In 1910, the International Society for Photogrammetry (ISP) was founded under the leadership of its first President, Eduard
Dolezal, from Austria. After 70 years of functioning under its original name, the Society changed its name in 1980 to the
International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS).
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing is the art, science, and technology of obtaining reliable information from
noncontact imaging and other sensor systems about the Earth and its environment, and other physical objects and
processes through recording, measuring, analyzing and representation.
The term of photogrammetry was first used in published work in 1867 when the art and science of photography
itself was still in its infancy. Over the last 80 years the principal application of photogrammetry has been the
compilation of maps from aerial photographs. During the most recent decade, photogrammetry and remote sensing has
provided the primary source data for Geographic Information Systems. There has been in addition a continuing
development of applications of photogrammetric close-range techniques to many other fields - engineering,
architecture, archeology, medicine, industrial quality control, robotics etc.
Surveillance and environmental imaging and interpretative studies from aircraft and earth satellites, using
sensors which operate in the various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum -ultraviolet, visible, infrared,
thermal, and microwave - have come to be called "Remote Sensing". There is no special significance, however,
in the degree of "remoteness" of the sensor from the object surveyed, and any form of non-contact observation
can be regarded as remote sensing. There is no clear-cut distinction between photogrammetry and remote sensing,
and it is for this reason that the Society changed its name in 1980.
Except for interruptions during World Wars I and II, the Society has carried on its activities continuously
since its founding. These activities culminate every four years at the International Congress on Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing. The Congress includes the presentation of scientific and technical papers, technical tours,
scientific and commercial exhibits, meetings to conduct the business of the Society, and a social program.
The locations of the Congresses from 1910 to 2022 are as follows:
- 1913 Vienna, Austria
- 1926 Berlin, Germany
- 1930 Zurich, Switzerland
- 1934 Paris, France
- 1938 Rome, Italy
- 1948 The Hague, The Netherlands
- 1952 Washington, DC, USA
- 1956 Stockholm, Sweden
- 1960 London, United Kingdom
- 1964 Lisbon, Portugal
- 1968 Lausanne, Switzerland
- 1972 Ottawa, Canada
- 1976 Helsinki, Finland
- 1980 Hamburg, F.R. Germany
- 1984 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 1988 Kyoto, Japan
- 1992 Washington, DC, USA
- 1996 Vienna, Austria
- 2000 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 2004 Istanbul, Turkey
- 2008 Beijing, China
- 2012 Melbourne, Australia
- 2016 Prague, Czech Republic
- 2020, 2021, 2022 Nice, France
The location of the next congress in 2026 will be
Toronto, Canada.
The Presidents of ISP from 1910 to 1980 and of ISPRS from 1980 to 2022 are as follows:
ISP:
- 1910-1913 E. Dolezal, Austria
- 1913-1926 E. Dolezal, Austria
- 1926-1930 O. Eggert, Germany
- 1930-1934 Gen. Perriet, France
- 1934-1938 G. Cassinis, Italy
- 1938-1948 W. Schermerhorn, The Netherlands
- 1948-1952 O.S. Reading, USA
- 1952-1956 P. Mogensen, Sweden
- 1956-1960 R.L Brown, United Kingdom
- 1960-1964 A.P. Clemente, Portugal
- 1964-1968 H. Harry, Switzerland
- 1968-1972 L. Solaini, Italy
- 1972-1976 Samuel G. Gamble, Canada
- 1976-1980 Jean Cruset, France
ISPRS:
- 1980-1984 Frederick J. Doyle, USA
- 1984-1988 Gottfried Konecny, F.R. Germany
- 1988-1992 Kennert Torlegard, Sweden
- 1992-1996 Shunji Murai, Japan
- 1996-2000 Lawrence W. Fritz, USA
- 2000-2004 John Trinder, Australia
- 2004-2008 Ian Dowman, UK
- 2008-2012 Orhan Altan, Turkey
- 2012-2016 Chen Jun, China
- 2016-2022 Christian Heipke, Germany
- 2022-2026 Lena Halounová, Czech Republic