Departures of note

George Colin Stove was born on 13 July 1949 in Sandwick, Shetland. He studied Geography at the University of Aberdeen, earning a BSc with honours in 1972 and a PhD in Geography and Geology in 1978, where he was mentored by Professor R.V. Jones, a leading figure in British radar research.

Stove began his career at the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, rising to Principal Scientific Officer and leading its Remote Sensing Unit. He pioneered the use of LANDSAT satellite data, aerial photogrammetry, and radar for mapping Scotland's peatlands, earning international recognition and serving twice as a Principal Investigator for the European Space Agency in the early 1980s.

In 1983 he moved to the private sector as Scientific Director and Chairman of a UK defence‑related company, and in 1988 founded Geospace Consultancy Services Ltd, developing precision ground‑penetrating radar. After selling the business in 1994, he continued his research, inventing Atomic Dielectric Resonance and co‑founding Adrok with his son to commercialise the technology.

Stove’s contributions placed him among Scotland’s most original remote‑sensing scientists, and his work in radar technology left a lasting impact on both academic research and practical applications before his death on 20 July 2026 at the age of 77.