IGARSS 2019 in Yokohama, Japan: Events and New Directions [Conference Reports

Abstract

The 39th IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2019), held 28 July–2 August 2019 at the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Center, Japan, welcomed more than 2,500 participants from 56 countries and areas. The local organizing com-mittee (LOC) received positive feedback from many participants, who described the venue and conference as being very convenient, well organized, and most enjoyable. The general chair attributes these positive evaluations to strong LOC teamwork. The goal of pro-viding the “best experience for all participants,” which IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) President Paolo Gamba and I confirmed at the GRSS administrative committee meetings, was shared by all of the LOC members.One of the highlights of the symposium was the opening ceremony, which was held in a solemn but warm atmosphere on 29 July with Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan in attendance. In his address, His Majesty the Emperor referred to the importance of detailed and accurate data acqui-sition and analysis, which greatly encouraged the participants working in the geoscience and remote sensing field.In this column, the LOC cochairs, who supervised the harmonious teamwork, revisit the events and re-view the activities, statistics, and logistics, which will be helpful for future IGARSS events. Following each of the following sections, the chairs’ names are provided so that readers can contact them. The “Conference Re-port” column “IGARSS in Yokohama, Japan: Impres-sions From the First Days” in the September 2010 issue of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine [1] i s also informative.