Every year the Florida Region provides to our members the opportunity to nominate professionals in the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or supporting technology fields who have made significant contributions or advancements to the profession, and through these actions have promoted the stated mission of the ASPRS.  There are three levels of the award: Professional of the Year, Member of the Year, and  Student of the Year.

Congratulations to Adam Benjamin (FL-ASPRS Student of the Year), Mike Kitaif (FL-ASPRS Member of the Year) and Jasmeet Judge (Professional of the Year). Each of these awardees are given a one-year paid membership to ASPRS.

Florida Region Professional of the Year

JASMEET JUDGE

Jasmeet Judge received her Bachelors in Physics from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL and her both her graduate degrees, MSEE in Electrical Engineering and PhD. in Electrical Engineering and Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She joined the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at University of Florida in 2001, where she is currently the Director of the Center for Remote Sensing. Her research interests are in microwave remote sensing applications to terrestrial hydrology under dynamic vegetation; modeling energy and moisture interactions at the land surface and in the vadose zone; spatial and temporal scaling of remotely sensed observations in heterogenous landscapes; and data assimilation through extensive interdisciplinary field experiments.

She is the Vice-chair of the National Academies’ Standing Committee on Radio Frequencies and is a member of the Frequency Allocations in Remote Sensing Technical Committee in the IEEE-GRSS. She also serves the American Geophysical Union as the Chair of the Remote Sensing Technical Committee in the Hydrology Section.

Florida Region Member of the Year

MIKE KITAIF

Mike Kitaif has worked in the field of photogrammetry since 1977.  He began as a Photogrammetrist and started writing job specific software to facilitate the collection, editing and transfer of digital mapping data.  This lead to the eventual design of the well known CADMAP software package.  His interest in software development continued and resulted in the design and development of the Vr Mapping software programs which are well-used in the mapping arena.

Mike's dedication to his work was recognized by NASA personnel who invited Mike to work with them on the Space Shuttle Program.  In maintaining an awareness of the demands of the mapping field Cardinal Systems decided to concentrate its most recent programming on LiDAR mapping.  This has culminated in Mike's design and development of the state of the art VrLiDAR module.  This unique approach combines traditional photogrammetric mapping tools in the Vr Mapping software suite with the new state of the art LiDAR technology and its innovative design has saved companies hundreds of man hours and dollars during the production workflow.

Mike is known for his professionalism and has always been committed to his work.  He is eager to share his knowledge and visits schools and universities to describe his work and to encourage students to consider entering the field of geomatics.  He has also made presentations at various other venues.

Florida Region Student of the Year

ADAM BENJAMIN

Adam Benjamin is the Geomatics Specialist at the University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. In this position, he teaches Geomatics classes, collaborates on geospatial research, advises students, and promotes the geospatial profession through community outreach. He is currently working on his PhD in Geomatics with an emphasis on LiDAR and coastal science.

Adam came to Fort Lauderdale after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Elon University in North Carolina and a Master of Science in Geomatics from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Prior to graduate school, he worked for a land surveying and civil engineering firm in Rhode Island. He is actively engaged in the professional community as the past Chair of the National ASPRS Student Advisory Council and the current Chair of the newly formed Florida Region Student Advisory Council.

Adam is a former recipient of national awards from both the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and ASPRS. Away from work, Adam is an outdoor recreation enthusiast who spends as much time as possible with his wife and son.