ASPRS is pleased to announce that Robert Burtch has accepted the position of National Workshop Coordinator. ASPRS Workshops, offered for ten years under the direction of Dr. Russell Congalton, have successfully provided in-depth educational opportunities to thousands of professionals in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing. On average 13 workshops are offered at ASPRS annual conferences and at least eight are given at the ASPRS fall conferences. Additionally these workshops have been given in conjunction with ASPRS Region events, for government agencies including the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and U.S. Geological Survey, as well as private sector companies such as Merrick & Company and Penn State University. The workshops all carry Continuing Education Units awarded by the University of Maryland, College Park.
Robert Burtch, a long-time ASPRS member, developed the very popular Preparing for Certification workshop and has been presenting it since 2000 to consistently sold-out audiences. He has also given many other workshops over the years. He is the current Vice-President of the Eastern Great Lakes Region of ASPRS and served as the Secretary-Treasurer from 1986 to 2002. Since 1992, he has been a member of the ASPRS Certified Photogrammetrist Committee.
A professor in the Surveying Engineering Department at Ferris State University, Burtch has been teaching for 28 years. Currently he is the faculty advisor to the Burt and Mullett Student Chapter of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. He assisted in the development of the MAPPS photogrammetric technician training program at Ferris and has authored and presented over 50 papers on various topics in geomatics. Burtch received his Master’s Degree in Geodetic Science from The Ohio State University.
In addition to his ASPRS membership, Burtch has been an active member of a number of other professional organizations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), and the Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors (MSPS). He was editor to the Journal of Surveying Engineering for seven years and currently helps review papers for that journal as well as Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing and the Surveying and Land Information Science journal. He served as the 2003-2004 President of the MSPS. Committee assignments over the years include: GIS Legislation Advisory Committee to the Michigan Senate (1992-1993), Task Force on the NCEES Model Law for Surveying (1997-2003), ASPRS Photogrammetry Exam Writing Committee (2004-present), ACEC_M Surveying Excellence Awards Committee (2006-present), and the MAPPS Geospatial Products & Services Excellence Awards Committee (2007). He received the ASPRS Ford Bartlett Award in 1989 and Merit Award in 1994 and 1998
About ASPRS
Founded in 1934, ASPRS is an international professional organization of 6,000 geospatial data professionals. ASPRS is devoted to advancing knowledge and improving understanding of the mapping sciences to promote responsible application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems and supporting technologies.