Training and Research Promotion on Remote Sensing in Thailand
Chalomphon Bang-on and Boonboothara Vijitkulsawat
Remote Sensing Division National Research Council of Thailand
Abstract
Having realized the important role of remote sensing technology as an effective tool for national planning and development, the Thailand Remote Sensing Centre (TRSC) under and auspices of the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has encouraged Thai officers from various agencies to be trained in the field with an objective to increase the awareness and expertise within the country. Training courses on the principles of Remote Sensing and on digital image analysis have been organized almost as an annual event. Training on some GIS application would become available as regular program while specific training courses would be held upon users’ request.
In addition, a number of agencies have cooperated with NRCT to organize short courses on Remote Sensing. This includes education institutes and other government agencies to strengthen the capability of their own officers.
At the moment, about, ten academic institutes comprising universities, teacher’s college and military academies have opened courses on Remote Sensing in their curricular of geography, forestry, aerophotography and mapping at graduate and post-graduate levels. Besides these, the international institute such as AIT also has master degree on natural resources.
However, The more striking effort has been to popularize and promote research work by providing grants to research workers. The year 1978 marked the beginning of such promotion with an allocation of 500,000 Baht to fund Remote Sensing application projects to be proposed by national
researchers. This annual research fund has been doubled once in 1980 and again in 1990 to 2 million Baht and finally 3 million Baht in 1992. So far a total of 125 projects from 89 principal investigators have been supported with an allocation of 14 million Baht.
1. Introduction
The Thailand Remote Sensing Center (TRSC) under the Nationa Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has been appointed by the government to be the coordinating body of satellite Remote Sensing in Thailand since 1972. One of the major activities of TRBC/NRCT is technology transfer. This is done in terms of training of personnel, education and research support in area of Remote Sensing and its applications.
