EXECUTIVES & COUNCILLORS
BIOGRAPHIES

EXECUTIVES

Simon Lanoix, President

Simon is Vice President of the Public Sector Practice at Sierra Systems and has been a Director with the Victoria location since October 2002. He is involved in the pursuit and delivery of IT initiatives in Western states and provinces, and his main focus includes Education, Finance and Natural Resources accounts. He oversees all geo-spatial projects within Sierra Systems ’ 15 locations across North America.

In British Columbia, Simon was responsible for numerous successful projects, including the Integrated Land and Resource Registry (ILRR) project for the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands; the Harvest Billing System project for the Ministry of Forests; and the development of business, information and application architectures in support of the Air Photo Record System with the Resource Data Division of Alberta Environment. Other involvement in notable initiatives include B.C.’s Land and Resource Data Warehouse; strategic planning process for the Land Titles and Survey Authority and Integrated Land and Resource Registry; and contributing to the chief Resource Information Office, enabling the Natural Resources Ministries in B.C. to lead the way with front counter B.C. and an electronic gateway.

Simon has carried out roles such as Director of Consulting Services, Senior Project Manager, and Business Consultant and has over 25 years of experience in IT and Geomatics. He has a Diploma in Photogrammetry (Survey and Cartography) from Algonquin College and a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Victoria.

Matthew P. Tait, CIG President-Elect - (Calgary Interim Branch Chair)

Matthew is a Civil Engineer who specialized in close-range Photogrammetry for his doctoral thesis at Leeds University, England. After graduation, he spent several years in Belgium employed by Globe NV, developing the business of 3D measurement for clients such as BASF, Norsk Hydro, and Veba Oil. During this time he managed Photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and CAD products for projects in Norway, Germany, Belgium and Italy.

Matthew returned to University in late 2001 as an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, Department of Geomatics Engineering. He studied laser scanning, radar Interferometry, micro-scale DTM, and vision measurement systems. During this time, he received two awards from the engineering students’ society for teaching excellence.

Since January 2008, Matthew has been the Manager of Projects for WorleyParsons Geomatics (formally Colt Geomatics Solutions Ltd.).
Matthew has been an advocate for Geomatics for many years; he has been on conference committees and chaired sessions for CIG, Geotech, and FIG. He was a founding member of the Calgary Geomatics Cluster.

Pierre Gravel, Past-President

Pierre Gravel a complété son B.Sc.A en géodésie (arpentage) en 1983, pour ensuite devenir membre de l’Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec en 1984. Il commence tout de suite à travailler en géomatique dans le développement des premiers systèmes de cartographie numérique servant de base aux systèmes d’information géographique. Il est tour à tour respon-sable de la production cartographique et responsable du développement en géomatique au sein de la compagnie Aéro-Photo inc., pour ensuite s’associer à Luc Pelletier en 1992 et devenir directeur général et président de Groupe Info Consult inc., compa-gnie membre du Groupe LPA. Il est depuis responsable de toutes les acti-vités de production de données et de consultation en géomatique. Pierre Gravel est aussi président du Comité des examinateurs de l’Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec.

Michael Thompson, Treasurer

Mike was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and attended high school in Victoria, B.C. In 1979, Mike joined the RCMP and served as a constable in the Town of Cochrane, Alberta. In 1984, Mike attended the University of Calgary to obtain a degree in Engineering. Upon completion of the mandatory two-year program, he chose the geomatics discipline to complete his degree requirements. This led to employment in the mapping industry, where he has worked for the last 20 years.

He is currently Vice President and co-owner of Dudley Thompson Mapping Corporation (DTM Corp.) in Surrey, B.C.
Mike is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of British Columbia (APEGBC). He has served as a member of the Association’s Surveying Applications Committee since 1996.

He has been involved with the CIG for approximately 17 years. Mike is currently serving as Treasurer of the Vancouver Branch.

COUNCILLORS

BRANCH CHAIR

Peter Burns, Vancouver

Peter Burns is the Chairman for the Vancouver Branch of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics. He is a Canada Lands Surveyor and a Professional Engineer. He studied at the University of New Brunswick and completed his Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering in 1983. Peter joined the Department of Natural Resources Canada, Legal Surveys Division, in November of 1983 and has worked within this organization in Yellowknife, Toronto and Ottawa. Soon after joining Legal Surveys he received his commission as a Canada Lands Surveyor and a Professional Engineer. He is currently located in Vancouver, where he manages legal survey projects for Indian Reserves and National Parks. Whenever possible, he enjoys getting away from his desk and into the field to do some real land surveying.

Peter has been a member of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics for many years and has served as the Chairman for the Vancouver Branch for the past two years. He joined CIG when he was a student at UNB; back then, it was known as the Canadian Institue of Surveying and Mapping.

As the Chairman of the Vancouver Branch he is committed to providing Vancouver CIG members with informative and interesting events each year. This fall the Vancouver Branch started a brown-bag lunch series for the students at BCIT. Vancouver has a vibrant Geomatics industry and Peter would like to see a growth in CIG membership from this region.

Annick Jaton, Champlain

Annick Jaton has been the chair of the Champlain Branch of CIG since June 2004 (www.acsg-champlain.ca). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Remote Sensing from Sherbrooke University. She has been working at Laval University in Quebec City since 1989, after a few years in the private sector. She is currently assistant director for the undergraduate programs in Geomatics, as well as the research advisor for the Department of Geomatics Sciences. Annick has contributed in the organization of many activities in geomatics in Quebec; most notably, she helped in creating the GEOIDE Network of Centres of Excellence. She has been involved in different national and international initiatives/associations like the new French Federation of Surveyors. Annick was the co-president of the GeoCongress Quebec 2007, held in Quebec City in October 2007: www.Quebec2007.ca.

Susanne Klassen, Ottawa

Susanne Klassen is a Senior GIS Analyst at Golder Associates in Ottawa, Ontario. She is involved in GIS projects that support Ground Engineering and Environmental Services. Susanne works on innovative geospatial solutions in the Mining, Oil and Gas, Transportation, Water Resources, Land Development, Power, Manufacturing and Waste Management sectors.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Ottawa and a diploma in Geographic Information Systems from Algonquin College. Susanne has over 12 years experience in the GIS Industry, working in Calgary, Saskatoon and Ottawa. She is experienced in the ESRI Suite of Software as well as Autodesk, Bentley and CARIS software solutions.

In addition to Susanne’s role at Golder Associates, she is the Chair of the Ottawa Branch of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics. Susanne has taught part-time at Algonquin College in the GIS Certificate Program. For the past 3 years, she has also been on the Advisory Committee for the GIS Certificate Program at Algonquin College.

Yves Léger, New Brunswick

After completing his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from the Université de Moncton, Yves went on to obtain his M.Sc. in Geography from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Yves has over 12 years Geomatics experience in the private and public sectors and also has some international experience having worked in the Côte d’Ivoire.

Yves has worked as a Project Manager, Geomatics Specialist and GIS Consultant before taking on his current role as GIS Manager with the City of Saint John. Yves has been the GIS Manager for the City of Saint John since 2000.

In addition to being a member of CIG, Yves is also a member of URISA and GITA. The Canadian Remote Sensing Society has recognized him as a Certified Mapping Scientist in GIS and he has also been certified as a GIS Professional by the GIS Certification Institute.

Tim Webster, Nova Scotia

Tim Webster is a Research Scientist with the Applied Geomatics Research Group at the Centre of Geographic Sciences of the Nova Scotia Community College. He obtained his PhD in Earth Sciences from Dalhousie University in 2006, where he is working on using LiDAR to aid in mapping geological landforms. His research interests are in the area of high-resolution digital elevation models and satellite and airborne imagery, and the application of those technologies to environmental and natural resource problems. Prior to this research role, he taught in the Remote Sensing and GIS programs at COGS, since 1991. He has a Master’s Degree in Science from Acadia University, an Advanced Diploma in Remote Sensing from COGS, and a BSc in Geology and Physics from UNB. He has worked in private industry, both as a geologist and for a GIS vendor prior to joining the college.

Janet E. Mersey, Cartography & CNC ICA

Janet Mersey is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Guelph, Ontario, where her responsibilities include teaching courses in geographic information systems, remote sensing and cartography, and managing the department’s GIS laboratories. Recently, her research interests have focussed on the application of GIS and mapping technologies to the management of protected areas, including the Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, and the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve in Canada. Other research initiatives focus more specifically on map communication and cartographic symbolization. Published work has investigated the utilization of geographic models, such as a soil erosion potential model, to plan effective conservation strategies in ecologically sensitive areas, and the importance of community-based participation in the success of such projects. Janet’s interest in the use of the Internet in GIS education is also reflected in her work, and she recently developed a series of GIS/RS modules for an on-line course in GIS and Landscape Restoration at the University of Wisconsin.

Janet grew up in Moncton, New Brunswick, and completed undergraduate studies in mathematics and economics at Mount Allison University. A post-graduate program in cartography attracted her to the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where she earned a Master’s (1980) and a PhD (1984) degree, under the tutelage of Arthur Robinson and David Woodward.

A long-time member of the Canadian Cartographic Association, Janet has served on its executive as Chair as the Cartographic Education Interest Group, Chair of the Map Design Interest Group, and as President (1995-96). She was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal Cartographica for seven years, and was its book review editor for fifteen years. Currently, Janet belongs to the Editorial Board of the journal Cartographic Perspectives, and has served on the Board of Directors of the North American Cartographic Association.

George P. McFarlane, Hydrography Technical Councillor

The Canadian Hydrographic Association is pleased to announce the election of Mr. George P. McFarlane as president of the Canadian Hydrographic Association 2007-2009. George is an Ontario Land Surveyor and Canada Lands Surveyor, as well as an Ontario Land Information Professional and Geographic Information Manager. He is also licensed in several Caribbean jurisdictions as a Professional Land Surveyor.

He is a Past President of the Land Surveyors Association of Jamaica, past Vice-President of the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE) representing Canada and the Caribbean in Land Surveying. He also served as a member of the Land Surveyors Boards of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, and of the Advisory Committee (Land Surveying) at the College of Arts, Service and Technology (now UTECH), Jamaica.

He began his career in Hydrography in 1964 when he was assigned to the Hydrographic Unit of the Survey Department of Jamaica. More recently, he served several years as the Manager of the Hydrographic Section of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), Architecture and Engineering Services, Ontario Region, overseeing shallow water surveys in harbours, rivers and the interconnecting channels of the Great Lakes. He is presently Head, Surveys and Mapping of PWGSC’s Real Property Geomatics Services, Ontario Region.

He has been a Canada Lands Surveyor for over 20 years, and a long-standing member of the Canadian Hydrographic Association (CHA), recently as an executive member and treasurer of CHA Central Branch.

Costas Armenakis, Photogrammetry Technical Councillor

Costas Armenakis is currently an assistant professor in Geomatics Engineering, Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, York University and an adjunct professor, Disaster and Emergency Management Program, York University. His research interests are in the areas of rapid mapping, monitoring and tracking using digital photogrammetry and remote sensing methods involving change detection and feature extraction from imaging and ranging sensors and the use of unmanned aerial mapping systems. Other research interests are in digital topographic mapping and visualization, data integration and fusion, image mapping, DEM, and hypermedia cartography. Costas is involved with the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), where he served as President of the Technical Commission IV on Spatial Information Systems and Digital Mapping (2000-2004). From 2004-2008, he is serving as a member of the ISPRS Financial Committee and as Regional Coordinator for the ISPRS WG VIII/6. Costas received his Dipl. Ing. (1979) in Rural and Surveying Engineering from the National Technical University, Athens, Greece, and his MScE (1983) and PhD (1988) in Surveying Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.