. Introduction

Planning for the mid term Symposium should start immediately after the Congress. A proposed schedule is give in section 13. ISPRS shall be the primary sponsor of all midterm Symposia. Additional sponsors must be organised well in advance.

2. Conference Facilities and Accommodation

Conference facilities should be selected according to the most suitable options for the host country. They may be in a hotel, rented facilities, or within the host's facilities, e.g. university lecture theatres. The location of housing and the conference in the same venue ('residential format'), in a hotel or in a university college, is a suitable option, since it facilitates contact and discussions between the participants, and generates a good workshop-like atmosphere. Common lunches further add to exchange between the participants. It is preferable for the accommodation to be organized by a local tourist organization, since it reduces the considerable workload associated with this task. As many of the ISPRS Council members as possible will attend the Symposia. Therefore, TCPs should plan their budgets for the Symposium and other events to host by the Commission, so that Council can be provided with complimentary registration and accommodation.
TCPs must organise a meeting of the TC and WG officers and the Council during the Symposium to review progress of the Commission.

3. Technical Program

The Technical Program, including the review of the abstracts and their acceptance, should be determined by the TCPs in consultation with the Working Group (WG) Chairs and Co-Chairs. Notification or rejection of abstracts should be sent to all authors at least 4 months prior to the Symposium. The final program should be distributed on the Web and also by mailing if appropriate. Organisers should ensure that all speakers attend the Symposium by communicating with them by e-mail and/or a process of advanced registration.

4. Structure of Symposium

• 4.1 The Symposium Opening Session should include a keynote speaker who identifies the important developments in the Commission's activities.
• 4.2 Keynote papers and/or sessions on relevant inter-disciplinary topics through other international bodies should be included in the Symposium.
• 4.3 The Symposium program may be based on single-sessions, parallel sessions (no more than two), or a mix of single and parallel sessions, depending on the number of papers presented. The latter enables the focus of sessions on specific topics and/or the provision of plenary sessions for each WG.
• 4.4 Oral Sessions should normally last 90 minutes, comprising four or five speakers. A time allocation of about 15 minutes for each speaker leaves sufficient time for questions. Furthermore, it ensures that the time slots for each speaker are not overrun, which is a requirement when there are parallel sessions.
• 4.5 Poster sessions should be included in the program, with brief presentations (approx. 3-5 minutes each) by the authors prior to the commencement of the session.
• 4.6 A final session comprising summary reports by the WG Chairs and the Commission President on the content of the technical sessions is a good approach for presenting the main issues of the Symposium.

5. Exhibition

An exhibition may be included in the Symposium. An "Exhibitor's Showcase Session" provides the exhibitors with an opportunity to present themselves to the participants, and hence integrates them into the symposium.

6. Announcement and advertising

• 6.1 Airmail and E-mail from organizers, E-mail via Working Group VI/1, and posting on the ISPRS List Server should be used for the distribution of announcements on the Symposia. The ISPRS and Commission WebPages should also be used, but they cannot be used exclusively.
• 6.2 Advertisements should also be placed in ISPRS Highlights, the ISPRS Journal for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, as well as other journals and especially during other conferences. The ISPRS Secretary General has an address listing for relevant journals.
• 6.3 TCPs are responsible for keeping Council informed of the plans and progress for the Symposium and for providing multiple copies of Symposium brochures to Council.

7. Abstracts

Extended abstracts of up to 1000 words are encouraged. Electronic submission of the abstracts via E-mail has the advantage that they are available for placement on the Web. It is recommended that all abstracts, and timetable if available, be placed on the Web.

8. Registration Fees

• 8.1 On-site full-registration fees will vary according to local conditions. At 2004 prices this would not be expected to exceed $500.
• 8.2 Special fees for students and seniors should be about half the full fee.
• 8.3 Developing countries may find it appropriate to offer a much reduced registration fee for 'local' members.
• 8.4 Symposium planning will be facilitated by offering a reduced advance full-registration fee and by including the price of the conference dinner.
• 8.5 Authors should submit an advance registration fee with their full paper.
• 8.6 The Society surcharge equivalent to 10% of all paid registrations shall be rebated to the ISPRS Treasurer.

9. Papers

• 9.1 Written papers must be prepared according to ISPRS Guidelines for The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. (See Appendices 4 and 5).
• 9.2 Paper submission may be in hardcopy or electronic form.
• 9.3 Electronic form is encouraged because it enables production of the Archives on CD-ROM.
• 9.4 Only those papers for which the author will attend the Symposium should be included in the Archives

10. Publication of Proceedings of Symposium

• 10.1 All Symposia proceedings must be published as a Volume of The ISPRS International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing according to the ISPRS Guidelines Appendices 4 and 5, either as hardcopy and/or on CDROM.
• 10.2 Proceedings must be available to registrants upon arrival to the Symposium.
• 10.3 The official distributor of the Archives is GITC bv in The Netherlands. GITC has exclusive distribution rights of all volumes of The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences for all sales following each Symposium and the Congress. All requests for copies of the Archives following the Symposium must be forwarded to GITC for fulfillment. (See paragraph 8 of Appendix 4)
• 10.4 One month before the Commission Symposium the TCP shall coordinate with the Secretary General on the availability, pricing, delivery mode and amount of Archive Volumes to be sent to GITC.
• 10.5 Complimentary copies of the Symposium Archives Volume should be provided to all other Commission Presidents and Council, and to the ITC Librarian, Hengelosestraat 99, P.O. Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands; Phone +31-534-874-444. (The ISPRS permanent Archives repository.)

11. Awards

Best poster awards and young authors' awards are encouraged. The decision of the awards can be made in advance of the Symposium based on the submitted paper, or during the symposium based on the paper and its oral presentation. Awards should be presented at a plenary session.

12. Reports and Publication of Symposium Papers

• 12.1 A Commission rapporteur should be identified to the Secretary General three months in advance by the TCP of each Commission for the preparation of a Symposium report for publication in the December issue of ISPRS Highlights of the Symposium year.
• 12.2 TCPS, WG Chairs and Co-Chairs should identify about 5 suitable papers for consideration by the Editor-in-Chief for publication in the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

13. Suggested Schedule for Symposium Planning

Site selection					  within 3 months of Congress
Finalise and sign contract with Council		  15-18 months prior to Symposium
First announcement and initial call for Exhibits  15-18 months prior to Symposium
Second Announcement and Call for Papers 	  9-12 months prior to Symposium
Deadline for extended abstracts		          6 months prior to Symposium
Notification of acceptance of papers  		  4 months prior to Symposium
Deadline for submission of manuscripts  	  2 months prior to Symposium
Early Registration		                  2 months prior to Symposium
Final Program 				 	  about 1 month prior to Symposium