April 2, 2015 (Washington, DC) – MAPPS and NSPS are pleased to announce that Jim Williams, Manager for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) office, will be the keynote speaker at the National Surveying, Mapping and Geospatial Conference, to be held April 13-16 in Crystal City (Arlington),VA.
Mr. Williams will speak at lunch on Tuesday, April 14, 2015. He’ll address the recently published notice of proposed rulemaking issued by his office in FAA, including regulations and policies that will affect surveying and mapping firms that want to fly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the commercial market.
"MAPPS has worked with Mr. Williams and his staff for several years to assure that business and societal benefits of using UAV/UAS for aerial surveying, mapping and imagery are recognized and empowered in FAA policy," said John Palatiello, MAPPS Executive Director. "UAV/UAS technology is the future of the mapping, surveying and geospatial profession. It is imperative that geospatial firms have the ability to operate UAV/UAS. Mr. Williams understands this, and his office’s policies have reflected his understanding of our community as an important stakeholder."
"We’re honored to have Mr. Williams join us at the conference. We look forward to hearing how he sees the future of UAV/UAS and how it will effect the business and professional practice of surveying and mapping," said Curtis Sumner, National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Executive Director. "His addition to the conference strengthens an already outstanding program."
Full registration for the conference is required for admission to the keynote luncheon. The National Surveying, Mapping and Geospatial Conference will be held April 13 – 17, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel in Crystal City (Arlington), VA. Information, registration and other conference details can be found at www.surveyingandmapping.net.
About MAPPS
Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. Independent Consultant Members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession.
About NSPS
NSPS is the voice of the professional surveying community, with more than 15,000 individual members, primarily within the United States. Through its joint membership program with the respective state surveying societies, NSPS has a strong constituency base for communicating with lawmakers, agencies, and regulators at both the national and state levels. NSPS also collaborates with a multitude of other organizations within the geospatial community to address issues of mutual importance. As the lead society for the evaluation of college-level programs seeking accreditation through ABET, NSPS is instrumental in assuring that prospective professional surveyors receive an education that is relevant to the role they will play in society. NSPS is the U.S. representative to FIG (the international organization for surveyors), placing representatives on the respective practice-area Commissions. NSPS has a Certified Survey Technician (CST) program and a Hydrographic surveying certification program, and offers competitions for both high school and college-level students.