International Union of Radio Science
Encyclopedia
The International Union of Radio Science is one of 26 international scientific unions affiliated to the International Council for Science
.
.
URSI's original objective (to encourage "scientific studies of radiotelegraphy, especially those which require international cooperation") has been broadened to include all radio science, from telecommunications to radio astronomy
, acquisition of radar
information about distant passive objects, studies of the radiation stimulated or spontaneously emitted by these objects, biological effects of electromagnetic radiation and active modification of objects by radio waves, within the spectrum from extremely low frequency
to the optical domain.
Commission B: Fields and Waves
Commission C: Radiocommunication Systems and Signal Processing
Commission D: Electronics and Photonics
Commission E: Electromagnetic Environment and Interference
Commission F: Wave Propagation and Remote Sensing
Commission G: Ionospheric Radio and Propagation
Commission H: Waves in Plasmas
Commission J: Radio Astronomy
Commission K: Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine
A few Commissions are engaged with international projects in cooperation with other international bodies, for example with the Committee on Space Research in the project International Reference Ionosphere
.
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...
.
History and objectives
URSI was officially created in 1919, during the Constitutive Assembly of the International Research Council (now ICSU), based on the earlier Commission Internationale de Telegraphie sans Fil (1913-1914) when the only radio communication system was radiotelegraphy. It has held a general assembly every three years from 1922. 50 years ago URSI was one of the most important promotors of the International Geophysical YearInternational Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
.
URSI's original objective (to encourage "scientific studies of radiotelegraphy, especially those which require international cooperation") has been broadened to include all radio science, from telecommunications to radio astronomy
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
, acquisition of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
information about distant passive objects, studies of the radiation stimulated or spontaneously emitted by these objects, biological effects of electromagnetic radiation and active modification of objects by radio waves, within the spectrum from extremely low frequency
Extremely low frequency
Extremely low frequency is a term used to describe radiation frequencies from 3 to 300 Hz. In atmosphere science, an alternative definition is usually given, from 3 Hz to 3 kHz...
to the optical domain.
Commissions
Commission A: Electromagnetic MetrologyCommission B: Fields and Waves
Commission C: Radiocommunication Systems and Signal Processing
Commission D: Electronics and Photonics
Commission E: Electromagnetic Environment and Interference
Commission F: Wave Propagation and Remote Sensing
Commission G: Ionospheric Radio and Propagation
Commission H: Waves in Plasmas
Commission J: Radio Astronomy
Commission K: Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine
A few Commissions are engaged with international projects in cooperation with other international bodies, for example with the Committee on Space Research in the project International Reference Ionosphere
International Reference Ionosphere
International Reference Ionosphere is a common permanent scientific project of the Committee on Space Research and the International Union of Radio Science started 1968/69...
.