Each year disasters such as storms, floods, volcanoes and earthquakes cause thousands of deaths and tremendous damage to property around the world, displacing tens of thousands of people from their homes and destroying their livelihood. Many of these deaths and losses could be prevented with better information on the onset and consequences of such disasters. Photogrammetry, remotesensing and spatial-information-system techniques are important tools for studying the impact of earthquakes.

Photogrammetric data acquisition can be achieved by aerial or terrestrial means. Each method has its advantages, according to the circumstances. Aerial images can provide a rapid overview of the impact of an earthquake, while terrestrial measurements can provide more detailed information on individual buildings. The emergence of the new generation of digital aerial cameras with ground-sampling distances as small as 5cm has led to new approaches in acquiring multiple, overlapping images which lead to highly efficient, high-accuracy and more reliable information extraction. The automatic extraction of thematic information from images required for digital mapping and GIS data collection should be more easily achievable with the acquisition of high-resolution multi-spectral images from these cameras. There are also international efforts to combine and integrate all available data obtained during and after disasters. International co-operation has led, under the umbrella of the UN, to the newly established entity designated SPIDER (Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergence Response). ISPRS is one of the unions that worked on the preparatory phase of the ToRs for this entity.

Centenary Celebration
Prof. Dolezal founded the Austrian Society for Photogrammetry on 5th March 1907 in Vienna. This year ISPRS Council was in the city on that day for a council meeting. Some council members visited our Austrian colleagues and congratulated them on their centenary, discussing common activities to celebrate a hundred years since the foundation of ISPRS in 2010. We wish our Austrian colleagues all the best for the future.