Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping Co-Sponsors the Prestigious U.V. Helava Award

Winner Announced at 2004 ISPRS in Istanbul, Turkey

Atlanta, Georgia, USA — 15 July 2004 – The U.V. Helava Award, one of the most prestigious ISPRS recognitions, was awarded to the paper “Extraction, Modelling and Use of Linear Features for Restitution of Airborne Hyperspectral Imagery,” written by Changno Lee and James S. Bethel. A five-member jury of professionals, whose expertise cover the main topics included in the scope of the ISPRS Journal, evaluated 114 papers between 2000-2003. Each year during the four-year evaluation period, the Best Paper was selected and announced in the ISPRS Journal, ISPRS Highlights and on the ISPRS and Elsevier Web sites. Lee and Bethel’s paper was chosen from the four Best Papers as the U.V. Helava Award winner. The winning paper discusses semi-automated line extraction and incorporation into the orientation process for linear array CCD sensors. A very relevant topic, considering the current development of digital aerial cameras and existing problems in the orientation of linear CCDs. The authors used up-to-date techniques for trajectory modelling, line feature extraction and integration into the geometric sensor model, providing convincing and thorough experimental tests and a transparent analysis of the results. Their research provided an excellent balance between theory and practice. The paper’s high practical significance was increased by the use of GPS/INS and reduction of the needed control line features. The award consists of a monetary grant of 10,000 CHF, certificates and a silver plaque. It is sponsored by Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping, LLC and Elsevier B.V. The Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (Prof. Henrik Haggrén) and Helsinki University of Technology are co-sponsors of the award.

The U.V. Helava Award was established in 1998 and first presented in 2000. Its purpose is to encourage and stimulate submission of high quality scientific papers by individual authors or groups to the ISPRS Journal, promote and advertise the ISPRS Journal and honor the outstanding contributions of Dr. Uuno V. Helava, a leading photogrammetrist and developer of analytical and digital systems. The award is presented to authors of the best paper, written in English and published exclusively in the ISPRS Journal during the four-year period from January of a Congress year to December of the year prior to the next Congress. The recipients of the Award may receive it only once. The U.V. Helava Award was presented during the 20th ISPRS Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, by ISPRS President John Trinder and sponsor representatives, including Peter Fricker, Director of Image Sensors for Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping. The winning paper is published in Volume 58, Issue 5-6 of the ISPRS Journal. For more information about Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping or its products and services, call: +1 404 248 9000, toll free: +1 877 463 7327, or visit: www.gis.leica-geosystems.com.