Abstract:The convocation of the 35th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment in Beijing in April 2013 is of special importance to the global remote sensing community. It has been half a century since its first symposium took place in 1962. Because of the 50-year development, remote sensing technology has embarked on a fast track toward coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained global Earth observation and spatial information services. As a result, new models, algorithms, and technologies are mushrooming with ever expanding application scopes. Newly engineered services, on the basis of Digital Earth, big data, and cloud computing, have started to become applicable, showing an outburst of vigor, vitality, and creativity.