Washington, DC (December 14, 2004) – Anne Hale Miglarese, CEO of EarthData, an international mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) organization, announced the appointment of Martin Roche to head the organization’s GIS operations in Orlando, Florida, and New York, New York. Roche, who has over 16 years of experience in GIS, information technology, and urban planning, will develop EarthData’s GIS service offerings and lead the organization’s expansion into new GIS markets. EarthData is pleased with Roche’s decision to join their ranks. “One of my goals when I joined EarthData was to develop the organization’s GIS capabilities to match its already powerful mapping and remote sensing portfolio,” explains Miglarese, who joined EarthData in April. “I have known Martin Roche for over a decade and have always been impressed with his ability to apply GIS and IT solutions in both government and commercial settings.”
To position EarthData for GIS growth, Miglarese earlier this year combined EarthData’s Florida and New York GIS offices under the EarthData Solutions banner. “The name ’EarthData Solutions’ epitomizes the turning of spatial data into knowledge that helps our customers solve problems,” said Miglarese. Roche, a Florida resident, will relocate the current Florida office from Miami to Orlando, where he will continue to focus on the Florida GIS market, as well as promote the use of GIS as a business tool for EarthData and its domestic and international customers. Roche will also lead EarthData’s New York office which specializes in web-enabled 3D solutions and the SIMmetry system.
Prior to joining EarthData, Roche served as Director of the GIS Services Division of Canin Associates, an urban planning and landscape architecture firm located in Orlando. Roche’s career includes a 13-year tenure with the South Carolina Department of Commerce where he spearheaded GIS and IT programs statewide, most recently as Director of the Information Management and Technology Division. “The opportunity to lead EarthData’s expansion into new GIS markets and build upon its reputation as a leader in mapping and GIS is incredibly exciting for me,” said Roche. “I’m eager to share my experiences in both the public and private sectors, where GIS business practices have made a tremendous difference in terms of workforce productivity, planning and forecasting, and decision support.”
Roche, whose educational background includes a BA in urban affairs from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an MA in city and regional planning from Clemson University, is a Certified Economic Developer and Registered GIS Surveyor. He is also a recipient of the Significant Accomplishment in GIS commendation awarded by GIS giant, ESRI.
About EarthData
EarthData is an airborne data collection, mapping, and GIS services organization that provides clients with customized products, services, and GIS applications to support a wide range of land-use, resource management, and engineering activities. With its fleet of aircraft, the organization collects aerial photography, uses an airborne laser system (lidar) and imaging radar (GeoSAR) to produce 3D terrain models, and develops or deploys other remote sensing technologies to detect thermal and multispectral information about the earth’s surface. EarthData offices in Florida, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC, use this data to create and supply photogrammetric, lidar, radar, and digital orthophoto mapping and GIS applications and services. EarthData also owns a mid-west mapping and GIS company, Horizons, Inc., with offices in South Dakota and Minnesota. (www.earthdata.com)
