We have now entered the run-up to the twenty-first ISPRS Congress and Council and the Technical Commission presidents are all working to make this congress a great success. What might one expect to find here, in the light of activity since the Istanbul congress? What should we be heading for in the aftermath of Beijing?

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For most people the ISPRS Commission symposia and workshops have been the most important events of the past three years. They have covered a lot of ground and given participants a good oversight of developments in science and technology. I will not attempt to review these developments; this is something to look forward to in Beijing! But I can say that new technology has had a big impact on photogrammetry and remote sensing, and the increased use of digital cameras, laser scanning and SAR have dominated many of the discussions. The Commission symposia have been complemented by conferences organised by ISPRS committees, namely CIPA and ICORSE. These have highlighted the important topics of cultural heritage and remote sensing of the environment, and emphasised links between ISPRS and other organisations using our technology. Another important ingredient in our activities has been the involvement of young people. We have organised summer schools and supported young people in attending symposia and workshops. This will be reinforced through young authors’ awards and travel grants for those wishing to attend congress, as well as a summer school to take place immediately before the congress in Beijing.

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A major role of ISPRS is to promote our science internationally, and for the past three years we have been concentrating on Africa because this is one area where our influence is weak. This aspect of international collaboration is essential if ISPRS is to make an effective contribution to society in Africa. These activities require resources and an active membership. Council has extended the benefits of membership to include a free subscription to the ISPRS Journal and priority for applicants from member countries when applying for ISPRS travel grants and science initiatives. We urgently need more new members and more input from our existing membership and hope that the attractions of Beijing will excite organisations to join us.

Beijing has much to offer the Geomatics community as a whole, and we particularly welcome participants from sister organisations. I hope to see you in Beijing so that we can review current developments and plan for the future together.