The role of IPAC is to advise Council on issues where the Society must take a position in light of international circumstances and technological developments, especially when climate, environmental, socio-economic, security, and other challenges raise political and ethical debates involving photogrammetry and remote sensing. These recommendations can inspire the work of the Technical Commissions and they guide the Society’s interactions with international organizations that have authority on these issues, particularly under the United Nations, as well as with other scientific societies within the framework of the International Science Council (ISC).

ISPRS's goal to make the most of photogrammetry and remote sensing for sustainable development lead IPAC to address several topics related to the societal impact of these techniques through the following actions :

• Promote sustainable space-based applications to environment, climate, security, law, peace etc.
• Promote sustainable applications of photogrammetry (cultural heritage, self-driving car etc.)
• Clarify the business model of Earth observation
• Analyze the technical and regulatory constraints that come with the development of techniques, from UAV / HAPS regulation to the issue of space debris
• Watch for possible uses of AI for data manipulation and deep-fake generation
• Promote ethics and best practices in photogrammetry and remote sensing in terms of reliability and reproducibility of scientific results 
• Promote privacy protection in a world where imagery is everywhere
• Encourage the professional community in photogrammetry and remote sensing to recognise its responsibility as an ″eyewitness″ to the changes affecting the environment and climate.

IPAC Terms of Reference

• Identify, coordinate and prioritize issues on which ISPRS should have a public policy
• Provide the ISPRS Council with early warning of relevant international policy issues and recommend expert spokespersons and competent partner organizations for these issues
• Flag situations arising in the context of ISPRS activities that could cause legal or ethical problems
• Provide advice to the ISPRS Council on the policy to adopt regarding international organizations that the Society interacts with or is represented in.
• Prepare the ISPRS Council's contribution to provide policy guidance when requested by international bodies.
• Inspire the work of ISPRS Technical Commissions, Working Groups and Committees (ISAC, I2AC, CIPA, ICORSE) on international policy issues and promote their contributions on these issues.
• Ensure any advocacy stances are fair and in the best interests of all segments of the ISPRS membership.
   

IPAC Membership

IPAC is co-chaired by Vanessa Keuck (ESA, Netherlands) and Laurent Polidori (UFPA, Brazil). List of IPAC members (2026-2030), to be completed