FREDERICK, MD & TAMPA, FL – On October 22nd, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing’s (ASPRS) Florida Region hosted the 9th iteration of its University of Florida/ASPRS Joint Lidar Workshop, an event organized to review the accomplishments of a range of geospatial technology professionals focused on a region particularly well-suited for advanced lidar applications. The event was chaired by ASPRS Region president Xan Fredericks (USGS) and hosted by Dr. Al Karlin (Dewberry & University of Tampa).
Attendees enjoyed input from Florida’s five Water Districts, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, USGS and Florida State Lidar. When the efforts of all these organizations are combined, there is enormous lidar activity in Florida, not surprising in view of the juxtaposition, in a region beset by acute weather events, of heavily populated areas, tourist attractions, ocean and critical wetlands – the demand for frequently refreshed, highly accurate elevation data is self-evident.
The meeting was supported by 11 sponsors, all of whom gave presentations – Surdex, GeoCue, Dewberry, Riegl USA, GPI, Quantum Spatial, Woolpert, NEI, ASTRA Space, Kucera International and Sanborn Mapping. There were also academic presentations, from Florida Atlantic University, University of Florida and University of South Florida. The program concluded with open discussion. Also in attendance, Dr. A. Stewart Walker, Managing Editor of LIDAR Magazine, recognized the potential for a special publication designed to share the core of the program with a much larger audience. He explained, “Our hope with the special edition is to address and relay the fascinating range of applications we encountered at the Fall meeting; I’m certain the magazine’s readers will appreciate this material while sharing a seemingly good formula for other regional groups looking to arrange successful events.”
Event host and frequent LIDAR Magazine contributor Dr. Al Karlin added that, “We believe we’ve got a solid template for a quality meeting, whether hosted in person, online or both. I’m excited to work with Stewart and the magazine to spread word of the developments those in our region are making and addressing where it all fits in the ’grand scheme of things’”.
Copies of the special January/February edition will be distributed to ASPRS members, previous workshop attendees and 2021 registrants. Editorial and sponsorship contributions are encouraged and will be accepted through Friday, December 18th.
