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April 2014
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
value of personal involvement in professional organizations
such as ASPRS. Not only is it a great mechanism to market
yourself outside of normal day-to-day activities amongst
your peers; it also helps provide you with job insurance. By
recently connecting with Altavian, it has become clear to
me that ASPRS involvement is much more than a simple
alignment with an association, it solidifies in my mind that
this community of professionals is beneficial to not only
the member but, the direct alignment with highly relevant
industry corporations.
Let’s back up a few years, to trace how I came to be origi-
nally involved with ASPRS
As an undergraduate, I absolutely loved the single course
I took in GIS; yet, due to my unfamiliarity with the industry
I had absolutely no idea that there was an entire geospatial
industry out there for the taking. Had I known this, I would
have also become aware that there was a company here in
Gainesville that did nothing but geospatial. As a result
of my blatant ignorance, I defaulted to becoming a retail
banker. While this was a great learning experience, I quickly
became very dissatisfied with my job and began perusing
other options. In the classifieds I saw an ad for a "GIS
Analyst" position, and it was there that I decisively switched
industries.
Soon after my switch, I eventually landed a job with a local
Gainesville geospatial company, 3001, inc., as an entry level
Geospatial Analyst. Upon starting there, one of the benefits
offered was two paid professional memberships. My manager
recommended two organizations: ASPRS and the Florida
Surveying and Mapping Society.
"A.S….what?"
My reaction was probably not too dissimilar from many
others’ reactions upon learning about ASPRS, especially con-
sidering that at that time “photogrammetry" was just barely
making its way into my vocabulary. I blindly signed up.
Years after, I eventually found myself as a photogram-
metric technologist where I have been receiving and reading
PE&RS journals for a few years now. Like any passive mem-
ber of an organization, I found little benefit from my mem-
bership. I was soon enlightened that ASPRS had a Florida
region and upon performing a quick Google search found the
region website and saw that the Secretary and Treasurer,
Prof. Bon Dewitt, was located right here in Gainesville. I
also found that their website was in some dire need of some
updating. I reached out to Bon and we soon grabbed lunch to
discuss ASPRS, and how I could become more involved in the
Region. The rest is history: I soon became a member recruit-
ing champion, redesigned the region’s website, and eventually
earned my way into a Region Director slot. I am now proud to
be the region President.
Since that lunch meeting, my career was significantly
boosted due to my willingness to get involved with ASPRS. I
quickly went from being a Photogrammetric Technologist, to
becoming a Production Manager, then becoming a Business
Development representative. In that time, I have also broad-
ened my professional network and community by establishing
solid relationships and friendships with individuals both at a
regional level and at a national level, all throughout ASPRS.
I am not telling all of this to you in order to boast. I am
telling you this because if you are “just a member” of ASPRS,
like I once was, I hope that this letter motivates you to
consider doing more and to become more involved. ASPRS
isn’t just a conference, or an expo, or career fair, or a journal
subscription – it is an invaluable networking opportunity,
allowing any individual to get involved at any level: chapter,
regional, national division or committee. From my personal
story, I hope to encourage you to get more engaged, if you are
not already. Also, bring some of your coworkers along for the
ride. Your investment of time will payoff through terrific job
placement opportunities, increased salary, and most impor-
tantly the opportunity to develop great friendships within
a wonderful industry. For your employer, your involvement
means improved qualifications, relevance in the industry,
increased networking potential and hopefully increased sales
for your company. With corporate growth, I can only hope
that those companies will continue to proudly sustain ASPRS.
Brian E. Murphy, CP, GISP
Vice President of Business Development, Altavian
Letter from the Sustaining Member Chair
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