Foreword to the special issue on the 8th specialist meeting on microwave radiometry and remote sensing applications (MicroRad04)

The 8th Specialist Meeting on Microwave Radiometry and Remote Sensing Applications (MicroRad04) was held on February 24-27, 2004 in Rome, Italy. The coorganizers of the Conference were Prof. N. Pierdicca of The University of Rome “La Sapienza” and Prof. F. S. Marzano of CETEMPS, University of L’Aquila. The meeting was an overwhelming success and can be summarized by 162 submitted abstracts, 152 participants, 85 oral presentations, and 42 interactive posters during four full days of sessions. MicroRad04 was held at the Engineering College of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” situated in one of the most beautiful sites of the Eternal City, between the Colosseum, the archaeological area, and the early Christian Basilicas. It was the latest of a series focusing on Microwave Radiometry and Remote Sensing of the Environment. The very first one dates back to March 1983, when itwas organized and supported by the University “La Sapienza” of Rome, Italy, as a result of the initiative of Prof. G. d’Auria. The satisfactory outcome of the first meeting stimulated an agreement among the participants to ensure the continuity in the form of a periodic meeting, the second of which, supported by IROE-CNR in Florence, Italy, occurred in 1988. Since then, more regular meetings, every 30 months approximately, were scheduled and held in the U.S. (Boulder, CO, 1992; Boston, MA, 1996) and in Italy (Rome “Tor Vergata,” 1994; Florence, 1999), alternately. In 2001, the meeting was hosted by NOAA in Boulder, CO. The MicroRad04 Meeting was organized by the Department of Electronic Engineering of the University “La Sapienza” of Rome and was created as an open invitation to convene again in Rome, 20 years after the first meeting. The objective of MicroRad04 was to set up a common forum to report and discuss recent advances in the specific field of microwave radiometry, thus to gather all parties belonging to the research and industrial community, active in projects and studies in microwave radiometry of atmosphere, ocean, and land. Contributions on topics of primary interest were received, and the papers were separated into both oral and interactive sessions. The 15 sessions of the meeting were focused on classical and new advanced topics of environmental remote sensing by microwave radiometry, emphasizing the methodological, instrumental, and application point of views. Interdisciplinary and sensor synergy issues were also stimulated.