GNSS+R 2017 will provide a forum for the leading experts and young researchers working on the science, engineering and technology of reflectometry and related fields of remote sensing to come together and share their recent results and plans for the future. The meeting will also provide a setting for other interested parties, not directly involved with reflectometry research, to become familiar with its latest techniques, capabilities and applications and interact directly with its active research community.

GNSS-R (Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry) remote sensing from ground, airborne and space-based observation platforms is the focus of geophysical and engineering research with a broad spectrum of Earth observation applications. GNSS-R remote sensing exhibits unique characteristics to complement other active and passive Earth observation methods. One significant attribute is its leveraging of existing and ubiquitous GNSS infrastructure, consisting of multiple constellations of transmitting GNSS satellites with dedicated ground operational support and large ground-based receiver networks. This infrastructure assures the reliability and continuity of the transmission signals and supports the foundation for many potential applications in Earth Observation.

Building upon the successes of GNSS-R, reflectometry-based remote sensing has more recently expanded to use digital communication satellite signals as well. These signals operate over a wider range of microwave frequencies, which expands the range of geophysical phenomenology sensed by the scattered signals.  Communication signals also tend to be transmitted at much high power density levels, which further expands the dynamic range of scattered signals that can be sensed. Geophysical parameters which can be sensed by GNSS-R and other, communication based, signals of opportunity include ocean surface winds, sea surface height, soil moisture, ice properties, snow water equivalent, and vegetation biomass.