1. INTRODUCTION  
2. DATA  
3. GIANT STAR SELECTION  
4. ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS AND DISTANCE ESTIMATIONS  
4.1. Metallicity  
4.2. Surface gravity  
4.3. Effective temperature  
4.4. Distance  
5. VALIDATION OF ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS AND DISTANCE ESTIMATES  
5.1. Comparison with spectroscopic samples  
5.2. Validation with globular clusters  
6. THE SMSS GIANT SAMPLE  
6.1. Sample construction  
6.2. Sample content  
7. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE SMSS RED GIANT SAMPLE  
8. SUMMARY