You are sincerely invited to participate the ISPRS Symposium on "Geospatial databases and location based services" which will be held May 14-16, 2014 in Suzhou, China The Symposium is organized by ISPRS Technical Commission IV. It will provide an inter-disciplinary forum for scientists, researchers and practitioners in the field of “Geo-spatial databases and location based services”. The participants of the Symposium will present the latest developments and applications, discuss cutting-edge technologies, exchange research ideas, and promote international collaboration. The themes of the Symposium will include: 1. Methods for the Update and Verification of Geospatial Databases (WG IV/1) l update and verification of topographic vector datasets, digital terrain models, orthoimages and thematic (landcover) datasets from remotely sensed data with an emphasis on mapping in a production environment. l links between high resolution images and mapping tools developed through research, and their implementation in mapping agencies and commercial organisations. l methods of creating and maintaining spatial databases (including 3D city models and BIMs) from terrestrial and mobile data acquisition systems. l synergy between various sensors, for topographic and thematic mapping. l optimum methodologies for the integration of mapping data with heterogeneous data sources. l semi-automated and automated algorithms for updating, change detection and quality control of spatial databases as well as facilitation of the integration of these algorithms into digital photogrammetric and GIS workstations, enterprise and web-based photogrammetric systems. l Evaluation of the information content and accuracy of new high-resolution sensors. 2. Global Status of Mapping and Geospatial Database Updating (WG IV/2) l global status of mapping and its updating in databases. l potentials and possibilities for fast, efficient and accurate means to acquire global basic topographic map information at various scale levels and to maintain and update it l global geospatial database creation and their availability in the Internet l innovative hardware and software for real-time production of cartographic products 3. Global DEM Interoperability (WG IV/3) l progress on global DEM data fusion methods and outcomes l progress on creation of bathymetry of the Earth's continental shelves and data fusion with coastal zone co-ordinate systems, topography and shorelines from spaceborne EO data l temporal aspects of DEMs including per gridpoint time-tagging, change assessment (e.g. ice-sheets, open-cast mining, landslides, etc..) l methods for bare earth retrieval from Earth Observation-derived Global DEMs and subsequent assessment of global biomass (in association with the IC II/IV on Global land cover) l open source software and database for evaluation/validation of global DEMs l methods for interoperability through OGC-compliant protocols 4. Geospatial Data Infrastructure (WG IV/4) l development and management of multi-level (national, regional and global) geospatial databases l highly efficient data acquisition and processing from multi-sources, including field surveying, remote sensing, real-time sensors and crowdsourcing; l synchronization of disparate geospatial resources to provide a useful, usable, and enabling framework that can be integrated with environmental and socio-economic data for research, discovery and web services characterized by broad access and ?end-to-end? coordination l methods, strategies and techniques for sustained, dynamic and incremental updating and versioning of the database and maintaining the consistence of multi-scale and multi-resolution datasets in the process of updating. l interoperability standards and specifications 5. Web and Cloud Based Geospatial Services and Applications (WG IV/5) l web and cloud based architectures, services and applications for intelligent mapping, multiple geospatial web services, geoweb semantics and ontologies, geospatial analytics, spatiotemporal analysis and online GIS l mobile and ubiquitous geospatial services and applications with adaptive and context-aware processing and multidimensional visualisation l virtual and collaborative geospatial environments and services for crowdsourced spatiotemporal data l Integration of open source solutions and open standards/specifications l virtual globes for geospatial data integration, visualization and analysis l social and organizational issues related to web and cloud-based services and collaborative environments l novel online 3D/4D visualization and virtual reality technologies for representing and analysing dynamic phenomena to provide collaborative services in a web and cloud based environment? 6. Sensor Web and Internet of Things (WG IV/6) l interoperable Sensor Web standards, algorithms, and system architecture l efficient ways to connect, access, and task resource-constrained Internet of Things devices and sensors l advance sensor data stream processing algorithms and architecture l innovative Sensor Web and Internet of Things applications l implementation interfaces for the abstract ISO standards l XML-definitions and software libraries 7. 3D Indoor Modeling and Navigation (WG IV/7) l 3D reconstruction of indoor environments integrating different types of sensors; l 3D data structures, algorithms and standards for integration of BIM, CAD and GIS models for seamless (indoor/outdoor) navigation and evacuation. l automated semantic description of indoor environments. l automated 3D modelling of dynamic indoor environments l benchmarking of indoor reconstruction of and semantic algorithms. l 3D data models for management of geo-sensor data and their integration with other 3D information. l data models allowing for efficient 3D visualization and assisted navigation of indoor models l Promote integrated processing of dynamic sensor data and simulation model data for quick emergency response. l 3D disaster management and environmental modelling needs for production and updating of spatial information. 8. Planetary Mapping and Spatial Databases (WG IV/8) l advanced techniques in data acquisition, processing, and analysis pertaining to the mapping of celestial bodies l definition or evaluation of reference systems, coordinate systems, map sheet definitions, etc. and their standardization l spatial information systems to support extra-terrestrial exploration and science l web based delivery of extra-terrestrial map products and GIS data 9. Computing Optimization for Spatial Databases and Location based Services (ICWG IV/II) l reduction of the response time for spatial databases and location based services given specific computing infrastructure l optimization of distributed computing for enabling computability of geosciences and digital earth l mining and Utilizing spatiotemporal principles to improve cloud computing and other new computing paradigms for SDB and LBS l modern hardware and software accelerating Technologies for GIS l spatiotemporal Index for geosciences and other science domains 10. Global Land Cover Mapping and Services (ICWG (IV/II/VIII) l scientific/technological/application challenges related to global land cover mapping and monitoring l new sensor data, SAR data, and longer and denser time-series data for global land cover mapping and monitoring l validation of global land cover datasets at various spatial resolutions l web services for GLC data sharing, updating, processing and validation l collaborate with GEO tasks related to GLC (e.g., SB-02) Suzhou is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake. Originally founded in 514 BCE, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of rich history, and relics of the past are abundant to this day. The city's canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens have contributed to its status as one of the top tourist attractions in China. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it has also been an important centre for China's silk industry. The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. Suzhou is often dubbed the "Venice of the East" or "Venice of China". For traffic, Suzhou is conveniently located on the Jinghu Railway taking about 25 minutes to Shanghai Hongqiao airport station, and about 5 hours to Beijing. For more detail information about the Symposium, please visit the symposium website at http://www.isprs.org/2014tc4symposium/index.html