Vice President Ken Allred receives Citation at Canadian Institute of Geomatics Conference

Toronto, Canada, 23-25 May 2007

Vice President Ken Allred represented FIG at the 2007 annual conference of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics in Toronto, Canada in May, 2007. The conference theme was Geomatics for Disaster and Risk Management.

In the keynote speech to the conference Ryerson University President Dr. Sheldon Levy related how a system of GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and cell phone technology could have played a key role in managing the impending disaster at Virginia in March. Society has changed so much that students using cell phones were relaying the news across campus faster than either the media or the administration. The administration in turn was sending contradictory messages to the student body telling them in one breath to stay put and in the other breath to get out of the way of danger. In Levy’s view, if cell phone messages had been linked to a GPS/GIS system, administration would have been able to send different messages to different location based cell phone users alerting them of the danger based on their location. He encouraged geomatics professionals to work with educational institutions to assist them in adapting the new technology to prevent or minimize disaster situations.

Ken Allred was the recipient of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG) President’s Citation at their gala dinner on May 24th. Ken received the award in appreciation for his special contribution to the Canadian Geomatics Profession through his active international role in FIG. He has represented Canada in various capacities in the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) since 1982 when he was appointed as a delegate to Commission 1 – Professional Practice and Standards. Since that time he has served a four year term as chair of Commission 1, as head of the Canadian delegation and more recently was elected as one of four vice presidents of FIG. In presenting the award CIG President Terry Tarle stated that Ken has done an outstanding job representing the Institute often with little or no assistance or backup.

Allred has also been involved in Canadian professional affairs having served on the CIG Editorial Board, President of the Canadian Council of Land Surveyors and more recently as President of the Alberta Land Surveyors Association in 2002. He has also been involved in his community having served as an Alderman on the Council of the City of St. Albert for 15 years. He remains active on a number of adjudicative boards and tribunals and maintains a small consulting practice.

The Canadian Institute of Geomatics is a technical society that represents the broad field of geomatics professionals and technologists across Canada. President Terry Tarle from Telus Geomatics in Ottawa is stepping down after a two year term of office. The new president is Robert Parkinson from Agriculture Canada in Calgary.