In 1984, the State and the Languedoc-Roussillon Region committed to support a regional pole of excellence in the field of remote sensing to promote synergies between different scientific research organisations on the Agropolis campus. In 1988, teams from ENGREF and CEMAGREF, specialised in the field of geomatics, came together to create the Common Remote Sensing Laboratory (French abbreviation: LCT). At the Agropolis site, teams from CIRAD and IRD also started working in this domain.

This growth led the State and the Region, with help from the European Union, to significantly advance the effort by creating a separate Center. The Remote Sensing Center (La Maison de la télédétection) in Languedoc-Roussillon was thus established in September 1994. The Center is a place where teams and methods used in the domain of the analysis and processing of georeferenced data (geomatics) can be brought together.

A consolidation of skills

The Remote Sensing Center of Languedoc-Roussillon brings together teams from CEMAGREF, AgroParisTech (ex-ENGREF), CIRAD and IRD, in the form of about fifty permanent  and twenty temporary staff.

In creating a favourable atmosphere for the respective activities and projects of the  partner teams, this consolidation emphasises :

- the sharing of equipment ;
- the creation of a documentary database ;
- joint activities between the partners ;
- regional, national and international scientific interactions and partnerships ;
- organisation of training activities ;
- effectiveness of the know-how and technology transfer cell.