IGARSS 2026 Recap: GRSS Offers Many Resources to Support and Expand Regional Chapters

By Kevin P. Corbley

GRSS Chapters are the direct link between the Society and its members. And it’s through these localized chapters that members most easily take advantage of the many services and benefits GRSS has to offer.

That was the message from current IEEE GRSS President Dr. Saibun Tjuatja speaking at a luncheon for Chapter Heads at IGARSS 2026 in Washington D.C. Hosted by Tianlin Wang, Chair of the Chapters Committee, and Feng Zu, Director of Global Activities, the informative event was designed to educate the chapter leaders on the many resources available for them to use in growing their chapters and shaping the future of GRSS.

Dr. Tjuatja explained the Chapters represent GRSS at the regional level, often in remote geographies, and provide an easy way for members to get involved with geoscience and remote sensing activities in their areas. In just two years, GRSS has grown by nearly 100 chapters to the current total of 226. This includes 62 Regular Chapters, 30 Joint Chapters, and 134 Student Branch Chapters spread around the world.

“Think creatively!” exhorted Dr. Tjuatja as he encouraged the Chapter Heads to take advantage of the resources offered to them. He then asked representatives of several GRSS groups to describe specific activities.

Publications

Dr. Xiuping Jia, Editor in Chief (EIC) of Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (TGRS), spoke on behalf of all GRSS EICs in encouraging chapters to promote publications within their membership, especially students and younger members. Publishing a paper, he noted, is a great way for a member to accelerate their career.

“[Publications are] the main business of our Society,” he said, describing two ways the local chapters can help. Some chapters have already started Reading Groups, in person or online, where members gather to read their paper drafts and provide immediate feedback to each other. Dr. Jia also asked Chapter Heads to organize training to educate members on the submission process. He then asked the local leaders to volunteer as official paper reviewers, an ongoing need.

IEEE GRSS has several core journals (below) and some specialty publications.

• Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (TGRS) – Publishes advances in sensing instruments, acquisition techniques, and processing/interpretation of geoscientific data from remote sensing 
• Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters (GRSL) – Monthly journal for short papers (≤5 pages) on new ideas, timely results, and formative concepts in remote sensing.
• Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing – Open-access journal for applied Earth observation and remote sensing research.
• Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine (GRSM) – Quarterly publication with technical papers and updates on GRSS activities, committees, and chapters.

Distinguished Lectures

Bill Blackwell was the next luncheon speaker, describing the GRSS Distinguished Lecturer program. The Society maintains an evolving list of expert lecturers available to Chapters to invite as speakers at their events. He encouraged the chapter leaders to examine the list of topics and choose one that best fits the interests of their local members. GRSS constantly refreshes the list of topics, which means local leaders should keep an eye on the website at www.grss-ieee.org/community/distinguished-lecturers/

“There’s all kinds of creativity that you can bring to bear to improve your chapter engagement and have some great topical discussions with these speakers,” said Blackwell.

Chapter Profiles on the GRSS Website

GRSS has published feature profiles on members and student members for the past two years and has recently begun featuring the activities of specific Chapters. Kevin Corbley, a geospatial consultant working with the GRSS Communications Team, was on hand to encourage the local leaders to reach out and let him know if the chapter would like to be featured. Whether the local groups have been involved in a dramatic event or have started interesting new activities to engage members, GRSS is always interested in what’s happening in regions around the world.

Kevin Corbley can be reached at kevin@corbleycommunications.com or through LinkedIn.

Summer Schools

The GRSS Summer Schools are among the most commonly cited Society activities mentioned by new and student members as their favorite events. Ryo Natsuaki, Chair of the GR3S Committee which organizes the schools, encouraged the Chapter Heads to submit ideas to hold these popular education events in their areas. For accepted submissions, GRSS awards $20,000 in funding to operate the Summer Schools. “We select the best of the best,” he said.

Chapter Promotional SWAG

The always enthusiastic Stephanie Tumampos, Director of Publicity and Communications, announced a relatively new program started earlier this year. Chapters may now submit requests for up to $2,000 in funding to buy promotional items, such as notebooks, pens, keychains, and t-shirts.

“This is a great way to show off your Chapter within your university or to other professional associations,” said Tumampos, adding that 43 chapters received promotional funding for 2026. She noted there was a glitch in payment procedures which GRSS hopes to smooth out for 2027 by making reimbursements through the CONCUR website used for other society transactions.

Local Young Professionals Activities

Young Professionals educational and social activities have become some of the most widely anticipated and attended events at the annual IGARSS Conference. YP Committee Chair Haonan Guo informed the luncheon attendees that many Chapter Heads do not know that GRSS is also sponsoring YP activities at local and regional conferences and meetings around the world.

Guo asked the leaders, especially of Student Branch Chapters, to submit their ideas for local YP events that could be funded by GRSS in the coming year. There were 19 such activities this year.

Chapters Committee Chair Tianlin Wang wrapped up the luncheon by mentioning there is also funding available for Industry Outreach activities with a focus on business, such as the African Entrepreneurship Summit. Representatives of these events were not available to speak at the lunch, but interested Chapter Heads can contact Tianlin Wang directly.

The luncheon closed with a series of videos created by Chapters around the world, showing off the many activities – often fun social interactions – that members have hosted in their regions over the past year. Described as “One of Stephanie’s crazy ideas,” the videos gave everyone a flavor of the unique culture and people at the heart of each chapter.