Changing Role of Image Interpretation

Image interpretation used to be, and often still is, a marginal specialization within many professions. Because of a lack of adequate research and educational facilities, it has been poorly equipped to cope with the rapid progress in the related field of remote sensing. As a consequence, a large disparity exists between the rate of data recording and their utilization. To rectify this situation, image interpretation should be a discipline in its own right. The emphasis must shift from applications, which should remain in the domain of professionals in disciplines using the data, to fundamental aspects which are common to all disciplines. A two-stage scheme of image interpretation based on teamwork between an image analyst and a specialist in a particular field of application is discussed, so too is its impact on the role of image interpretation.