The results of the 2011 election have been tallied by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Tellers Committee and they reported that Stephen D. DeGloria (right), a professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, won the election to become ASPRS Vice President for 2011. With the installation of officers at the ASPRS Annual Conference in May, Gary Florence moves into the position of President; Roberta (Bobbi) Lenczowski becomes President-Elect, and Carolyn Merry becomes Past President.
Stephen D. DeGloria is Professor of Resource Inventory and Analysis, and Director, Institute for Resource Information Sciences, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, at Cornell University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in geographic information systems, environmental information science, GPS, and spatial modeling and analysis. His research focuses on improving the resource inventory process through the application of aerospace imagery, mapping land cover conditions and trends using digital imagery and geospatial databases, and integrating resource inventory data for use in spatially-explicit predictive models of agro-environmental processes in temperate and tropical landscapes.
Prior to his appointment at Cornell in 1986, DeGloria was a research associate with the Remote Sensing Research Program (RSRP) at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1971-1984, serving as Program Director from 1977-1984. In 1984, he and former RSRP colleagues co-founded the Resource Survey Institute, until 1989 a non-profit research and educational organization dedicated to advancing the application of remotely sensed data for the inventory of agricultural and environmental resources. He received a BS degree in Soils and Plant Nutrition, and MS and PhD degrees in Soil Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
DeGloria joined ASPRS in 1979. He became actively involved in the Society as a member of the Central New York Region, serving as Secretary-Treasurer (1987-1988), President (1998-1999), and National Director (1999-2002). He also served on the Membership Working Group (2004), and Chair, ASPRS Education and Professional Development Committee (2005-2007).
During his time in office, DeGloria says, “I will focus on strengthening our educational and professional development programs, promoting professional certification, and encouraging active engagement by students in the geospatial sciences.”
David Alvarez was elected Assistant Division Director of the ASPRS Geographic Information Systems Division (GISD). He is a Senior GIS specialist for Halcrow Inc., where he serves as a liaison between the GIS and engineering groups and coordinates the company’s geospatial needs in Florida. His current work includes projects on surface water modeling, database design and data collection. Alvarez has a MS degree in Geodetic Science & Surveying from The Ohio State University and a BS in Environmental Engineering from the School of Engineering of Antioquia. He is also a Provisional Certified Mapping Scientist (ASPRS).
Formerly, Alvarez was a GIS Specialist for CDM, where he worked on database design, data management, hydrology modeling and data collection using Mobile GIS. His main goal at CDM was to bring a more integrated geospatial approach and new technologies to any engineering project to improve results and minimize costs. He also worked at the OSU Agriculture Extension Office where he provided geospatial support to agriculture extension offices around the state of Ohio. Examples of his support include GPS surveying, data collection, hydrology modeling, image interpretation and analysis. He also assisted in agricultural research with data collection of crop yield soil samples. Alvarez has taught geospatial technology (GIS/GPS) to OSU agriculture extension officers and farmers and served as a representative of the OSU Agriculture Extension Office for the Ohio Hydrography task force. Other experience includes volunteering at the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation and Statistics where he participated in the development of the Data Content Standards for Transportation Networks/Roads Group.
A board member for the ASPRS Florida chapter, Alvarez is also active with the ASPRS GIS Division and several ASPRS National Committees: Evaluation for Certification, Education and Professional Development, and Defense and Intelligence. Currently, he is helping to establish an ASPRS student chapter in Puerto Rico and promoting the use of remote sensing technology (primarily lidar) and GIS in the classroom.
Allen Cook was elected Assistant Division Director of the ASPRS Primary Data Acquisition Division (PAD). He is a Senior Project Engineer at ITT Geospatial Systems, leading research efforts in advanced ISR sensors and systems, space optics and augmented reality. Previously, Cook worked as a Business Development Lead with Northrop Grumman, supporting a research group of 30 scientists. A Chief Program Technologist with Northrop Grumman, he was the Director of the Geospatial Technology Engineering Center in Lakewood, Colorado, directing research into geospatial systems analysis for Federal lands. He has supported primary sensor calibration on hyperspectral sensors, and supported contracts with the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Geological Survey involving analysis of spatial data from a variety of sources, including civilian and Department of Defense, to address land use and environmental issues. When he was just out of college, Cook worked for the University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory where he designed, built and managed the Remote Sensing and GIS Lab. He got his start in remote sensing as a consulting agronomist, where he began taking his own infrared color aerial photography of crops, and developing the film in his basement.
A member of ASPRS since 1988, Cook has held every position on the Board of the Rocky Mountain Region, but is now a member of the Potomac Region. He was National Director for the Region from 2001-2008, and was elected to the ASPRS Executive Committee in 2005. Cook served as Conference Chair for the ASPRS Annual Conference in Denver in 2004, and was part of the planning committee for PECORA 13 and 15 Conferences, as well as the regional GIS in the Rockies conference in 2002 and 2003. He has authored several technical papers, and twice won the ASPRS John I. Davidson award for practical papers. He was honored by TRW as Program Technologist of the Year award in 2000, for a significant body of work across many years and programs.
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.