The 2006 Photogrammetric Award (Fairchild) is awarded to Professor Gordon Petrie, an outstanding photogrammetric professional with a record of solid achievements.  His contributions to the field over his half-century career include both outstanding technical work and a corps of students throughout the world trained by him.

The Photogrammetric Award (Fairchild) was established in 1943 to stimulate the development of the art of aerial photogrammetry in the United States.  This award was originally sponsored by the Loral Fairchild Corporation and is now supported by Lockheed Martin. The award will be presented during the ASPRS 2006 Annual Conference in Reno, May 1-5. It includes an engraved plaque.

A graduate with a M.A. with 1st class honors in Geography from the University of Aberdeen, Petrie later obtained a post-graduate Diploma in Surveying from University College London.  He also has a B.Sc. in Photogrammetric Engineering, from ITC, Delft, The Netherlands.

The majority of his career has been spent at the University of Glasgow, where he began as a Lecturer in Surveying and Photogrammetry, later became a Professor of Topographic Science, and is now an Emeritus Professor & Honorary Research Fellow after his retirement in 1995. He has been a visiting professor at the Department of Geography, University of Georgia, and the Department of Geography, Miami University of Ohio, and a Carnegie Research Fellow at ITC.

Petrie’s research interests have covered a wide range of topics, including the design of sensors and instrumenta-tion, and he has maintained his knowledge of equipment and technology in the field reaching from the days of analog equipment to current digital practice. A particular interest has been cameras and sensors, especially other than conventional film aerial cameras, with his early work on IR line scanners and SLAR leading to current study of commercial satellite sensors.

His range of expertise is reflected in an extensive bibliography of significant publications in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and surveying. Since his retirement, he has also found time to write for trade journals and the popular press on subjects related to mapping, thereby bringing an expert perspective to a wider, non-technical audience.  Petrie has been involved with computers for many years and has embraced the Internet, making available a Web page giving links to no fewer than 7764 useful sites related to photogrammetry, surveying, and remote sensing.

He has been active in the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetric Society, as evidenced by the Honorary Membership awarded him in 1995, and in ASPRS, with frequent presentations and interactions at meetings in the United States.

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.