It is therefore very appropriate that the Society celebrates this landmark event at the very site of its establishment, in true Viennese style. The following events are planned by our colleagues in Vienna:

• 1st to 3rd July 2010: 3-Ländertagung Conference, a geoinformatics conference for representatives from the three German-speaking countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

• ISPRS events leading up to the centenary celebrations, including:

• 2nd July 2010: a press declaration at the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs in Vienna (UN-OOSA) to launch a booklet being produced by the Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JBGIS) on Best Practices on Geo-information for Risk and Disaster Management.

• 3rd July 2010: an open business meeting to consider future role of the developing regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America in ISPRS and the larger scientific community.

• 4th July 2010: ISPRS Centenary celebrations.

• Extraordinary General Assembly from 11a.m. to 1p.m. at the Technical University of Vienna, at which the new ISPRS Strategic Plan for the coming decades will be approved. The first group of twelve newly approved ISPRS Fellows will also be elected by the General Assembly.

• Afternoon lectures from 2p.m. to 4p.m. by outstanding scientists reviewing past ISPRS achievements and outlining frameworks for future developments in the ISPRS sciences.

• A Gala Dinner at Vienna Town Hall (Rathaus), a stunning and historic venue at which to bring the celebrations to a close.

• Publication about ISPRS history: ISPRS will launch a booklet on the history of ISPRS, written by Emeritus Professor Gottfried Konecny.

• 5th to 7th July: 2010 Technical Commission VII Symposium. The president of Technical Commission VII Thematic Processing, Modelling and Analysis of Remotely Sensed Data, Professor Wolfgang Wagner from the Technical University in Vienna is planning a high-quality, midterm symposium to follow immediately on the centenary celebrations.

You are encouraged to attend these events. It will be a good opportunity for members to approve the new ISPRS Strategic Plan; for past participants to renew acquaintances and reminisce; for professionals to hear about expected new developments; and for students to become aware of the contributions made by our forefathers in establishing an outstanding organisation that has made such a major contribution to the geospatial information sciences.