Tony Cavell was born and reared in Lafayette, Louisiana. His first pursuit was Physics. He worked for several years in the Physics Department and the Petroleum Engineering Department at Louisiana State University, followed by a stint in the construction field during which time his curiosity was piqued about surveying. His surveying experience began in New Orleans, followed by the opportunity to survey offshore back in Lafayette. This was a fortuitous opportunity, during which he experienced the changes of technology from conventional optical equipment through microwave and acoustic positioning to the age of satellite positioning.
Cavell joined Navigation Electronics, Inc (NEI) as Vice President in 1993, and served as CEO from 2000-2002. He was a member of the original class of Trimble Certified Trainers and enjoyed giving seminars and presentations across the country and as far afield as Saudi Arabia. Cavell is a surveying consultant. He managed ESP Associates’ QA for FEMA’s LiDAR surveys of Louisiana and GPS and LASER scanning surveys for SAM, Inc. in Texas.
He is an active member of Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors (LSPS), which he served as president from 2002-2003. He is a LAPELS Board-approved Sponsor/Provider of CPD activities, and enjoys writing as time permits. Today he is Associate Director of the Louisiana State University Center for GeoInformatics and Louisiana Spatial Reference Center.