THE MERGER OF THE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SOCIETY AND THE REMOTE SENSING SOCIETY

• Published in: Photogrammetric record 2003-03, Vol.18 (101), p.59-74
• Main Author: Kirby, R. P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Charity Commission; history of UK geospatial societies; inter-society cooperation; merger of learned societies; organisational change
• ISSN: 0031-868X; 1477-9730
• DOI: 10.1111/0031-868X.t01-1-00002

The attempts by A. S. Macdonald in the late 1980s and by J. A. Allan in the mid‐1990s to integrate the UK societies and professional organisations within the spatial science field are described. The Photogrammetric Society, noting a long‐term decline in its membership, set up an internal working group in 1997 to consider the future of the Society. A lengthy questionnaire to all individual members produced a 57% response and mandatory support for renewed action on greater inter‐society cooperation. A further effort to produce a wide amalgamation of bodies in the UK spatial science field on the Macdonald/Allan models failed for lack of support nationally. As a smaller step, perhaps to be extended later, a merger with the Remote Sensing Society was eventually agreed. The subsequent lengthy and delicate negotiations necessary to bring about a successful merger between these two mature, independently minded learned societies are described. The two societies were formally merged on 1st April 2001. The author was a member of both the Photogrammetric and the Remote Sensing Societies and chaired the External Affairs Committee of the Photogrammetric Society preceding the merger.