Dear Members and Friends of the PORSEC Association, In this bulletin, 13-2, we report on the status of the International Journal of Remote Sensing special issue of PORSEC 2018 that took place in Jeju Island, The Republic of Korea. We also look forward to the next PORSEC and Capacity Building Tutorial that are planned to be held near (Conference) and at (Tutorial) Universiti Teknologi (UTM), Bahru, Malaysia in September, 2020. In this issue we announce the important dates and other information about the capacity building tutorial and PORSEC-2020. We also feature the host city and general information about Malaysia, to allow for a more meaningful and rewarding visit for participants. Please plan to come and send a student or early career scientist! All our bulletins (published 3 times a year for the past 13 years) and newsletters are archived and accessible at https://porsec.nwra.com/bulletins/ We also provide news of interest, opportunities and announcements, and information about our membership drive. In case you received this newsletter from a colleague, or landed directly to our portal; and are interested to keep receiving PORSEC updates (usually not more than 5-6 times a year) directly in your inbox, you may wish to subscribe here: https://porsec.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f37c17c7b7e8ce0b8a316925e&id=af8ceb88c7 The membership form is designed to be intuitive and takes a couple of minutes to fill in. That’s all and then you’re all set to receive the future updates! We hope to see you all at PORSEC 2020! Best wishes to the New Year and Decade Co-Editors: Nimit Kumar and Gad Levy nimitkumar.j (at) incois.gov.in; gad (at) porsec.nwra.com *we use “at” in the email addresses herein to avoid phishing

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 1

PORSEC Special Issue of the International Journal of Remote Sensing : Status Report Editorial Team

Title: Pan-Ocean Remote Sensing: Interdisciplinary multi-sensor studies of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

This special issue follows special IJRS issues of the previous PORSEC meetings, which have been held at two- year intervals since 2006: Busan, Korea, 2006, Guangzhou, China, 2008, Keelung, Taiwan, China, 2010, Kochi, India, 2012, Bali, Indonesia, 2014, Fortaleza, Brazil, 2016. Selected papers resulting from the PORSEC 2018 meeting on Interdisciplinary multi-sensor studies of the Pacific and Indian Oceans held in Jeju, South Korea, Nov 4 to 7 2018 will appear in a special IJRS issue. Status Report A total of 23 papers presented at PORSEC2018 are have undergone peer review and accepted for publication. Papers are published online upon acceptance after a publisher’s final review. The special issue is expected to be available by early January, 2020. Manuscripts communicated are from 10 different countries viz. Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Taiwan, and USA. These are being handled by an editorial team of four as follows.

Editorial Team: Gad Levy, Northwest Research Associates, USA (gad at porsec.nwra.com) Jim Gower, IOS, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, (Jim.Gower at dfo-mpo.gc.ca) Stefano Vignudelli, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy (vingudelli at pi.ibf.cnr.it) Nimit Kumar, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, India (nimitkumar.j at incois.gov.in) PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 2 Extension of Deadline : PORSEC 2020 tutorials and abstracts report Nurul Hazrina Idris, Chair (Local Organizing Committee PORSEC 2020)

Greetings from UTM!

We are delighted to inform that deadlines for application to capacity building tutorials and abstract submissions to PORSEC2020 are extended till 31 January, 2020.

Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia will host the 15th Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference (PORSEC2020) from 20 - 22 September 2020 at , Malaysia. Prior to the conference a 5-day (15-19 September 2020) Capacity Building Tutorial will be held.

The 5 days tutorial offers expert training for students, and young scientists. The tutorial focus on existing instruments in space and on methods of analysis and visualization. One of the unique aspects of the PORSEC tutorial is that most of the instructors are current or past PORSEC officers, who are experienced remote sensing scientists, which gives participants a valuable networking experience, in addition to the knowledge and skills taught during the tutorial. Participants will be given following exposure such as:

• Theoretical information as well as practical exercises along with a variety of data and software.

• Fundamentals of visible, thermal and microwave remote sensing, satellite wind and wave data, satellite altimetry, ocean color data, fisheries applications, and data assimilation.

• Demonstrations on how to access all of these datasets from a variety of different softwares.

• How to write scientific manuscript

• Giving a scientific presentation in English to an international audience

• Experience live field data collection and sampling at the ocean facilitated by the experienced local facilitators

• Demonstration of ocean water sampling instruments along with hands-on operating opportunities to students

The training courses are scheduled as follows:

• Trainees make a short presentation about their needs, requirements, and expectations

• Trainers deliver lectures and instruct how to use satellite remote-sensing data trainees process satellite remote- sensing data in combination with their own data

• At the end, trainees report their results. PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 3 Trainers:

• Gad Levy (NWRA, USA)

• Cara Wilson (NOAA, USA)

• MingAn Lee (NTOU, Taiwan)

• Stefano Vignudelli (CNR, Italy)

• Abderrahim Bentamy (Ifremer, France)

• Jim Gower (IOS, Canada)

• Nurul Hazrina Idris (UTM, Malaysia)

• Mazlan Hashim (UTM, Malaysia)

• Aidy Dr. Aidy @ Mohamed Shawal M. Muslim (INOS UMT, Malaysia)

• Mohd Nadzri Md Reba (UTM, Malaysia)

Trainees are strongly encouraged to bring their own data (e.g. in situ or satellite data). If trainees use their own application software, please bring it installed in your PC. Following are some important dates for the tutorial:

• 1st September 2019 – 31 January 2020 - Capacity building student tutorial application.

• Mid February – Result of the selection process for the capacity building student tutorial.

More details regarding the tutorial capacity building are available in the conference website (https://www.geoinfo.utm.my/porsec/). Other information such as registration and accommodation are also available in the website.

Please download the training application file at https://rebrand.ly/student-application-d55da and send to our email [email protected] with heading: Application for Tutorial Capacity Building

Scholarship/Travel Grants:

• Tuition fee waiver will be offered depend on the number of participants;

• Full/Partial travel grants might be available

Sponsors: PORSEC Association, UTM, UMT, IGRSM and Malaysia Space Agency, COSPAR

Spread a word among your contacts. We are looking forward to see you in Johor Bahru!

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 4 Know your conference host: Malaysia and Johor Bahru PORSEC 2020 Local Organizing Committee A) General Information

COUNTRY Malaysia is divided into 13 states and 3 federal territories, separated by the South China Sea with 11 states and 2 federal territories (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya) in and two states and 1 federal territory (Labuan) in East Malaysia.

CAPITAL CITY The capital city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur.

LANGUAGE Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) is the national language but English is widely spoken. Malaysians also speak various languages and dialects.

CLIMATE Malaysia has a tropical climate and the weather is warm all year around. Temperatures range from 21˚C (70˚F) to 32˚C (90˚F) and the annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm to 2,500mm.

RELIGION Islam is the official religion but other religions are practised freely.

PLACES OF WORSHIP Shoes must be removed when entering places of worship such as mosques and temples. Some mosques provide robes and scarves for female visitors. Taking photographs at places of worship is usually permitted but do request for permission first.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Visitors must be in possession of a valid passport or travel document with a minimum validity of six months beyond the intended visiting period. Citizens of most countries do not require visas for social or business visits.

IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS Visitors to Malaysia must be in possession of a valid passport or travel document with a minimum validity of six months beyond the period of stay. Most nationalities do not require visas for social or business visits. For further information, please check with the nearest Malaysian Mission or Tourism Malaysia office in your country. Alternatively browse www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my or www.imi.gov.my. Trafficking in illegal drugs is a serious offence and importing large amounts of foreign currencies requires a declaration.

CURRENCY The unit of currency is the Malaysian Ringgit, which is indicated as RM. Foreign currencies can be converted at banks and money changers.

MONEY MATTERS Travellers are advised to bring a combination of traveller’s cheques, cash and credit cards. Credit cards are widely used in larger shopping establishments and hotels. Smaller establishments accept transactions in cash only. Those embarking on an island trip are advised to make prior financial arrangements on the mainland. Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, airports and money changers around the country.

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 5 Banking hours are from 9.30am to 4.00pm on weekdays. Banks in the states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu operate from 9.30am-4.00pm from Saturdays to Wednesdays.

GETTING TO MALAYSIA The main gateway to Malaysia is through the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at Sepang, which is located approximately 50km south of Kuala Lumpur. Other major international airports that serve as entry points are situated in Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and the island of Langkawi. Malaysia has two Low Cost Carrier Terminals (LCCT), which are situated in Sepang and Kota Kinabalu. Over 40 international airlines fly into the country while the national carrier, Malaysia Airlines, has a global network that spans six continents. It is complemented by the budget airline AirAsia. The main entry point by sea is at Port Klang, about 50km away from Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is also accessible by rail and road from and Thailand.

ACCOMMODATION Malaysia has a wide range of accommodation with competitive rates. International star-rated hotels, beach resorts, chalets, youth hostels and timeshare apartments are just some of the types of accommodation available.

ELECTRICITY The voltage used throughout Malaysia is 220-240 volts A/C, at 50 cycles per second. Standard 3-pin square plugs and sockets are used.

WEIGHTS & MEASURES Metric system in weights and measures.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS Malaysia is linked nationally and internationally by telephone, facsimile, telegraph, telex and via the Internet. Most hotels provide International Direct Dial (IDD) telephone services. In cities and towns, public phones are available at high-traffic areas, such as bus stations, shopping complexes and office buildings, using coins or phone cards.

TIPPING Most hotels and restaurants levy a 10% service charge and 6% government sales tax on bills. Therefore, tipping is not customary. However, should you want to show your appreciation for good services, a small tip will do.

B) Host City: Johor Bahru

Situated at the southernmost part of Peninsular Malaysia, Johor is the country’s southern gateway. Its strategic location leads to its encouraging growth throughout the years, making it one of the country’s most developed states. The state is blessed with a diversity of natural attractions, which includes verdant rainforests, cascading waterfalls, thriving wetlands and beautiful tropical islands off its coasts.

Johor derived its name from Jauhar, an Arabic word that means precious stones. The southern gateway to Malaysia, Johor is linked to Singapore via the Causeway and encompasses an area of 18,986 sq km. It is also where the southernmost tip of Asia, , is located. The state has long enthralled visitors with its diverse range of attractions. Ancient rainforests, pristine islands, world-renowned golf courses and shopping establishments – with so many to choose from, you will definitely be spoilt for choice. The state capital, Johor Bahru, is famous for its historical buildings and impressive architecture. Let Johor be your gateway to a world of fascination and adventure!

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 6 Places of Interest

While Johor has a lot to offer to the visitors, here we try to put together a list of select places in and around, that may serve as a starter for the first time visitors. Enjoy the virtual ride before you take a real one!

Photo: A map of Johor Bahru showing tourists’ places of interest

Endau-Rompin National Park,

Photo: Tourists on a forest-trek in the Rompin National Park PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 7 The 92,000-hectare -Rompin National Park straddles across two states, on the south of Pahang and north of Johor, taking up about 48,905ha of land. Rich in flora and fauna, this lowland dipterocarp forest shelters wildlife such as the endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros, elephants, tapirs, tigers, wild boars, deer, monkeys, gibbons, sun bears, civets and binturong as well as the rare fan-palm (livistona endauensis). There are some 26km of jungle trails within the park, the most popular being the gruelling 16km trail from Kuala Jasin to Batu Hampar and Buaya Sangkut.

Must do: o Go jungle trekking, camping, bird watching in the rainforest o Enjoy picnics by the waterfall o Embark on a 4 x 4 off road adventure o Savour the beauty of nature as you go on a river safari or white-water rafting trips o Visit the friendly orang asli (indigenous people)

Sibu Group of Islands

Photo: Tourist returning from a SCUBA tour

Escape to the tropical paradise at the Sibu group of islands. Comprising the Sibu Besar, Sibu Tengah, Sibu Kukus and Sibu Hujung islands, they are a beach lover’s dream come true. Spend a relaxing day by the seaside or take part in watersports activities such as snorkelling, windsurfing, sailing and kayaking. You can also visit the near by kelong or fishing platform where anchovies are caught or head for the villages to see how the locals live.

Gunung Ledang National Park, Ledang Those with a spirit of adventure should head for the district of and scale the 1,276m Gunung Ledang or Mount Ophir. During the two-day trek, you will be greeted by views of beautiful flora and fauna and spectacular waterfalls. On a clear day, you might even be rewarded with breathtaking views of the Straits of and the Sumatran coastline.

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 8 Must do: o Learn more about nature at the Gunung Ledang Legendary Park o Picnic by cascading waterfalls and flowing streams

Photo: (L) Tourist on a hike to the heavens, (R) Family moments at Legoland, Malaysia

Legoland Malaysia LEGOLAND® Malaysia is packed full of family fun with more than 40 rides, shows and attractions. With seven themed areas of attractions for all ages such as The Beginning, LEGO® Technic, LEGO Kingdoms, Imagination, LEGO City, Land of Adventure and MINILAND as well as a Water Park it’s an inspirational land where the children are the heroes. From LEGO experiment centres to rollercoasters, the park is a day-long voyage of discovery for the whole family.

Danga Bay, Johor Bahru

Danga Bay is an up-and-coming waterfront development located along the popular Lido Beach. It is the ideal destination for youth groups, couples and families as well as businessmen and corporate executives. It offers an amazing variety of attractions as well as a 150-berth marina, making any visit a memorable experience.

Must do: o Sample a mouth-watering range of Asian and European cuisine available at the International Marina Club o Enjoy a dinner cruise along the waterfront with live entertainment and karaoke o Board a water taxi for a scenic view of the city skyline and visit fish farms o Choose from a wide variety of activities and attractions that include over 20 different rides at Danga World, a funfilled mini theme park o Get close to over 180 species of birds, reptiles, insects and animals at the Petting Zoo.

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 9

Puteri Harbour It is part of Iskandar new growth area in the southern part of Johor in . It is facing and Singapore can be seen from here. Legoland is also about 10-15 minute drive away. Historically the area had a village and palm plantations. It is new development area with around hotels, schools, international universities medical centers, towers fully rented to Japanese, Chinese, Korean people. It is the nearest place to Singapore. There is a small harbor with yachts. There are plans for a convention center of 10000 people. There is a terminal for ferryboat connecting Indonesia e Singapore (divided by Johor strait with depth of 20 m). There is nice view of Singapore and Indonesia.

Forest City Forrest city is real estate development (car-free city) in Iskandar strategically located, located adjacent to Singapore (Jurong area that is industrial area) , approximately 5km from the Second Link and 40 minutes to Singapore CBD. The project is work in progress and landscape development is shown in a nice building. The area is considered strategically important as there is plan to connect China in 7 hours with fast train. There are also beaches around. We visited the building where a guide showed us the city model and described the project. A video was made available in the room. We had also possibility to visit examples of houses and the developed landscape.

Kukup fishing village is a fishing village of 8000 people located in the of Johor. It takes around 1 hour from UTM campus to be there. All buildings in this village are built on high stilts. During October, there is one week of severe flooding due to weather. It is proposed to organize field work here

Tanjung Piai Tanjung Piai is the southernmost point of Peninsular Malaysia and thus the most southern point of mainland Eurasia. The skyline of Singapore is visible across the Johor Strait from the point. It takes 1.5 hour from KSL Hotel & Venue. Tanjung Piai coastal mangrove is an internationally important Ramsar site.

Old city Returning from Tanjung Piai, we stopped in the old town where there is a mixture of Chinese and Indian heritages, reflected by their forms of ethnic business and architecture.

Additional Tourism tours It is planned that PORSEC2020 web site will provide a link to the Malaysian tourism authority where the most important sites to visit are advertised.

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 10 Announcements

Gad Levy and Nimit Kumar

1. The Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020, co-sponsored by AGU, the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS), will be held at San Diago, California during 16-21 February, 2020. Abstract submission deadline is 11 September, 2019. Some of the important sessions that may interest remote sensing researchers are (replace XXXXX with session ID to view session page: https://agu.confex.com/agu/osm20/webprogrampreliminary/SessionXXXXX.html): • From catchments to open ocean: advances in remote sensing for monitoring water quality, food security, ecosystems and change (74491) • Hyperspectral Sensing of Coastal Aquatic Environments (84765) • From the twilight zone to the troposphere: ocean optics applications to biogeochemical cycling in and through the surface ocean (84834) • Using satellite remote sensing and in situ data to evaluate marine biodiversity and ecosystems (84971)

2. Call for scholarships: Copernicus Master in Digital Earth Geospatial technologies have the ability to confront global problems in a way never seen before; and the demand for qualified professionals to address these problems grows as well. With this in mind, the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) Programme - in conjunction with the EU’s Copernicus programme - is calling for applications to the Copernicus Master in Digital Earth. The Digital Earth programme is a two year Master’s of Science degree focusing on the environmental and societal benefits available through the technical application of open-source earth observation and geoinformatics. Graduates from the programme will be qualified to lead initiatives, projects and institutions that aim at using Earth observation data to address one of the six key services of the Copernicus programme: land management, the marine environment, atmosphere, emergency response, security and climate change. The programme will be accepting 30 students starting in October 2020; and 17 scholarships are available for EU and international applicants. Applications for the programme are open until 15 January 2020. The two- year programme will begin with the first two semesters at the University of Salzburg and then specialization in either GeoData Science or Geovisualization & Geocommunication will be hosted by the University of South Brittany and the Palacky University Olomouc, respectively. Read more at: https://cde.sbg.ac.at/

3. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Government of Japan in cooperation with the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) are pleased to announce that we are still accepting applications for the 2020 round of the United Nations/Japan Long-term Fellowship Programme, Post- graduate study on Nano-Satellite Technologies (PNST) (Kitakyushu, Japan). Applications are invited from eligible candidates. The deadline for submitting applications is 19 January 2020. Late applications will not be considered. Fellowship programme details, application requirements & application documents are available from https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/bsti/fellowships.html We greatly appreciate it if you can forward this information to those that might be interested in this opportunity. Please do not miss this great opportunity!

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 11 News and Updates Gad Levy and Nimit Kumar

New Satellites Will Tell Us Exactly how Quickly the Oceans are Rising One of the clearest signs of global warming, unless you live next to a glacier, are rising oceans. Now a joint mission involving the US and European countries is launching a pair of satellites to monitor the rising sea levels. The two satellites will monitor the oceans until 2030. There’s more to rising oceans than melting glaciers and ice sheets. Ocean rise is also caused by the warming of the atmosphere. The oceans are like heat sinks, and as they absorb the heat from the atmosphere, they expand and rise. The pair of satellites will track that rise, providing important data for our efforts to adapt to climate change. Read full story here: https://www.universetoday.com/144139/new-satellites-will-tell-us-exactly-how- quickly-the-oceans-are-rising/

Ex-PORSEC Vice President delivers a thriller fiction (that is frighteningly close to reality!) The global warming opens the Northwest Passage near the Russian north coast in the Arctic for ship transportation in the summer. North Korea takes the opportunity to smuggle their biological weapons using the Russian convoy through the Northwest Passage.

When Dr. Tony arrives at the US Navy base in Tokyo for his new assignment, he quickly finds himself at the center of political intrigue, military posturing, and a spy world where even the weather data in the Arctic has become critical information in the new cold war. Taiwan readies a secret “super submarine”, while the US funds a daring plan to raid a seemingly harmless North Korea oil tanker in the Russian convoy.

From Tokyo to Headquarters in Hawaii, to meetings in Hokkaido and Taipei, to the satellite station in Alaska, and a final show-down in the Arctic Oceans, Arctic Storms takes readers around the world and explores a new kind of conflict where satellite monitoring of sea-ice is used for submarine maneuvers. NASA Scientist Dr. Antony Liu pulls from his expert knowledge of anti-submarine warfare in the Arctic to create a pulse-pounding plot that concludes with an assault operation during the Arctic storms. This novel is a startling blueprint for possible future wars in the Arctic oceans.

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 12

PORSEC Membership Drive!

We’ve now updated the PORSEC webpage to include an online payment system for membership fees (https://porsec.nwra.com/join-us/). These fees are an important source of stable funds that we use to keep PORSEC running.

Starting at PORSEC 2018 in Korea, the membership fee is now included with your registration. However, if you were not able to attend the latest conference, please keep your membership up-to-date by paying your 2018/2019 membership fee online ($50 for 2018 and 2019; $20 for students). If you have not paid your membership in several years, we encourage to pay for your 2016/2017 membership online ($50 for 2016 and 2017). You can also consider paying a one-time lifetime membership fee of $250.

Thanks very much for you continued support!

PORSEC – Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference Association – Since 1990 Bulletin vol. 13-2 13