Welcome Masseges

Distinguished Delegates and Guests, your warm welcome to remote sensing and spatial information sciences enthusiasts attending the 2024 Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS 2024) is greatly appreciated. It's wonderful to hear that the ACRS is jointly hosted by the Sri Lanka Survey Department (SLSD) and the Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS), making it a significant international conference in Asia.

Hosting the conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a testament to the country's commitment to the field of remote sensing and its contributions to the ACRS. With a history of hosting ACRS since 2008, it's clear that Sri Lanka is dedicated to providing a fruitful symposium and extending its warm hospitality to all participants. Such conferences play a vital role in advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and addressing important global challenges through remote sensing and spatial information sciences.

It's indeed fascinating to see how remote sensing technology, along with spatial information sciences, is playing a pivotal role in addressing global issues related to disasters, pollution, climate change, resource management, and environmental degradation. These technologies have significantly improved our understanding of the world and are essential for ensuring environmental sustainability.

The integration of modern technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning into remote sensing is reshaping research approaches. AI can analyze vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, helping researchers make more informed decisions. Clean and renewable energy sources are essential for achieving net-zero emissions, addressing climate change concerns. The Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting the world through autonomous and collaborative devices, offering new ways to collect and share data for environmental monitoring and management. Unmanned and robotic vehicles have the potential to revolutionize transportation and data collection in remote or hazardous areas.

Conferences like ACRS 2024 play a crucial role in highlighting these innovative developments and providing a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing. The combination of spaceborne, airborne, and ground-based instrumentation, along with advanced computational techniques, offers the potential to enhance our knowledge about the Earth rapidly and accurately. This multidisciplinary approach is essential in addressing the complex environmental challenges we face today.

As a leading Government Organization in remote sensing and geosciences in Sri Lanka, SLSD has long been an active partner in the associated communities. With a history of 223 years and a strong reputation, SLSD has undoubtedly made substantial contributions to these domains. Hosting the ACRS 2024 conference in Sri Lanka is an excellent opportunity to showcase the country's achievements and capabilities in these fields. I'm sure the attendees will benefit from the symposium program and enjoy their stay in Sri Lanka. Such conferences play a crucial role in knowledge sharing, collaboration, and advancements in remote sensing and geosciences.