Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conferences (PORSEC Association) was formed as a scientific forum to promote ocean sciences and remote sensing through mutual and international understanding and collaboration. Emphasis is placed on fostering science interest and capability in developing countries. Sponsorships and financial support are obtained from individuals and organizations. The PORSEC Association, established in 1992, has been based on the participation of individual scientists and past Conference sponsors, including financial and consulting contributors. It has included universities, research institutions, governmental agencies and private institutions in developed and developing countries involved in ocean and earth environmental research.
Contents:
Article 1. Name
Article 2. Aims
Article 3. Activities
Article 4. Language
Article 5. Membership
Article 6. PORSEC structure
6.1 Congress
6.1.1 General Assembly
Members
Scientific Organising Committee
6.2 Administrative Executive Board
6.2.1 Executive Chief Secretary
Executive Secretary/Vice-Executive secretaries
6.2.2 Treasurer
6.2.3 Secretary
6.2.4 Committees
Commissions
6.3 Honourable Advisory Body
Article 7. Secretariat
Article 8. Election
Article 9. Budget
Article 10. PORSEC Award.
The name of the Association is "Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conferences (PORSEC) Association ".
Article 2. Aims
The association is, in general, for the promotion of studies of the ocean and related atmospheric sciences using remote sensing technology through international collaborations, with the following scientific priorities:
The Association promotes studies of ocean and related atmospheric sciences concerned with the Earth environmental processes such as the greenhouse effect, ENSO, ocean hazards, pollution, sea level rise and other climatic variability using remote sensing and involving international collaborative programs .
The PORSEC Association aims to provide better opportunities for scientists, especially from developing countries, for learning and applying the state of the art in ocean remote sensing including space and under water development, information technology, computer science and environmental sciences, through international conferences, training courses and virtual university courses.
Article 3. Activities
The principal activity of the Association shall be:
to promote ocean remote sensing through activities such as conferences, training courses, working group meetings.
to improve the awareness of the applicability of remote sensing data toward understanding our environment.
to use such information for addressing various issues of regional and global concern.
The Association also popularises ocean remote sensing by publishing proceedings, books and newsletters. The Association is planning to publish an on-line journal.
Article 4. Language
The working language of the Association shall be the English language.
Article 5. Membership
Member.
Any individual scientist or graduate student may apply to join the Association as a Member. A biannual fee will be charged for membership equal to US$40 for individuals and US$200 for public institutions/organizations.
Membership fees shall be paid in advance of the conference or during the conference. The admission of any new member shall be at the discretion of the PORSEC-SOC and the General Assembly.
The benefits to the members are among others:
timely information and invitation to participate on each forthcoming PORSEC, training courses, symposia, and other specialized activities.
Conference registration discount of 10% for members and 20% for students attending PORSEC.
PORSEC News letters.
copy of the Proceedings for the members attending PORSEC.
Free subscription to the PORSEC on-line journal published by the Association.
Associate member.
Any non-public organization interested in the Association may apply to join the Association as an Associate Member. The Associate member fee is $500 per year. Admission of any new associate member shall be recommended by PORSEC SOC and decided by the General Assembly. The membership is simply required to be a consulting sponsorship and without any responsibility or vote.
Sustaining Member.
Any organization and company interested in supporting the Association may apply to join the Association as a Sustaining Member that provides financial sponsorship to each conference.
Article 6. PORSEC Structure
The PORSEC structure consists of a three-tier system; the executive board, congress and the Administrative Board. All are chaired by the president (or past-president or president elect in the absence of president). The structural flow chart is shown in Appendix-1.
The congress consists of the General Assembly, Members, and the Scientific Organising Committee (SOC). The Executive Board consists of the president, the past-president and the president elect. The Administrative Board is comprised of officers of the association, the chief executive secretary, the executive secretary and vice-executive secretaries, chairs of committees and commissions, and the Treasurer and secretary.
The General Assembly can recommend SOC members from different countries. SOC members elect the President. Executive members are automatic members of the SOC body. The elected president recommends/appoints various executives on the Administrative Board, committee chairs, and a few SOC members.
6.1. Congress
Congress consists of three bodies; the General Assembly, members, and the Scientific Organising Committee (SOC).
6.1.1. General Assembly
The General Assembly is the highest authority of PORSEC and consists of all members. It shall act as appropriate and generally after recommendations from the Executive Board.
An ordinary session of the General Assembly is held bi-annually during each PORSEC conference, at a place and date determined by the General Assembly at the previous conference. The president chairs the General Assembly.
6.1.2. Members
The members are classified as member, associate member and sustained member in Article-5. They form the integral body of the congress.
6.1.3. Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC)
The SOC is comprised of three classes of members; members recommended by the General Assembly, members selected by the President and the executives from the Administrative Board. The number of elected members should be approximately 25, and the appointed number by the president should not exceed 5. Important responsibilities of the SOC are:
Election of the PORSEC president
Approval of the recommendations and proposals received from the president and various committees/commissions and forwarded to the SOC by the Chief Executive Secretary.
For deliberation on any item in the SOC meeting, there should be a minimum of 50% of SOC members attending the meeting. The recommendation on deliberation is finalized/approved if the majority on the attendees approve.
The Executive Board: President, Past-president and President Elect
***The President elect is elected in the bi-annual SOC meeting. At the conclusion of the SOC meeting, the president-elect becomes president and the president becomes past-president. The three officers constitute the executive suite. The president is the supreme executive officer.
***The president recommends the members for the Administrative Board, Treasurer and Secretary and gets the approval from the SOC. The president can nominate up to 5 SOC members to balance the regional/organizational representations. The president serves as chairman of the SOC meeting and general assembly. The President represents the PORSEC Society to the outside. The past-president and president-elect assist the president and share the responsibilities of the president, and implement the president’s role either in the absence of the President or as the representative of the president in the society.
6.2. Administrative Board
The Administrative Board oversees the overall functioning of the Association and recommends the directions and priorities to the General Assembly, taking into consideration the recommendations of the appropriate Committees and commissions. It implements the society's policies and views approved/recommended by the SOC and other committees/commissions. The Administrative Board is constituted as recommended by the president in consultation with the past-president and president-elect.
Chief Executive Secretary
{update and renumber: The chief executive secretary coordinates the over all functions of the Administrative Executive Board and has the following duties.
prepare the Agenda for the General Assembly
present, to each General Assembly a report of the scientific and administrative activities of PORSEC since the previous ordinary General Assembly
appoint the Nominating Committee
The chief executive secretary is assisted by the Executive secretary and vice-executive secretaries (two).
Treasurer
The treasurer administers the PORSEC budget and submits the financial report to the General Assembly. The President nominates the treasurer. The treasurer plans the Association's future budgetary requirements.
The financial committee has responsibility for the financial management of
the Association.
Secretary
The secretary is to help the chief executive secretary in the day-to-day business of the association. The president nominates the secretary and the office of the secretary will be the domicile of the chief executive secretary.
6.2.4. Committees:
PORSEC has the following committees:
Editorial
The editorial committee is responsible for the association's publications. The editorial chairman is nominated by the President.
Program
The program committee chairman is nominated by the president. The program committee is responsible for reviewing the ongoing large scale global projects on climate and environment and accordingly makes important recommendations to space agencies and project leaders. It is important for the Association to take some effort in helping and promoting the global scientific programs (like GOOS, CLIVAR, GODAE, etc. ).
Training and Education
The training and Education Committee Chairman is nominated by the President. The committee is responsible for organising events for improving the awareness of ocean remote sensing among the end users and public for the benefits of environmental monitoring and sustainable use of ocean resources. This could be in terms of promoting awareness and training for using the voluminous remote sensing data and its potential for addressing environmental issues in developing countries. }
Promotion of Public Affairs
The committee for public affairs is responsible for one of the main objectives of the Association; the promotion of ocean sciences in general. Priority of the committee will be in fostering science interest and capability in developing countries. The committee will also be responsible for the publicity of PORSEC and its role in the community.
International Affairs
The committee for international affairs has the responsibility to address ocean remote sensing issues arising from global participation in pursuing large scale international environmental programs. These issues concern both scientific and political level problems and addresses measures for removing the bottle necks involved in such operational programs.
Conference Organization
The conference organising committee is responsible for hosting and organising the biennial conference of the Association and the chairman of the committee is by default the chairman of the Local organising committee constituted by the host institute/university.
Election
The Election committee is responsible for conducting the election for the various position of the Association such as the president, members, scientific organising committee members, and those executive members, who are not nominated by the president. The committee has to prepare a slate of candidates in advance of the General Assembly meetings held with the biennial conferences.
Awards
PORSEC has constituted various awards for the promotion of science and service. The award committee is responsible for selecting eligible scientists for such awards. Each PORSEC meeting can award one (or none) science and one (or none) service award.
The financial committee is chaired by the treasurer and has responsibility for the financial management of the Association.
Commissions
PORSEC has constituted two commissions; a commission for virtual training and a commission to look in to remote sensing data related affairs.
6.2.5.1. Commission for virtual training
The training and education on ocean remote sensing and application of the voluminous data in addressing various environmental issues is one of the main activities of the Association. The committee's duty is to ensure that training and education is reaching the needy with particular attention to funding constraints. The committee organises courses and awareness programs.
6.2.5.2. Commission for Remote Sensing Data Related Affairs
The responsibility of this committee is to look in to the quality and application of remote sensing data and to help space agencies and sensor development groups by providing useful recommendations.
Honorable Advisory Body
The honorable Advisory Body consists of past presidents and other ex-executive officials, who have rendered considerable service to the development of the society .
Article 7. Secretariat
The President nominates the PORSEC Secretariat, such as the Executive Secretary, First Secretary, Second Secretary, who assist the administration by the President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer.
end update and renumber}
Article 8. Election
The election, arranged by the Election committee, will be conducted as follows:
1) Election of Members.
Any present SOC member and members can nominate candidates for membership prior to the General Assembly. The nomination should be presented to the election committee.
The Election Committee investigates eligibility and presents the nominations for Membership to the SOC plenary session which votes the corresponding admission.
2) Election of SOC Members.
(a) ***Any present SOC member and ordinary member can nominate candidates for new SOC membership to the Election Committee prior to the Conference. The candidates for elected SOC members should not increase the membership to more than 35.
(b) The Election Committee investigates eligibility and interests of the candidates and presents the nomination for new SOC membership. They shall be voted upon by the present members of SOC in the plenary session of the SOC meeting.
The same procedure will be followed to nominate and elect the Elected members.
3) Election of Executive Board Members.
(a) The new Executive Board members are nominated by the president.
(b) The Election Committee investigates the eligibility and interests of the candidates and presents the nomination for new Executives, which will be approved by the SOC and the General Assembly.
4) Voting Rules.
Decisions shall be taken by a show of hands and by a simple majority of votes passed.
(2) No SOC members shall represent or vote in place of any other SOC member.
(3) Voting will not be by proxy.
***(4) The duty term of SOC members is basically 4-years. The elections in SOC are carried out every 2-years. The duty term of the president is 6-years, with two as president-elect, two as president and two as past-president.
The PORSEC budget is generated mainly through sponsorships from consulting and financial support by individuals and organizations. It also get limited funds through membership fees charged to the members.
The Treasurer administers the Association budget. The income is supplied by annual fees, registration fees, sustaining members such as commercial, and governmental sponsors, various international organizations, Local Organizing Committees and the local government of the hosting country.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) will submit a budget plan to the Association's Treasurer before each PORSEC for approval. The budget shall be arranged to project more income than expenditure. The LOC should keep 10% of the total budget to be transferred to the budget of the succeeding Conference.
Article 10 PORSEC Awards
The PORSEC Awards Committee is a Committee of the PORSEC Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC).
*** The PORSEC Awards Committee shall provide a report to the Chairman of the SOC prior to each PORSEC Conference Meeting with recommendations for recipients of the PORSEC Awards to be given at that PORSEC Conference Meeting. There shall be no more than one award in each category unless unaminous approval from the executive board is given for a joint award.
3. The PORSEC Awards Committee shall exercise diligence in making its recommendations. It shall seek advice and suggestions from members of the PORSEC-SOC Committee and may take external peer assessments and advice.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD may be awarded
at each main PORSEC Conference Meeting by the SOC on the
recommendation of the PORSEC Awards Committee.
The Awards Subcommittee may recommend that no PORSEC
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD be made.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD shall be awarded
for distinguished service within the PORSEC organization or relevant
to PORSEC interests.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD will normally be
presented in the concluding session of the General Assembly meeting.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD shall consist of a
commemorative medallion and a citation.
B: PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SCIENCE AWARD-RULES.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SCIENCE AWARD may be awarded at
each main PORSEC Conference Meeting by the SOC on the
recommendation of the Awards Committee.
The Awards Committee may recommend that no
PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SCIENCE AWARD be made.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SCIENCE AWARD shall be awarded for
distinguished scientific contributions relevant to Association interests.
All basic and applied science contributions are eligible for consideration
and special notice shall be taken of the international context of the work, and of work presented at PORSEC Conferences.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SCIENCE AWARD will normally be
presented at a Plenary Session at the PORSEC Conference Meeting and
the recipient will be invited to present a Plenary Paper at the conference
meeting.
The PORSEC DISTINGUISHED SCIENCE AWARD shall consist of a
commemorative medallion and a citation.
The PORSEC Distinguished Awards Medallion is a commemorative medallion struck in bronze to represent the achievements of mankind and presented with blue trimmings to represent the colour of the oceans and atmospheres of the planet Earth as seen from space. The medallion is based on the PORSEC logo which is an image of the land masses of the Pacific Rim projected onto a circle five centimetres in diameter with the words PORSEC DISTINGUISHED AWARD embossed across the centre. The reverse side of the medal is left plain for engraving.
The "Distinguished Service Award" has those words engraved on the top semicircle in the following style:
Underneath is the name of the recipient and the year in which it was awarded.