IN FOCUS: The History of IEEE GRSS at 65: (1979-1981)
By Joanne Van Voorhis
The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) marks its 65th anniversary in 2026. This month, we continue our 12-part series and review the many changes that helped transform the Society from 1979 to 1981.
Part V – The Birth of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (1979-1981)
By the late 1970s, the Group on Geoscience Electronics was undergoing a fundamental transformation. Its technical scope had expanded well beyond its original focus, reflecting the growing importance of satellite observation, environmental monitoring, and the study of Earth systems through remote measurement. Research published in Transactions on Geoscience Electronics increasingly addressed atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial applications, signaling a shift toward a broader scientific identity. At the same time, remote sensing was emerging as a distinct and rapidly advancing field. Satellite programs such as the Landsat program and the short-lived but influential Seasat demonstrated the practical and scientific value of observing the Earth from space. These developments, combined with increasing federal investment in environmental and Earth observation programs, created strong momentum for organizational change within IEEE.
Dr. Ulaby: A Pivotal Influence
Central to this transformation was the leadership of Fawwaz T. Ulaby, who served as the first President of the newly named Society. He was already recognized as a driving force in microwave remote sensing. His leadership style combined academic rigor with entrepreneurial energy. He set about creating a new professional identity for GRSS, one that blended technical excellence with openness and community spirit. Among his earliest priorities were expanding the AdCom to include representatives from emerging research areas such as radar polarimetry and radiometry, reinvigorating publications to ensure the renamed IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (TGRS) reflected the Society’s broader mission, and building international bridges, encouraging participation from NASA, ESA, and newly active European and Canadian research institutions. Under Ulaby’s leadership, the Society began to define its identity as a professional home for scientists and engineers working across the full spectrum of geoscience and remote sensing.
Journal and Newsletter Expansion
One of the earliest manifestations of this new identity was the transformation of the Society’s principal journal. The first issue of the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (TGRS) was published in January 1980, replacing the earlier Transactions on Geoscience Electronics. The renaming of the journal to TGRS was more than symbolic – it was transformative. The journal expanded rapidly in both size and scope, reflecting the rising volume and diversity of research in areas such as microwave sensing, radar systems, and environmental applications.
As a forward to that first issue, Dr. Ulaby provided the following statement explaining organizational changes: “A resolution to change the name of the IEEE Geoscience Electronics Society to “IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society” was submitted by the Administrative Committee of the Society and subsequently was approved by the IEEE Technical Activities Board and the IEEE Executive Committee at their December 1979 meetings. In the Constitution and Bylaws of the (former) IEEE Geoscience and Electronics Society, the “Field of Interest” statement reads as follows: Field of interest of the society is the theory, concepts, and techniques of’ science and engineering, as applied to sensing the earth, oceans, atmosphere and space, and the processing, interpretation, and dissemination of this information. In other words, the subject matter of papers published in this TRANSACTIONS should relate to the application of remote sensing techniques for the acquisition of geoscientific information and/or to the use of associated processing, enhancement, and interpretation techniques. The new name is intended to accentuate the means by which the information is obtained (remote sensing) and does not signal any change in the Society’s interests or objectives. It is important to emphasize that the term “remote sensing” is broadly defined to include observations from spaceborne and airborne platforms, as well as seismic recording of the earth’s subsurface and sonar mapping of the ocean floor. I believe that the new name is a better descriptor of the Society’s interests and I am hopeful that you will approve of and support our decision.”
This era also saw the expansion of the Newsletter, which had been published in mimeograph form from the early days of G-GE. Guided by W. Travis Walton (Editor 1978-1980) and John Crawford (Editor 1981), the Newsletter underwent a major transformation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. What had been a more limited publication evolved into a broader resource, featuring in-depth stories on members and their pursuits, profiles of organizations, updates on chapter activities, society news, as well as coverage of conferences, symposia, and book reviews.
The Birth of IGARSS: A Forum for a Global Community
At the same time, the Society moved to establish a dedicated international forum for the exchange of ideas. The first International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 1981, was held in Washington, D.C., in June 1981. Organized under Ulaby’s leadership as General Chairman, with Keith Carver (who would become the next GRSS President in 1982-1983) serving as Technical Program Chairman, the symposium marked the beginning of a new era for the Society. Looking back from 2026 on the broad impact of the first symposium, Dr. Ulaby noted: “The 1981 IGARSS galvanized the remote sensing community, creating discussions and comradeship among researchers from across the globe.“
Attendance exceeded 400 participants representing 16 countries, and the meeting was widely regarded as a success, drawing strong support from both the U.S. and international remote sensing communities. The symposium featured sessions across all major technical areas and demonstrated the growing energy and cohesion of the field. A comprehensive 2-volume, 1457 page Proceedings was published later that summer, documenting the event.
The July 1982 Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing also included highlights and a summary of the event by Keith Carver. He explained “The IGARSS ’81 Technical Program, sampled by this issue, was broad in technical span in keeping with the scope of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society which spans three primary areas of interest: (1) the interaction between targets (earth, land, ocean, atmosphere, subsurface, planets) and sensor systems (electromagnetic, acoustic, static), (2) the processing of remotely sensed data, and (3) the analysis and applications of processed data to geoscientific problems.” A table provided a breakdown of technical sessions, divided into scientific and instrumentation topical sessions which illustrated the diversity of topics covered.
Community and Volunteerism
It is worth noting that the publication of an expanding journal and newsletter and the management of a large-scale event like IGARSS required the valuable time of many named and unnamed volunteers. Indeed, the entire operation of a growing organization such as GRSS was only possible through the dedication and passion of people from around the globe who contributed their expertise and time to support the field and its community.
The transition from group to Society required not just administrative approval but the support and efforts of many volunteers. The AdCom expanded from fewer than ten members to more than twenty, representing technical diversity and regional participation. New bylaws formalized officer roles (President, Vice Presidents for Technical Activities, Publications, and Meetings) and the more the scope of the Society expanded, the greater the need for individuals to support its growth and activities. Volunteers continued to be the engine of GRSS operations; nearly every editorial and organizational role was filled by practicing engineers and scientists donating their time. This volunteer ethic continues to be one of GRSS’s defining characteristics. The community is its greatest asset.
Technical Snapshot
The developments within IEEE GRSS took place during a period of rapid scientific and technological progress. Government agencies in the United States, including NASA, NOAA, and the USGS, were expanding their remote sensing initiatives, while international organizations such as the European Space Agency, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan were also making significant contributions. Advances in sensor technology, data processing, and theoretical modeling were transforming remote sensing into a more established and increasingly interdisciplinary discipline.
During this era, global remote sensing underwent a notable technical transition from largely experimental capabilities toward more systematic Earth observation science. Active microwave sensing advanced significantly, particularly through improved synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing concepts, radar polarimetry, and early interferometric techniques that were beginning to be investigated for their potential to extract quantitative surface structure and deformation information. In parallel, passive microwave radiometry reached higher calibration stability and radiometric accuracy, enabling more reliable retrievals of geophysical parameters such as soil moisture, snow cover, and sea-ice properties – key variables for global climate and cryospheric studies. Optical remote sensing also benefited from rapid improvements in digital image processing and computational methods, allowing more systematic multispectral classification and analysis of land cover from satellite platforms. At the same time, airborne field campaigns increasingly combined radar and optical sensors in coordinated experiments, marking early steps toward more integrated Earth observation approaches. Within this evolving technical landscape, IEEE GRSS served as a unifying forum, connecting advances in electromagnetics and signal processing with practical engineering developments and emerging environmental and Earth science applications.
A notable example of global remote sensing at the time was evident during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens (USA). Remote sensing data, including infrared monitoring from NOAA satellites, was used to monitor the volcano’s activity, ash plume dispersion, and mapping of the damaged terrain. On May 18, 1980, NOAA’s GOES-3 satellite captured the first geostationary satellite images of the catastrophic Mount St. Helens eruption, showing the massive ash plume spreading from Washington state. The imagery from 1980 documented the plume moving eastward and the subsequent ash cloud, aiding in tracking the eruption and its aftermath.
Entering a New Decade
By the end of 1981, the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society had a clearly defined identity, a rapidly growing journal, and a successful international symposium that would become its flagship meeting. It also had a team of dedicated volunteers that served as the engine of the organization which had begun to position itself as a global community, bringing together researchers from multiple disciplines and regions under a common framework. The transition from the Geoscience Electronics Group to GRSS thus marked more than a change in name. It reflected the emergence of remote sensing as a central scientific and engineering field and established the institutional foundation that would support the Society’s continued growth in the decades that followed.
Next month we will explore “The History of IEEE GRSS at 65 (1982-1985): Building Foundations for a Global Society.”
Take a Closer Look:
NOTE: Among other resources, two major historical sources have been accessed to develop “The History of IEEE GRSS at 65.” These include the following IEEE GRSS publications, which may be of interest to readers interested in more details or context:
