Amy Budge, Gar Clarke, Laura Gleasner, and Mike Inglis, four people long associated with the geospatial community in New Mexico, were presented with very special awards during the NMGIC Spring 2009 Meeting on April 24th, 2009 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Gar Clarke - Green Chile Outstanding Service Award

George "Gar" Clarke, GIS Coordinator at the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, was awarded the "Green Chile Award for Outstanding Service". Gar has worked tirelessly on a plethora of geospatial endeavors for the state, ranging from leading the development of a Geospatial Strategic Plan, to gluing together funding from numerous agencies to acquire imagery. Sometimes he has worked behind the scenes, sometimes in a public way, but always with enthusiasm and energy, and always with the "big picture" in mind.

Gar Clarke receives Green Chile Award; Rene Martinez, OSE CIO on left and John D'Antonio, State Engineer, on right

Laura Gleasner - Red Chile Outstanding Service Award

Laura Gleasner, Clearinghouse Services Manager and "keeper of the keys" with the Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC), began working with EDAC’s Clearinghouse Services in June of 1992. If you've ever been to a NMGIC Meeting, you've likely been helped by Laura, who has handled the "registration table" for a seeming eternity. At EDAC/RGIS, Laura has designed search strategies for geographic data including satellite data and aerial photography, and manages both EDAC’s historic aerial photo archive of over 200,000 photos and GIS data delivery. The "Red Chile Award" she received is well-deserved, and reflective of the tremendous appreciation NMGIC members have for her.

Mike Inglis, Laura Gleasner, Amy Budge receive awards; Shirley Baros far left and Tom Budge, back right

Amy Budge - Wheeler Peak Lifetime Achievement Award

Amelia (Amy) Budge, Program Development Manager with EDAC, and a Fellow of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), received the Wheeler Peak Lifetime Achievement Award for her many contributions to NMGIC, to GIS in New Mexico, and the geospatial field in general.

Amy has been employed by EDAC for 33 years. Currently she manages EDAC’s major Federal projects, providing administrative, technical, and logistical support. She has served as Principal Investigator and project manager on seven projects funded by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and has partnered with Rich Friedman to conduct numerous metadata training workshops in New Mexico.

One of the founding members of NMGIC, she currently serves as a Board member and Treasurer, and is a past president. Amy represented the State of New Mexico on the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) from 1995-2005. She is past director of the ASPRS GIS Division and served as Chair of the ASPRS Data Preservation and Archive Committee from 1994 to 2004. Amy represented ASPRS as a delegate to the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) during 1999 and 2000. In the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) community, she was the Technical Secretary for Commission I (Platforms, Sensors, and Imagery) from 2000-2004, was co-chair of Commission VIII/WG 2 (Hazards, Disasters, and Public Health) from 2004-2008, and is chair of the public health working group (2009-2012). Amy served three two-year terms as a Federally appointed member of the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive Advisory Committee (1998-2006), advising the Secretary of the Interior on long-term archiving of land satellite data.

Amy has shown such dedication to the geospatial community that NMGIC absolutely had to honor her. She is one of the ground-breakers in this field, and NMGIC probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't for her.

Mike Inglis - Wheeler Peak Lifetime Achievement Award

Mike Inglis is the Associate Director of EDAC, and responsible for the day to day management. But his work extends a far way beyond that, to cover almost every aspect of geospatial efforts in the state. He has been a familiar face on the GIS scene for as long as anyone can remember, and he is one of the most respected members of the community. Whether trying to secure funding for essential programs or lending a hand with drafting a Charter for the State's Geospatial Advisory Committee, Mike has played a key role in the development of New Mexico GIS.

At EDAC, Mike is actively involved in project design, proposal development and contract management. He is Manager of the Resource Geographic Information System (RGIS) Program and represents the RGIS Clearinghouse on the NM Geospatial Advisory Committee (GAC). As the chair of the NM Geospatial Data Acquisition Coordinating Committee (GDACC) Mike was instrumental in the coordination and acquisition of both the digital aerial imagery and the development of a digital elevation model for New Mexico. He serves as Chair of the NMGIC’s State Mapping Advisory Committee. He also is a member of the New Mexico Geological Society, the ASPRS, and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association. He serves on the NM State Geologic Mapping Advisory Committee. Mike Inglis truly signifies the type of individual who deserves the NMGIC Wheeler Peak Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the Awards ...

The Wheeler Peak Award for Lifetime Achievement - NMGIC thought it would be appropriate to name the state's award for "highest" achievement after Wheeler Peak, as it is the highest peak in New Mexico, with an elevation of 13167 feet / 4013 meters. Wheeler Peak itself was named in honor of Captain George Montague Wheeler, a
pioneering explorer and cartographer, and leader of one of the "Four Great Surveys of the American West", the Wheeler Survey. The coordinates for Wheeler Peak are 36°33'24.68"N 105°25'01.01"W (hey, we are GIS folks after all).

The Red Chile and Green Chile Awards for Outstanding Service are given to individuals who have greatly contributed to the New Mexico geospatial community. While New Mexico is fortunate to have a wealth of "GIS talent", the awards for outstanding service are meant to convey our gratitude for going above and beyond in helping others and in community spirit.

The awards were the brainchild of Leland J. S. Pierce, current NMGIC President, who felt there was a need to honor the people who made a difference, day in / day out. Leland worked with a committee to create the awards and solicit nominations, keeping in mind that the people chosen to receive the initial awards must exemplify the highest standards of "devotion to the cause". Each year, the previous awardees will join together to determine if anyone merits recognition for an award; for some years, it is possible that no awards will be bestowed.