This week's Envisat Symposium in Salzburg, Austria, is a chance for users of those products scientific researchers and value-adding service providers alike to meet, compare results and present their findings so far. Around 865 participants are attending from 53 different countries, presenting more than 650 papers and posters in up to six parallel sessions.

The Symposium was formally opened on Monday by a panel headed by Eduard Mainoni, Austria's Secretary of State for Transport, Innovation and Technology: "I am very pleased to welcome you to here, especially as the government of Austria has strong support for Earth Observation as one of the widest fields of applications and operational uses of space technology, and is proud of our scientific and industrial contributions to Envisat."

Also present at the Symposium opening was ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain the first time a Director General has attended such an event. He recalled being present at Envisat's launch in French Guiana in March 2002, then serving as ESA Director of Launchers: "I am proud of Envisat and this event is a great opportunity for all of us to learn about the large amounts of data and products coming from the satellite and its ERS predecessors.

"The large numbers attending this Symposium are evidence of four separate points: the wide variety of capabilities of Envisat; the growing significance of space systems for environmental monitoring; the importance of international co-operation and, of course, the attractiveness of Salzburg!"

ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes Jos Achache also addressed the meeting: "I am proud and happy to open this Symposium, since I have had science as my priority
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Contact: Mariangela D'Acunto
mariangela.d'acunto@esa.int
39-069-418-0856
European Space Agency
7-Sep-2004