FORGING AHEAD AND ADAPTING TO CHANGE: A REVIEW OF THE INITIATIVES OF THE ISPRS STUDENT CONSORTIUM

Abstract. The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Student Consortium (ISPRS SC) is an international organization that represents a constituency of the students and the young professionals with common interests and goals within ISPRS in the areas of photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information science. The ISPRS SC Board of Directors strengthened the organization’s foundations and increased its engagement in the Society from 2016 to 2022. Given the current global health crisis, selected members of the Board of Directors continued to serve in the ISPRS SC for a two-year extension and developed creative strategies in navigating the new normal. Building on the strengths of the organization and motivated by the incredible ideas of connecting and engaging the scientific community that emerged during the pandemic, we were able to transform challenges into opportunities through collaborations and sustained participation of our members. In this paper, we summarize all the activities of the Consortium from 2016 to 2022 and provide insights on the impacts and values of these initiatives to the organization and its members. We also elaborated on hosting the GeoMixers as virtual networking events with our partner organizations as well as organizing the virtual Google Earth Engine meetup in the Singapore Geospatial Festival, which was given the short title, EarthEngine@SG. Outcomes of the Leadership and Service Mentoring Programme, the Consortium’s first mentorship and training programme for potential nominees for the incoming Board of Directors, demonstrated the remarkable potential of the youth in leading and engaging in relevant social and global issues and contributing to the scientific community. Sustaining our relevance to ISPRS, experiencing growth during the pandemic and understanding our roles as an international organization, the Consortium will continue to forge ahead and adapt to change to support the youth and contribute to building resilience and adaptability in our scientific community.