Suggested Schedule for Symposium Planning

ISPRS shall be the primary sponsor of all midterm Symposia. Additional sponsors must be organised well in advance.

Announcement and advertising

• 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 Web Pages should also be used, but they cannot be used exclusively.
• 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.

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.

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, eg 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.

Registration Fees

• On-site full-registration fees in 1998 ranged from $100 to $400US.
• Special fees for students and seniors should be about half the full fee.
• Developing countries may find it appropriate to offer a much reduced registration fee for ″local″ members.
• Symposium planning will be facilitated by offering a reduced advance full-registration fee and by including the price of the conference dinner.
• Authors should submit an advance registration fee with their abstract. The fee is to be totally and promptly refundable if paper is not accepted.

Papers

• Written papers must be prepared according to ISPRS Guidelines for ISPRS International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (Orange Book Appendices B.1 and B.3).
• Paper submission may be in hardcopy or electronic form.
• Electronic form is encouraged because it enables production of the Archives / Annals on CD-ROM.
• Only those papers for which the author will attend the Symposium should be included in the Archives / Annals

Publication of Proceedings of Symposium

• 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 B.1 and B.3, either as hardcopy and/or on CDROM.
• Proceedings must be available to registrants upon arrival to the Symposium.
• Following the Symposium, 50 copies of the Proceedings must be provided to RICS Books Surveyor Court, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JE, United Kingdom; Fax: +44-171-334-3800 for all post-Symposium sales.

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 Congress
• 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.

Structure of Symposium

• The Symposium Opening Session should include a keynote speaker who identifies the important developments in the Commission′s activities.
• 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.
• Oral Sessions should normally last 90 minutes, comprising 4 or 5 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

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.

Reports and Publication of Symposium Papers

• 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.
• 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.

v 2/5/99 - Prepared from submissions of the TCPs after the 1998 ISPRS Technical Symposia. Approved by Council 4/99