Obituary: Eddy Lynn Usery

On March 22, 2022, the world lost a GIS giant and cartography compadre when Dr. E. Lynn Usery, current Chair of the ICA Commission on Map Projections and former ICA Vice-President, passed from this earthly plane. Not even a week earlier, Lynn was busily planning workshops for AutoCarto 2022. He will be sorely missed by ICA and our community, not only for his many research contributions, leadership and vision, and tireless service, but also for his friendship and camaraderie.

Michael Tischler of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) wrote, “On paper, we knew him as the Director of the Center of Excellence for Geographic Information Science [CEGIS]. But he was far more than that title would lead one to believe. Lynn leaves a remarkable legacy given his extraordinary scientific accomplishments, presence as a leader in the geographic science community, and impact on individual geographic scientists inside USGS and around the world.”

It’s a challenge to specify the impact that Lynn has had on the field of GIScience because of the breadth and depth of his involvement and contributions. He was centrally involved in many areas of the discipline, including cartography, GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis. His eclectic research interests included digital cartography, map projections, scale and resolution, image classification, temporal GIS, geospatial semantics and ontology, and high-performance computing for geospatial data. It would be difficult to name a subject in our field about which Lynn could not speak knowledgably and insightfully.

Lynn was unique in that his impact came through his careers in both government and academia. Lynn started working for the USGS in 1977. He was a cartographer and geographer for the USGS from 1978 to 1988 focusing on developing automated cartographic production systems. In 1988, he took on a geography faculty position at the University of Wisconsin (UW) – Madison. In January of 1994, he moved to Georgia to serve on the geography faculty at the University of Georgia (UGA). In May of 1999, Lynn took on a Research Geographer position with the USGS in addition to his academic job at UGA. In 2005, he returned to USGS and ultimately conceived and became Director of CEGIS. In this role, he directed the science program and the visions and plans for topographic mapping research. While at USGS, Lynn also taught remote sensing at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

In all his positions, Lynn was a ground breaker. In his early days at USGS, he began the development of digital mapping systems for the automated production of printed topographic maps. At UW, he helped found a GIS program. At UGA, he helped establish certificate programs in GIScience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. When he returned to USGS, he started a cartography research program that led to CEGIS. For CaGIS, he chaired AutoCarto 2005 to close an eight-year gap and resurrect the symposium series. He also spearheaded the effort to bring the International Cartographic Conference back to the United States for only the second time, the first being in 1978.

Lynn was involved in multiple activities of the ICA:

2004–2008 US National Committee to the ICA member
2007–2011 ICA Map Projections Commission Secretary
2007–2015 US National Committee to the ICA Chair
2011–2012 ICA Technology Outreach Working Group Chair
2011–2015 ICA Map Projections Commission Vice Chair
2011 Bid for ICC 2017
2012–2017 ICC 2017 Conference Organizer
2015–2019 ICA Vice President
2018–2019 ICA Body of Knowledge for Cartography Working Group Chair
2019–2022 ICA Map Projections Commission Chair

That Lynn was so involved in the association is admirable. That he did the same with many other societies, at the same time, makes Lynn exceptional and unparalleled. There is truly no match for him in this regard, and really not even anyone in the running. No other person has been elected vice-president of the ICA, president of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS), president of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), and president of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), as Lynn was in 2015, 2002, 2004, and 2015, respectively. Additionally, as with the ICA, in all these associations, he also served in other roles.

On a personal note, Lynn was born in December 1951. He had two children, a son Kelynn, born 1986, and a daughter, Lacy, born 1988. Lynn received his BS in geography from the University of Alabama and MA and Ph.D. degrees in geography from UGA. He died Tuesday, March 22, 2022, after a brief illness.

Tim Trainor, President of ICA &
Aileen Buckley, U.S. national representative to ICA

Tag: CaGIS, ICC2017, Obituary, USA, USGS

ICA workshops at AutoCarto 2020

AutoCarto 2020 will take place on the Esri campus in Redlands, CA, May 20–22, 2020. In advance of the conference, workshops will be held on Tuesday, May 19th. They range from 90 minutes to full-day workshops. Three of them are associated to ICA commissions:

Geospatial Semantics Modeling and Visualization; the First Workshop of the International Cartography Association Commission on Geospatial Semantics

Geospatial ontologies formalize representations for sets of interrelated concepts based on their semantics from theoretical and applied perspectives. The representation and reasoning of geographic knowledge must be cohesive with many interrelated disciplines, including: language, logic, cartography, social theory, geospatial analysis, and programming. To advance research in geospatial knowledge representation and reasoning, the International Cartography Association (ICA) is sponsoring a Commission on Geospatial Semantics (CGS). The CGS will solicit abstracts for presentations on both theoretical and applied aspects of geospatial and cartographic ontologies for the First Workshop of the CGS. This half-day workshop will bring together expert and newly interested specialists and technologists from across geospatial informatics to network and develop an agenda to advance the broad role of semantic technologies in geographic information science.

Prior to the meeting we encourage prospective attendees/participants to examine the agenda and guidelines at the CGS web site (to be provided with the announcement). A range of potential topics will be suggested for the workshop and opportunities will be provided for those interested in the day’s agenda to register a topic or an issue to be included. We will accept and cover complex issues for discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to develop papers within this framework for publication by the ICA prior to the International Cartography Conference in Florence, Italy in 2021. A secondary activity immediately before the research workshop is to offer participants a hands-on tutorial addressing basic concepts of geospatial semantics with the aim of expanding the community of scholars interested in the field. This workshop will also offer an opportunity for semanticians to formalize concepts using a compatible technology where more widespread forms of geographic information systems (GIS) are inflexible.

Scholars interested in presenting a paper or participating in the session as a discussant will be able to submit their abstract through the standard submission procedures whose guidelines will be provided. The CGS will cooperate and correlate all activities with the AutoCarto 2020 organizers.

For a proposed agenda, download this PDF.

Please submit abstracts for this workshop through EasyChair.

Organizers:
- Dalia Varanka, U.S. Geological Survey, dvaranka@usgs.gov
  Alexander Sorokine, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, sorokina@ornl.gov
- E. Lynn Usery, U.S. Geological Survey, usery@usgs.gov
Duration: 4 hours
Participants: The tutorial is open to everyone attending AutoCarto 2020.

Map Projections – Practical Selection and Use with Current Research Directions: Workshop of the International Cartography Association

Map projections are a critical part of any map design and creation. The plethora of projections that exist allow a user to select an appropriate map projection to preserve the global characteristics that are critical to the map design. Unfortunately, many users of maps and geospatial information have little understanding of map projection concepts and are not able to determine a correct map projection for the type and purpose of the map being created. This workshop will thus include a brief tutorial on map projection concepts, selection, and use. The tutorial will also include presentation of existing tools to aid in selecting the correct map projection. The workshop will conclude with several presentations of current research in map projections.

Prior to the meeting we encourage prospective attendees/participants to examine the agenda and guidelines at the Commission on Map Projections web site. Participants will have the opportunity to develop papers within this framework for publication by the ICA prior to the International Cartography Conference in Florence, Italy in 2021.

For a proposed agenda, download this PDF.

Organizers:
- E. Lynn Usery, U.S. Geological Survey, usery@usgs.gov, Chair Projections Commission
- Miljenko Lapaine, University of Zagreb, mlapaine@geof.hr, Vice-Chair Map Projections Commission
Duration: 3.5 hours
Participants: Anticipated number of attendees, 10; maximum 20.

Cartographic and Geospatial Information Education: from Classroom to Anywhere

Conventionally, cartography has been mostly taught in classrooms with lectures and exercises, aiming to enhancing peoples’ map reading capabilities and map making skills. Nowadays, the general public has access to the wide spread of web map services, navigation apps on smart phones and open source software and datasets at no cost. Background knowledge of students entering professional training on cartography today is very different from those ten years ago. The body of knowledge for cartography and GIS has been transforming continuously by incorporating new ideas from applications and interdisciplinary research. Suites of online courses incorporate some of the new concepts and technologies and make teaching cartography and GIS more flexible and practical. Educators have been conducting reflections on these changes, which can be observed from publications in many conferences and journals.

This workshop serves as a forum to share the latest practices and insights on cartographic and GIS education in a rapidly changing landscape. The topics can include but limited to new course contents, curricular design, incorporation of online courses, education resources using open source software and datasets, teaching experience to non-specialists.

Please use the AutoCarto 2020 template and contact the organizers for submissions and detailed information.

Organizers:
- Tao Wang, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China, wangt@cnu.edu.cn
- Terje Midtbø, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, terjem@ntnu.no
Duration: 90–100 minutes (~6 presenters)
Participants: We expect 20–30 attendees to join the session.

An overview over all workshops at AutoCarto 2020 can be found here.

Category: Commission News, Education and Training, Geospatial Semantics, Map Projections

Tag: USA, workshop

Honorary Fellowship for Miljenko Lapaine

During ICC 2019, Miljenko Lapaine received the ICA Honorary Fellowship. Below you can read Lynn Usery‘s laudation:

It is an honor and pleasure to address Prof Dr Sc Miljenko Lapaine on the occasion of awarding the Honorary Fellowship of the International Cartographic Association. This award is given to a cartographer of international reputation who has made special contributions to ICA.
Professor Lapaine is internationally recognized for his work in geodesy and map projections and he has made special and significant contributions to the ICA. He is a cartographer who understands the fundamental basis of mathematics and computer science for geodesy, map projections and cartography in general. His international reputation is among the best in the world and he has made numerous special contributions to ICA through his work at International Cartographic Conferences, his support of ICA commissions and activities and his chairmanship of the Map Projection Commission.
He was born in 1952 in Zagreb. In his college education, he studied mathematics graduating in 1976 from the University of Zagreb, Department of Theoretical Mathematics. He received a master’s degree in 1991, with a thesis entitled Contemporary Approach to Cartographic Projections and a Ph.D. in 1996 with a dissertation under the direction of Prof Dr Sc Nedjeljko Frančula, on Mappings in Cartographic Projection Theory also from the University of Zagreb. While still studying mathematics, he started working, first as a teacher at a primary school then high school in Zagreb. At the Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, he was assistant professor, associate professor and awarded full professor status in 2003. He teaches courses in Cartography and GIS, Multimedia Cartography, Transformations in Cartography and History of Geodesy. At the postgraduate study of the Faculty of Geodesy University of Zagreb he taught Approximation Theory, Computer Graphics in Surveying, Surveying Cartography and Cartographic Heritage; at the postgraduate study of Geography at the University of Zadar he taught the application of digital cartography in the geography of littoral; and in graduate studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Sarajevo Geodetic Cartography.
His scientific work is primarily in the application of mathematics and computer science in geodesy and cartography. He collaborated with surveyors where he worked on a variety of practical and engineering tasks in geodesy, equalization calculus, mechanics, hydrography, photogrammetry and cartography. One highlight is his computer system Kartomatika for removing deformities from drawings, plans or maps. He has published more than 450 articles in proceedings of scientific conferences and journals.
In working with students, he is particularly committed to introducing them to scientific research, so he is expert in assisting in the preparation of diploma and seminar papers successfully leading some twenty students who received The Rector’s Award.
He is the Project Manager of the State Border of the Republic of Croatia at Sea, Drawing in Science, Official Proposal cartographic projections of the Republic of Croatia, Cartography and new technologies. He is the head of the Department of Cartography of the Faculty of Geodesy 1999/2000; Vice Dean for Geodetic Studies Faculties 2003/05. For ten years he was the library manager at the Faculty of Geodesy. He is an associate of the Lexicographic Institute “Miroslav Krleža” since 1999. He has been an Associate of the Croatian Academy of Engineering since 1998 and major secretary since 2003; a member of the Croatian Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers since 2002. He is founder and first President of the Croatian Cartographic Society and editor-in-chief of the journal Kartografija i geoinformacije (Cartography and Geoinformation) published in Croatian and English. He is a member of the Croatian Mathematical Society, the Croatian Society for Structural Geometry and Computer Graphics, Croatian Geodetic Society Croatian Geographical Society and associate member of the International Association of Geodesy.
Prof Dr Sc Lapaine has been a corresponding member of the ICA Spatial Data Standards Commission since 1995. He has participated in all International Cartographic Conferences since 1987. He was elected chair of the Map Projections Commission of the ICA in 2011 and successfully led that commission until 2019 with numerous workshops around the world; developing and publishing the book, Choosing a Map Projection. He graciously agreed to continue with the Map Projections Commission as vice-chair from 2019-2023.
Prof Lapaine has labored to address misconceptions about map projections and distortion properties. He maintains a clear perspective that all map projections are mathematically based and understanding map projection concepts requires understanding the mathematics. He is truly a leader in the theory and development of map projections and continues to mentor students and others in the field with his knowledge.
Prof. Dr. Sc Miljenko Lapaine is an outstanding scientist, teacher, mathematician, cartographer, and friend and a true contributor to cartography and the ICA.
My sincere congratulations on a well-deserved award for an outstanding scholar and person!

Category: Commission News, General News, Map Projections

Tag: awards, Croatia, ICA Honorary Fellowship

ICA Awards Ceremony at ICC2019

In the ICA Awards Ceremony at ICC2019, the following awards were presented in recognition of contributions to the ICA.

From left to right: Evangelos Livieratos, Miljenko Lapaine, Takashi Morita

ICA Honorary Fellowship

The ICA Honorary Fellowship is for cartographers of international reputation who have made special contribution to the ICA. It includes a bronze medal.

Evangelos Livieratos, Greece
- Active participant and discussant in several ICA activities, such as ICCs
- Chair of the WG Digital Technologies in Cartographic Heritage (2005–2007)
- Chair of the ICA Commission on Digital Technologies in Cartographic Heritage (2007–2015) and ICA Commission on Cartographic Heritage into the Digital (2015–2019)
- Founder of e-Perimetron
- Active supporter of the International Map Year
- Greek National Delegate to ICA
Miljenko Lapaine, Croatia
- Participation in all International Cartographic Conferences since 1989
- Chair of the ICA Map Projections Commission (2011–2019)
- Vice-Chair of the ICA Map Projections Commission (2019–2023)
- Led the development and editing of the 2017 book Choosing a Map Projection for the ICA
- Active supporter of the International Map Year
- Croatian National Delegate to ICA

Diplomas for outstanding services to ICA

The Diplomas for outstanding services to ICA are for colleagues who have made special contribution to the ICA as commission officers or conference organizers.

Takashi Morita, Japan
- Member of the ICA Commission on Theoretical Cartography
- Vice-President of ICA (1999–2003)
- Chair of the ICA Commission on Ubiquitous Mapping (2003–2011)
- Chair of Local Organizing Committee for ICC2019
- President of Japan Cartographers Association (JCA)
- Chair of the National Committee for Cartography, Science Council of Japan

Congratulations to all awardees!

Category: Cartographic Heritage into the Digital, Commission News, Map Projections, Ubiquitous Mapping

Tag: awards, Croatia, Diploma for outstanding services to ICA, Greece, ICA Honorary Fellowship, ICC2019, International Map Year, Japan

Invitation to Pre-ICC Workshop on Map Projections

The Pre-Conference Workshop on Map Projections will be held on Sunday, 14 July 2019, 16:00-19:00 local time, in Teikoku-Shoin Co., Ltd. premises which is located three-minute walk from Exit A1 of Jimbocho Station on TokyoMetro Hanzomon line, Toei Shinjuku line or Toei Mita line. The latitude and longitude of the place is about 35 deg 41 min 40 sec and 139 deg 45 min 20 sec.

Teikoku-Shoin Co., Ltd is a leading company that publishes school atlases and textbooks on geography. The website of Teikoku-Shoin Co., Ltd is https://www.teikokushoin.co.jp/en/information/ A map and nearest station information are available on this site.

If you will be able to actively participate at the Workshop, with a short lecture or presentation, please let me know.

Everybody is welcome!

Thank you,
Miljenko Lapaine
Chair of the ICA Commission on Map Projections

Category: Commission News, Map Projections

Tag: ICC2019 workshop, Japan, pre-conference workshop

An overview over the ICC2017 Pre-Conference Workshops

white-house-451544_1920-1180x450

Many ICA commissions use the days before the ICC conference for dedicated workshops on their fields of research. This year, the following workshops will take place:

Charting the Cosmos of Cartography: History – Names – Atlases

Date: June 28–30, 2017
Location: Library of Congress (Madison Building) in Washington, DC
Involved commissions: History of Cartography, Toponymy, and Atlases
Deadline for submissions: ~~February 15~~
Website

Meeting on Maps & the Internet, Ubiquitous Mapping and Education & Training

Date: June 30 & July 1
Location: The campus of William and Mary University in Williamsburg, VA
Involved commissions: Education and Training, Maps and the Internet and Ubiquitous Mapping
Deadline for submissions: April 30
Website

Mapping Tools for Non-Mapping Experts: Incorporating Geospatial Visualization Tools in Libraries

Date: July 1
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commission: Cartographic Heritage into the Digital
Website

Different Fields – One Cartography

Date: July 1
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commissions: Cartography and Children, Maps and Graphics for Blind and Partially Sighted People and Planetary Cartography
Deadline for submissions: April 21
Website

Supporting sustainable development with geoinformation management and modern maps: things you hardly consider

Date: July 1
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commission: Map Production and Geoinformation Management

Workshop on Maps & Emotions

Date: July 1–2, 2017
Location: George Washington University, Washington, DC
Involved commissions: Cognitive Issues in Geographic Information Visualization, Art and Cartography and Topographic Mapping
Deadline for submissions: ~~September 30, 2016~~
Website

Workshop on Spatial Data Infrastructures, Standards, Open Source and Open Data for Geospatial (SDI-Open 2017)

Date: July 1–2, 2017
Location: George Washington University, Washington, DC
Involved commissions: Open Source Geospatial Technologies and the SDI and Standards
Website

Workshop on Generalisation and Multiple Representation

Date: July 1–2, 2017
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commissions: Generalisation and Multiple Representation, second day in cooperation with Geospatial Analysis and Modeling and Location-based Services
Deadline for submissions: ~~March 24~~
Website

Symposium on Location-Based Social Media and Tracking Data

Date: July 1–2, 2017
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commissions: Geospatial Analysis and Modeling and Location-based Services, second day in cooperation with Generalisation and Multiple Representation
Deadline for submissions: ~~March 1~~
Website

Critical Review on Using Developable Surfaces in Map Projections Theory & Standardization in Map Projections

Date: July 2
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commission: Map Projections

Disaster Management, Big Data, Services and Cartographic Representation

Date: July 2
Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
Involved commission: Cartography in Early Warning and Crises Management

Preserving Map Production Methodology Information

Date: July 2, 10am
Location: Congress center, Washington, DC
Involved commission: Atlases
Contact and details: Philippe de Maeyer and Eric Losang

Tag: ICC2017, ICC2017 workshop, pre-conference workshop, USA

ICA Commission Meetings and Workshops at AutoCarto 2016

AutoCarto is a Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) research symposium held every two years. CaGIS is the US adhering body to the ICA. This year AutoCarto 2016 will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, 14-16 September 2016.

The following ICA Commission Meetings and Workshops will take place:

Advancing GIScience with Open Source Technologies
Workshop by the ICA Commission on Open Source Geospatial Technologies
Organizer: Michael Finn, USA
Wednesday, September 14, 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Workshop details
Teaching Map Projections in Cartography and GIS
Workshop by the ICA Commission on Map Projections
Organizer: Keith Clarke, USA
Wednesday, September 14, 9:00AM to 1:00PM
Workshop details
New Developments in Cloud-based Mapping
Workshop by the ICA Commission on Maps and the Internet
Organizer: Michael Peterson, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA
Saturday, September 17, UNM Department of Geography GISciences Laboratory. Cost is $15.
Workshop details

Category: Commission News, Map Projections, Maps and the Internet, Open Source Geospatial Technologies

Tag: CaGIS, USA

President’s Blog: A map perspective on the sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals, officially known as Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are a UN Initiative. Official website: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

In the light of the International Map Year (IMY), the ICA and its commissions are highlighting the value of cartography by “mapping” the UN sustainable development goals.

In the past months, a set of posters has been created, one for each sustainable development goal. They do not map the goals and their target based on indicators as such. The poster series tells the story of cartographic diversity, of mapping options, and of multiple map perspectives. Each of the goals has been mapped from a particular perspective by different ICA Commissions. All posters have a short take-home-message that should make one aware of particular strengths of the map.

The posters as well as the catalog for the poster exhibition can be found on icaci.org/maps-and-sustainable-development-goals

A huge thank you to all commissions involved and to Wim Feringa from ITC for the poster design and production. Let’s make the world a better place with maps!

Menno-Jan Kraak
– President of the International Cartographic Association

Tag: International Map Year, sustainable development goals, UN, UNGGIM

Invitation to the 6th International Conference on Cartography & GIS

6^th International Conference on Cartography & GIS
& Seminar with EU cooperation on Early Warning and Disaster/Crisis Management

Albena, Bulgaria, 13–17 June 2016

After very successful events in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, the 6th edition of the International Conference on Cartography and GIS (ICC & GIS) is organized in Bulgaria.

The aim of the conference is to collect knowledge and share experience about the latest achievements in the field of cartography and GIS. Particular attention is paid to the important European region – the Balkan Peninsula. Last conferences were very influential for public administrations and we would like to enhance this trend also in 2016, when the situation in Europe and especially in Balkan countries is very complicated, e.g. facing the immigrant crises could be improved with support of our technologies.

The ICC & GIS conference is organized by the International Cartographic Association (ICA), the Bulgarian Cartographic Association and the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria.

As a part of the conference several other events will be held during 13–17 June:

Interactive workshop on “Designing and Conducting User Studies” targeting at PhD students
COST Action TD1202 meeting that seeks to enhance the role of citizen sensors in mapping
ICA commissions will hold their annual meetings:
- Commission on Cartography and Children
- Commission on Cartography in Early Warning and Crisis Management
- Commission on Map Projections
- Commission on Use, User and Usability Issues

Deadlines

Deadline for abstract submission: 10 January 2016
Payment of early registration fee: 29 January 2016
Final full paper submission and payment of regular registration fee: 1 May 2016

Proceedings will be registered in SCOPUS and Web of Science.

Conference website

The Call for Papers can be found on iccgis2016.cartography-gis.com, including information on registration, programme and accommodation.

Category: Cartography and Children, Cartography in Early Warning and Crisis Management, Commission News, Map Projections, User Experience

Tag: Bulgaria, cfp

Joint ICA meeting in Vienna, November 8–9

ica-commission-meeting

All chairs and vice-chairs of the ICA commissions and working groups were invited to join an ICA meeting in Vienna on 8–9 November 2015 to plan and discuss their activities for the term 2015–2019. 46 chairs, vice-chairs and members of the executive committee followed the invitation and spent two intensive workshop days at Technische Universität Wien.