~The Rocky Mountain Compiler~

Rob Eadie, ASPRS-RMR Past President, 3Di Technologies, Inc. has this vendor perspective: The conference was extremely well attended, despite the major travel and business setbacks around the country following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Vendor exhibit booths proved to be a good value to us as we were able to initiate many new prospective client contacts which could result in good business later in the future. The trade exhibits also provided an opportunity for us to interact with some of our existing customer base, which is very valuable in this time of less personal and increased electronic communications.

The main disappointment from an exhibitor point of view was that we were excluded from the raffle for door prizes. These were prized items to us all in the mapping community and included spectacular aerial photos, atlases, books, and even fishing vests!

Our company presented a paper on Urban Mapping Applications using LIDAR technology. There was, as last year, intense interest in developments in LIDAR mapping business and this was shown by the large numbers in the audience. The Remote Sensing track, organized by Jim Jensen, was by far the most successful. This track should really be divided next year into two separate sessions -- one for airborne and one for satellite remote sensing applications - to accommodate the large audience.

Allen Cook, ASPRS-RMR National Director, TRW, offers this exhibitor perspective: I thought it was a good conference. Traffic through the exhibits was light but fairly constant. I was busy talking to people most of the time, and made many good contacts. (I also ended up with more than my share of actions!). I was pleased by the conference attendance, in spite of our timing after September 11.

Since I was manning a booth most of the time, I was unable to attend a single session this year, but eight members of my staff in attendance were pleased by most sessions and felt they were useful, even learning a few things!

Leanne Hanson, ASPRS-RMR Treasurer, USGS: I was a track chair for the Natural Resources Track. I liked the fact that there were lots of vendors, and I especially liked seeing the local Universities there. There was good speaker variety and the social/ awards evening event was nice.

Audio Visual Coordinators were good to work with and helped in getting the kinks out of the system before our session began. My suggestions for the future include: Encourage more students to present/attend; Have research-specific, application-specific and new-technology-specific sessions, to avoid some of the 'sales-pitches' that I heard about...

Sheila Pelczarski, ASPRS-RMR Communications Coordinator, Denver Water: My own most vivid recollection comes from the Natural Resources track. The last session of the day was co-presented by a hearing person and a deaf colleague, who gave his part of the talk with the aid of an interpreter. He gave a computer demo and signed to the interpreter while she relayed his dialogue verbally. It was a profound experience for me to be in this audience.

On the heels of the "GIS in the Rockies" Conference, a tour was hosted by Merrick & Co. in Aurora, Colorado on September 21. Gary Outlaw, Merrick's VP of GIS Business Development, gave an introduction to the company's activities, which included a discussion of GIS projects, LIDAR data, and terrain data extraction. The group was then escorted to a variety of areas where we were able to view staff at work on current projects. The aerial photogrammetry area had a broad spectrum of equipment, from a classic Zeiss workstation using stereo film diapositives to state-of-the-art digital softcopy workstations. Here we donned 3-D glasses to view the various project images. Areas from all around the country were being studied. The next work area performs digital image orthorectification, mosaicking and color balancing, and preparation of final image products for delivery, including data compression. Primary software used in this area includes SOCET-SET, Imagine, and ArcView. In the map production work area, primarily an ArcInfo/Arc GIS shop, vector data processing, image/vector integration, and maps and map plots are produced. Various finished products were on display for the group to view. The survey work group was also mentioned; they were out in the field during our tour. Our tour group was grateful for this valuable, inside look at this important player in the geo-technologies. Many thanks to Merrick & Co. for hosting this tour!

ASPRS wishes to alert you to certain Federal regulatory activities currently taking place in the Dept. of Defense, GSA and NASA concerning the selection processes for contractors. ASPRS is working cooperatively with ACSM and MAPPS to ensure a comprehensive response by the geospatial community to the issues of concern. Our primary interest relates to encouraging the agencies to make the forms and processes user- and terminology- friendly for surveying, mapping and other geospatial information professionals and their clients. A copy of the Federal Register announcement may be viewed/ downloaded at: http://intranet.asprs.org/Fedreg_330.pdf. We are requesting interested members review the proposed regulations with specific concentration on the SF330 lists of Disciplines (Function Codes) and Experience Categories (Profile Codes). Microsoft Word versions of those two lists are also available at http://intranet.asprs.org/Function_Codes.doc and http://intranet.asprs.org/Profile_Codes.doc respectively. Comments are requested no later than December 13. Please email your comments to SF330_Comments@asprs.org. Jeff Kenner, ASPRS Prof. Practice Div. Dir., Jim Crabtree, ASPRS Photogrammetric Applications Div. Dir., John Palatiello, MAPPS Exec. Dir. and Jim Plasker, ASPRS Exec. Dir. will all receive copies of your comments and a consolidated list of recommendations will be forwarded to the agencies.

CU-Denver's GIS programs reside in Geography and Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, and Urban and Regional Planning. The short courses listed below are for students seeking a Certificate in GIS; they do not count as credit in any of the graduate programs.

Short Courses to be offered:

• Introduction to GIS/GIS for Managers
• Introduction to ArcView
• Introduction to Programming with Visual Basic

For more information call 303-566-4907 or toll free at 1-877-859-7304 or log onto the web site at www.cudenver.edu/engineer/cont.

Two special events have been scheduled for Friday, December 7. A Technical Tour of EnerQuest Systems LLC in downtown Denver will demonstrate the use of LIDAR and other remotely sensed imagery for various projects, including some dramatic views of the Grand Canyon. This tour is scheduled to begin at 4 pm sharp and requires reservations. RSVP to sgp@denverwater.org (or call Sheila at 303-628-6511) and include your name, affiliation, phone number and e-mail address, and whether or not you are an ASPRS member. Be watching our web site for full details

EnerQuest Systems, LLC is an advanced digital mapping, remote sensing and GIS service company with offices in Denver, CO; Albuquerque, NM;Tokyo, Japan; and Australia. Incorporated in August of 1992, the company began utilizing LIDAR in 1997 to support a wide range of mapping and natural resource applications that include aerial and satellite data acquisition, land use planning, waste management, transportation, forestry, agriculture, energy, mining, utilities, and environmental mapping for commercial, municipal, county, state and federal agencies. For more information, visit their web site at www.enerquest.com.

Also on December 7, a Holiday Party will be held at Zang Brewing Co. in Denver (2301 7th St., right across from Ocean Journey) starting at 6pm in the downstairs party room. Zang's is a National Historic Landmark with a casual atmosphere. This event will be cosponsored by ASPRS-RMR, GITA, and RM-URISA. Go to www.asprs-rmr.org/news.html for details and updates.

Bring your business card for door-prize drawings!! Mark your calendar for both the technical tour and holiday party on December 7!

Reminder: RMR will match any ASPRS-RMR member contribution to the ASPRS Building Fund, up to $1,500, cumulative. ASPRS will then match the increased contribution. For example, a $100 RMR member contribution to the Building Fund will be matched by RMR, resulting in a $200 contribution to ASPRS. ASPRS will then match the $200 contribution, culminating in a total contribution to the ASPRS Building fund of $400. The net result is a quadrupling of your contribution! And remember, your contribution to the Building Fund is tax deductible. The RMR will work with ASPRS to ensure that your contribution to the Building Fund is properly tracked and attributed to you.

Please make checks payable to the ASPRS Building Fund and mail them to:
ASPRS-RMR
P.O. Box 280834
Lakewood, CO 80228

The Rocky Mountain Region welcomes its newest members:

Active:
Steve Brown
Jeff L. Hartman
Raymond D. Watts

Student:
Bryan Brown
Tayin Hippeli
Jon L. Swearingen
Judith Van der Elst
Chris Woodward

This is my last message for 2001. Reflecting on the accomplishments over the year, it has been a real privilege to work with such a motivated and proactive ASPRS-RMR Board of Directors. The continued hard work and efforts of the ASPRS-RMR BoD and many volunteers are paying off for the Rocky Mountain Region. One of the goals for the year was to establish regional chapters in our widespread RMR to better serve the needs of the membership. It gives me great pleasure to formally welcome the new regional chapter in New Mexico. When the initiative was presented at the New Mexico Geographic Information Council meeting in October, the response was overwhelming. New Mexico has always been an active region within RMR, and has a proactive approach in working through issues on acquiring, utilizing and sharing geographic data and information. The RMR as a whole will benefit from a closer association with the New Mexico Chapter. Hearty congratulations and thanks to the many people who are working to establish the New Mexico Chapter.

The "GIS in the Rockies" Conference was a big success, especially coming on the heels of the sad events on September 11. The facilitators and volunteers did a great job, attendance exceeded last year's record, the exhibit hall was full to capacity, and the technical sessions were relevant and well received. The diversity of industry-leading organizations represented, together with the enthusiasm of the participants, resulted in an engaging, memorable and professional forum. The success of the "GIS in the Rockies" Conference is testament to the extraordinary character of the RM Region, and our commitment to improving the industry via dialog, sharing information and experiences, and collaboration. Many thanks to the sponsoring societies -- ACSM, ASPRS, GITA, PLSC, URISA, and to the conference organizers and volunteers. Well Done!

The ASPRS-RMR Scholarship applications will be evaluated and winners selected by the end of December 2001. The winners will be invited to attend the Annual Dinner in January as guests of the Region. Additionally, several scholarships are available through National ASPRS endowments. I'd love to see the deserving students attending our distinguished academic institutions take advantage of these scholarships. Check out www.asprs.org for more information.

The ASPRS-RMR web site (www.asprs-rmr.org) has been improved and is a resource for the RMR members to obtain information about activities in the region, information about the industry, and employment opportunities. If you are seeking to fill job positions, please forward your job openings to Sheila Pelczarski for posting on the job site.

The national Pecora 15 conference, sponsored by ASPRS and ISPRS, is scheduled for November 8-15, 2002. RMR will assist ASPRS in several activities, including technical tours, special events and activities, and organizing volunteers. If you would like to assist the RMR in any of these or other activities, please contact Allen Cook. Pecora 15 will be held at the Denver Adams Mark Hotel conference center - the same venue as the ASPRS National Convention in 2004. This will be a good opportunity to gain valuable experience for hosting the 2004 convention.

Thanks to Merrick & Co. for hosting a very informative Technical Tour after the "GIS in the Rockies" Conference. It was well received by the members. The host for the last Technical Tour of 2001 will be EnerQuest Systems; the tour will be immediately preceding the holiday social at Zang's on December 7. Information about the Technical Tour and the Holiday Party can be found in this issue and on the web site (www.asprs-rmr.org/news.html).

Plans for the Annual ASPRS-RMR Dinner in January are being finalized. While previous events at Dinner Theaters have been fun and entertaining, the 2002 ASPRS-RMR Dinner will be held at a restaurant more conducive to visiting and conversa-tion. There are several exceptional activities planned for your enjoyment, and the event will be very interesting and memorable - guaranteed! Details will be on the web site, www.asprs-rmr.org.

The ASPRS/MAPPS conference in beautiful St. Petersburg was extraordinary. The theme, "Measuring the Earth - Digital Elevation Technologies and Applications" was rather encompassing, with full recognition that terrain modeling is the basis of virtually all mapping and GIS applications. NASA and USGS were sponsors and active participants, along with other Federal organizations. The conference went well beyond the practical issues of how to create, acquire and utilize DEMs; suffice to say that IFSAR, LIDAR, RADAR, SONAR and traditional photogram-me-try are all viable technologies to produce DEM data for the appropriate applications. There was lots of thought-provoking dialog about the necessity of creating new and updated standards that better address digital information. The present standards for aerial photography-based applications provide a good framework from which to create new standards for digital data. NASA and USGS asserted that the updated standards should vary depending on geography and land cover/use, with different accuracy standards for urban and rural areas; and the standards need to accommodate diverse needs from many market sectors. Barbara Ryan and other USGS representatives described the plans for the National Map - which will essentially be the next version of DLG and related traditional cartographic/geographic data. The general feeling is that we are on the cusp of profound change for our industry. Many technological and cost barriers have been overcome, data handling and analysis tools are more robust, and the maturity of our industry provides an experienced vantage point from which to address policy, industry standards, implementation and dissemination of digital information. On a global level, our choices will affect the boundaries of the proverbial Digital Divide between the "haves and have-nots".

The Chinese proverb "may you live in interesting times" certainly applies to our industry. In our region we possess all the ingredients and the will to affect the positive transformation of our industry to address the needs of the New Millennium. The Rocky Mountain Region is unique in that virtually all sectors of the industry are represented. Additionally, Colorado Congressman Mark Udall has sponsored a bill promoting GIS, mapping and remote sensing technology, the Remote Sensing Applications Act of 2001. While Congressman Udall and organizations such as MAPPS work the political circles to promote the geotechnologies, grass roots support of HR 2426 is needed. You can affect the course of our industry by registering your support of Bill HR 2426 with your Senators and Representatives. I urge you to not only be involved to affect growth of the industry, but to lead and advance the industry to reach its full potential.

One avenue to capitalize on the synergy present in the Rocky Mountain Region is to actively participate in ASPRS and the many functions and events sponsored by ASPRS-RMR. Your ideas, inputs and efforts are always welcome, and serve to propel our Region to the forefront of the industry.

I was introduced to remote sensing and mapping at UCSB during those heady days when the first edition of the Manual of Remote Sensing was being written, when visionaries such as Dr. Estes, Dr. Simonett, Dr. Dozier and others inspired us all with possibilities only limited by our imagination. There was a back-lash measured in years as the practical limitations of the times thwarted and dampened our efforts to exploit the technology. It has taken longer than expected for the technology and its adoption to evolve to this stage, but we have finally arrived. What were over-promises in the past are now realities. If only all the Dreamers were still with us to see their visions come to fruition. But the concep-tions of the past fuel the inspirations of the present and future, tempered by experience and limited only by our imagination of what is possible.

I conclude by reiterating that the overarching goal of the RMR is to provide a professional forum to foster interaction between people and organizations - to mix the ingredients - and be a resource to convey information and aid collaboration among our members. Let the collaborations continue!

Jeff Liedtke, President ASPRS-RMR
303-682-4983
jliedtke@digitalglobe.com

The Annual Dinner Meeting will be held Saturday, January 26, 2002 at Laudisio's restaurant in Boulder. Details of the program, the cost per person and the deadline for reservations are being finalized as we go to press. Watch the web site for final details: www.asprs-rmr.org/news.html. The tentative agenda for the evening is as follows:

• 5:00 - 6:00  Arrive and visit over cocktails
• 6:00 - 7:00  Meeting and Awards Ceremony
• 7:00 - 8:00  Dinner
• 8:00 - 9:30  Slide Show Presentation

Everyone can participate in the slide show. The suggested theme is "Millennium Mosaic," where interesting imagery and maps pertaining to our work in the geotechnologies is displayed (to music?). Most of us never tire of seeing imagery of the earth, or of the many applications using GIS data, plus mighty MIR falling out of orbit, the construction of the international space station, shuttle missions, etc. It's bound to be a fun evening, based on past experience.

JOHN PARKER, Nominee for President

John is currently a Regional Sales Manager with LH Systems, responsible for the sales and marketing of digital photogram-metry systems in Western North America. John began his career in analytical photogrammetry at Analytical Surveys, Inc. in Colorado Springs in 1983. John then went to Intergraph Corporation in Huntsville, AL to take on the responsibility of training and supporting users of Intergraph's InterMap Analytic stereo-plotter. John next took a position with UGC Consulting to write photogrammetry and mapping services RFPs for GIS users. After one year at UGC, John returned to Intergraph to be the technical lead for softcopy digital photogram-metry product marketing. In 1996 John returned to the Rocky Mountain Region to run Space Imaging's digital photogrammetry section until 1998 when he took his current position at LH Systems. John earned a B.S. from the University of Michigan in 1979 in Remote Sensing & Wildlife Biology. He was President of the ASPRS Student Chapter at Michigan in 1980-81 and has been a member of ASPRS since 1978. John is currently serving the Rocky Mountain Region as Vice-President.

"I believe the next few years will be an exciting time from the sensor fusion point of view. Photogrammetry and remote sensing are growing closer with new multi-spectral metric aerial sensors, and high-resolution satellites. These two technologies combined with LIDAR and IFSAR tech-nolo-gies will bring us a new world of geospatial information."

SCOTT BENNETT, Nominee for Vice-President

Scott is Business Development Manager for ImageLinks, Inc., an image processing and value-added service company. He is responsible for developing strategic partners, product development, technical consulting, and sales. From 1994-97, Scott was the Americas Remote Sensing Manager for Western Mining Corporation (Exploration Division), a large international mining company primarily focused on precious metals exploration. From 1991-94, Scott ran his own business, GeoSense Consulting Services, which was focused on providing image processing services to the geological community. Prior to that, while attending school, Scott worked as a Research Assistant for NOAA/NGDC (Solid Earth Division) processing aeromag-netic data, for CU's Cooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) monitoring the Central Aleutian (AK) seismic network, and for the Geological Sciences Dept. and the Center for the Study of Earth from Space (CSES). Scott has MS and BA degrees from the University of Colorado-Boulder in Economic Geology with an emphasis on Remote Sensing. He has been an ASPRS member since 1987. Scott is currently finishing a 2-yr. term as Regional Director on the "GIS in the Rockies" Committee.

STEVEN SCHMITZ, Nominee for Secretary

Serving as Systems Engineer for TRW, Mr. Schmitz is responsible for the research, testing, and integration of decision support technology within GIS and Remote Sensing. TRW is a global technology, manufacturing, and service company that provides advanced technology, systems, and services to customers worldwide. He works in project management and in research and development. Continually striving to incorporate the latest technical advances in data and systems engineering, his recent accomplishments include the development of a geospatial data warehouse for a Federal Government agency, and research in Remote Sensing and GIS technologies as applied to wildland fire incidents. Steve was a GIS Manager with CB Commercial from 1995-1997. He received a B.S. in Geography in 1996 from Arizona State University. He is a member of the Association of Old Crows; ASPRS and AFCEA.

LEANNE HANSON, Nominee for Treasurer

Leanne Hanson is a M.S. candidate at Colorado State University in Forest Science Department studying Remote Sensing and GIS Technology under Dr. Roger Hoffer. Ms. Hanson graduated from Prescott College in 1992 with a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies and Environmental Education, and a minor in Environmental Design. In 1988, Ms. Hanson graduated from Paul Smith's College with an A.A.S. degree in Ecology and Environmental Technology. Since 1996, Ms. Hanson has been a biologist, managing scientific research programs in the US Geological Survey. From 1996 - 1998 she worked in the Eastern Regional Office (Leetown, WV), moving to the Central Regional Office (Denver, CO) in 1998. Prior to working for USGS, Ms. Hanson worked for the National Biological Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Leanne is a member of ASPRS-Photogrammetric Applications Division (PAD)-LIDAR Committee and the George Wright Society. Leanne is currently serving the Rocky Mtountain Region as Treasurer.

JAYMES PARDUE, Nominee for Regional Director (GIS in the Rockies)

Mr. Jaymes Pardue has been involved in the Remote Sensing industry for over 8 years. He currently holds the position of Western Regional Sales Manager for mpower3/Emerge; a digital aerial company based in Boston, Massachusetts. He manages activities in both sales and strategic business development for 23 states in the Western US. Previous to his current position, Mr. Pardue was a Channel Partner Representative with Space Imaging, responsible for sales and channel development of Earth imagery and value-added information products in the South Western United States. Mr. Pardue has broad experience working in the GIS and Remote Sensing industries. Before joining Space Imaging, Mr. Pardue worked for Geonex Corporation as a remote sensing analyst specializing in environmental applications. Mr. Pardue graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Geography in 1992. Both degrees were earned from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.

BRIAN L. SOLIDAY, Nominee for Regional Director (General)

Brian Soliday has been involved in the Geoprocessing industry for over 15 years. He currently holds the position of Vice President, Sales and Marketing with Space Imaging, responsible for sales of Earth imagery and value-added information products in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. He manages activities in marketing, customer service, sales, strategic business development, and public relations. Mr. Soliday has extensive experience working in sales and channel development for the GIS and Remote Sensing industries. Before joining Space Imaging, He worked for Autodesk as Director of GIS channel development in North and South America. Prior to that he was the GIS Business Development Manager for Trimble Navigation, Director of Sales and Marketing for Genasys, and Director of Sales for VL Systems, a developer of computer-aided design (CAD) software. Brian is a member of ASPRS, URISA and GITA and has served as a Regional Director for ASPRS and as a member of the URISA Industry Advisory Board. Mr. Soliday graduated summa cum laude with a Master's Degree in Geography, specializing in Remote Sensing and GIS in 1987, and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Remote Sensing in 1983. Both degrees were earned from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

RICK VINCENT, Nominee for Regional Director (Communications)

Mr. Richard Vincent is currently employed at EnerQuest Systems, a LIDAR mapping firm in Denver as its Chief Photogrammetrist and Project Manager. In this capacity, Mr. Vincent manages the production of all LIDAR (light detection and ranging) data products and applications. He also is responsible to oversee development of new mapping products and services derived from LIDAR data sets acquired by the EnerQuest Remote Airborne Mapping System (RAMS). Mr. Vincent brings more than 21 years of experience in photogrammetry, surveying, mapping and remote sensing to EnerQuest, he is also an ASPRS Certified Photogrammetrist. Most recently, he served for four years as Chief Photogrammetrist for Space Imaging Inc. in Thornton, Colo., where he managed the production of IKONOS and IRS satellite products in the company's Value Added Dept. Prior to Space Imaging, Mr. Vincent completed a 17-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces, entirely in geotechnology related positions. His last position in the military was as a Section Commander in the Image Mapping Section of the Canadian Armed Forces, Mapping & Charting Establishment where he was involved in the production of virtually every type of satellite and aerial-derived mapping information.