Prof. Gottfried Konecny, the former head of the Institute of Photogrammetry and GeoInformation, passed away peacefully on Thursday 25 July 2024 at the age of 94.
In the second half of the 20th century, Prof Konecny played a key role worldwide in shaping his field, and is regarded as the European father of remote sensing. From the beginning of his work in Hanover in 1971 until his retirement in 1998, he inspired generations of students for photogrammetry, remote sensing and GIS, and continued to actively shape the field until shortly before his death. He was the principal investigator of the Metric Camera, the world's first photogrammetric space camera, which flew on the NASA Space Shuttle in 1983. Further highlights of his career were the World Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), organised under his leadership in Hamburg in 1980, and his ISPRS presidency from 1984 to 1988.
In recognition of his many achievements, Prof. Konecny was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class in 1990. He also received honorary doctorates from the National University of Tucaman (Argentina), the University of New Brunswick (Canada), Anna University (India) and the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography (Russia).
With his passing, we have lost a dedicated scientist and a brilliant mind. Our thoughts are with his children and his family, may he rest in peace.
Christian Heipke and the IPI team
Obituary for Prof. Dr.‐Ing. Dr. h.c. mult. Gottfried Konecny:
