Russian Focus on the World: Racurs Conference 2016
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Russian Focus on the World: Racurs Conference 2016

The Russian geospatial software community, with at its forefront Racurs, is regaining a leadership position amongst the world’s other big software communities. The software packages on offer are renewed and up-to-date and able to compete with the best. Each year, together with its flagship product Photomod, Racurs gives members of the community a chance to catch up with other users, company engineers and business leaders alike, at the annual conference called ‘From Imagery to Map’.

Photogrammetric software supplier Racurs fixed its sights on India this year as the location for its 16th International Scientific and Technical Conference, ‘From Imagery to Map’. The conference was held in the old Moghul city of Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh from 14-17 November 2016. Numerous geoexperts and academics, clients, entrepreneurs and other professionals gathered together at the Gateway Hotel. For Russians and their business partners, the social aspect of doing business is almost just as important as the technical conference and the beautiful hotel was the perfect venue in that respect.

Growth

Director and co-owner Dr Victor Adrov mentioned to GIM International that Racurs had previously lost its share in the Indian market, but that the conference and a new partner in India are opening up opportunities to gain ground in that massive market once again. Other growth markets for Racurs certainly include the organisation’s home base of Russia, but also China and other parts of Southeast Asia. Fields of application that holding potential for Racurs are forestry and environmental monitoring, and of course all models built up by data gathered using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Racurs’ software is equipped to support this type of data, as it is compatible with all data coming from Russian, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese satellites and not just from the better-known imagery providers like Digital Globe and Airbus. Learn more about Dr Victor Adrov’s views on the market and why he is focusing on India by watching this video.

Technical programme

The conference in Agra offered a full technical programme. On the first day the focus was on aerial and UAV surveying, 3D modelling and common geomatics problems. Environmental monitoring is one of the hottest topics in the industry at the moment and Professor Emeritus Grün from the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, certainly captivated the audience with his presentation about the physical ecosystem modelling on the tropical island of Moorea Avatar, part of the French Polynesian Territories. Natalia Vorobyova, head of department at Russian UAV supplier Finko, presented on the applied significance of unmanned aerial system (UAS) data processing, and Alexey Smirnov, technical support manager with Racurs, took the delegates on a trip down memory lane to show the amazing progress of UAS data processing over the years.

The second day of the conference focused on the new technologies of remote sensing data processing. Delegates were treated to a host of very interesting presentations by business leaders including Wook-Hyun Choi, vice president of SI Imaging Services from Korea, but also Vyacheslav Butin of Sovzond Company from Russia and Valery Zaichko, head of department at ROSCOSMOS, the Russian State Space Corporation.

Most of the third day of the conference was spent in business meetings and roundtable sessions where the delegates entered into lively discussions on the themes of ‘Remote sensing – from UAS to satellite: optimal image acquisition strategies’ and ‘New ways of photogrammetry’. In both round roundtable sessions one could sense the dynamism of the industry and the excitement about the future of photogrammetry and its many applications.

Authentic Indian atmosphere

In addition to a focus on the exchange of technical experiences, learning and sharing, the social aspect is another very important ingredient of every Racurs conference and this edition was no different. The week started with a tour of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage site and probably one of the most iconic buildings in the world. The conference was concluded with a day of excursions. Fatehpur Sikri, Jodha Bai’s Palace, was the first stop: a fort and mosque stemming from the Moghul time. The second stop was the Hare Krishna sanctuary on the way from Agra to Delhi, where the visitors could briefly immerse themselves in that eastern religion. On the days of the conference itself, the delegates were treated to yoga sessions, Indian cooking classes and a real Maharaja-style dinner in a palace for one day, built up in the gardens of the hotel. For a lot of the delegates who had never been to India before, the conference was a cultural revelation. There is no denying that the heartbreaking poverty that is prevalent in the country is often a shock to first-time visitors. Although inconvenienced by the current rupee crisis resulting in long lines at every bank in the city and the country for days, the delegates were humbled by the fact that the local people face much bigger problems. But despite the country’s issues, the delegates thoroughly enjoyed this in-depth introduction to the Indian lifestyle, eating habits and music.

Go to conf.racurs.ru/conf2016 to see the full programme, read papers and watch videos of presentations.

For all technical specifications of Racurs’ products, go to www.geo-matching.com.

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