Kyoto Computer Guraduate Institute (KCGI) will celebrate its 21st anniversary in 2024, and on November 20, a commemorative ceremony was held at the 6th floor main hall of KCGI Kyoto Ekimae Satellite and Kyoto Computer Gakuin (KCG) Kyoto Ekimae Campus.At the ceremony, Yoichi Terashita, Vice President of KCGI, gave the first address.Students, faculty, and staff together recalled the pioneer spirit that is the founding spirit of the KCG Group and pledged further development.This was followed by a commemorative lecture on "Atmospheric Environment Monitoring with Satellite Remote Sensing and NASA/AERONET" by Dr. Oleg Duvovik (Professor, University of Lille, France), Chair of the 4th International Conference APOLO (Advancement of POLarimetric Observations), and Dr. Brent Holben, Manager Emeritus of NASA/AERONET, USA.Dr. Soichiro Hioki (Research Fellow, Lille University), an up-and-coming geophysicist, joined them as an interpreter and explained from a wide range of perspectives, based on satellite remote sensing, ground-based observations, massive data analysis, and computer processing, how to tackle the "climate change problem," a common environmental issue for mankind, and what to do in the future.
All three doctors are world authorities in global environmental research.In addition to KCGI and KCG students, the audience included the general public.
Dr. Holben began the lecture by explaining how the AERONET observation network was born and how it has survived.The presentation was an example of a project that started as a concept with just a few people and spread to the world, and the lessons learned from over 30 years of research were presented to guide the students in the future.Next, Dr. Duvovik discussed the development of a system for efficiently analyzing the properties of atmospheric particles by comparing observed data with simulation models, focusing on the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties) algorithm, and giving specific examples.After the lecture, students asked many questions such as "What do you think is the future of AERONET?" and "What are the important things you pay attention to in taking on scientific challenges?Finally, KCGI Professor Eno Mukai, who is also the chairman of the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) for the 4th APOLO (APOLO 2024), encouraged the students to enjoy listening to a lecture that is different from their usual one.
APOLO2024 is a groundbreaking international conference focusing on difficult polarization analysis under the theme Frontiers of Polarization Remote Sensing.The first APOLO was held in China in 2017, followed by France and the U.S. every two years since then, and Kyoto was chosen as the venue for the fourth meeting, which was held at KCGI for four days from November 18 to 21.
KCGI opened in April 2004 as the first IT professional graduate school in Japan (declared open in 2003).Inheriting the tradition and achievements of Kyoto Computer Gakuin, the first computer education institution in Japan that has trained information processing engineers to meet the needs of industry.Based on a global educational network with the Rochester Institute of Technology and other overseas universities, we have introduced the world's latest IT education curriculum and added management education to foster advanced professionals in the IT field and top leaders in applied fields.Upon completion, students will be awarded Japan's highest degree in the field of applied information technology, the Master of Information Technology (Professional).The school has an enrollment capacity of 880 students (11 times the number when the school opened), and a new building (headquarters building) will be completed in the summer of 2022 on the Hyakumanben campus of the main school in Kyoto.
Meet the Speakers
- Dr. Oleg Duvovik
- Professor, University of Lille, France; CEO, GRASP; Chairman, APOLO.
- He is a leading developer of theories and analysis systems for deriving atmospheric particle characteristics from satellite, aircraft, and ground data.
- Dr. Brent Holben
- Manager Emeritus of NASA/GSFC/AERONET.
- Founder of AERONET, NASA's world-class global ground-based atmospheric observation network, he led the group for 38 years and retired last year.He is known as the "Legend of AERONET."
- Dr. Soichiro Hioki
- Researcher at the University of Lille, France.
- He received the first Michael I. Mishchenko Young Scientist Award at APOLO 2024 for his outstanding achievements in cloud observation and atmospheric radiative transfer calculations using polarized light from aircraft and satellites.
- Polarized light remote sensing:
- A technology for monitoring the atmospheric environment by observing the reflected waves of sunlight to determine the amount and characteristics of substances in the atmosphere using sensors mounted on a satellite platform.
