Sunday July 24, 2011

BEIJING — The International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) was officially inaugurated in a ceremony on July 24th under the auspices of UNESCO and with support from its host, the Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth (CEODE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

HIST is the first centre of its kind to apply space technologies to monitoring and preserving natural and cultural heritage. HIST’s goal is to build the capacity of UNESCO Member States to use space-based Earth observation to monitor, document, model, and present natural and cultural heritage sites of national or international significance.

The ceremony was kicked off with a 3D movie showcasing the applications of space technologies in world heritage preservation, and another demonstrating CEODE’s Digital Earth Science Platform. Guo Huadong, the Director-General of CEODE and Director of HIST, outlined HIST’s objectives and proposed research activities for the coming years, and gave an overview of how HIST will be structured and administered. Mario Hernandez, Senior Programme Specialist at UNESCO, introduced UNESCO's "Open Initiative" involving space agencies exploring the use of space technologies for the monitoring and preservation of heritage. He used examples from around the world to demonstrate how Earth observation can help in this endeavor. There were also key addresses given by Xu Guanhua, CAS Academician and former Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ding Zhongli, CAS Academician and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Gretchen Kalonji, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO.

The ceremony was preceded by HIST’s first session of the Governing Board. The meeting was mainly intended to establish and approve administrative matters, but the board also explored potential research projects and partnerships. The board is comprised of experts from around the world who specialize in fields related to Earth observation and natural and cultural heritage.

Increasing human and environmental threats to natural and cultural heritage sites led UNESCO and the European Space Agency to establish an “Open Initiative” encouraging all space agencies and related research institutions to use space technologies to support world heritage. The Chinese Academy of Sciences joined the initiative in 2005, and HIST is a product of their continued partnership with UNESCO.

Guo Huadong, Director General of CEODE and Director of HIST, addresses the audience at the inaugural ceremony for HIST

 

Gretchen Kalonji, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

CAS Academician Xu Guanhua, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

 

Ding Zhongli, CAS Academician and Vice-President of CAS, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

John Richards, Australian National University, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

 

Jim Weber, retired from NASA, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

Qin Yuwen, Deputy Director of Department of Information Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

 

Li Guoping, Vice-Administrator of the China National Space Administration, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

Yu Xiaoping, Commission of The People's Republic of China for UNESCO, gives an address for celebrating HIST establishment

Guo Huadong, Gretchen Kalonji, Xu Guanhua, and Ding Zhongli unveil the HIST nameplate

 

Wang Xinyuan, Deputy Director of HIST, introduces the Atlas of Remote Sensing for World Heritage: China

Guo Huadong presented distinguished guests with copies of the Atlas of Remote Sensing for World Heritage: China

 

The HIST Governing Board meets for its first session