July 19, 2007. Wayland, MA. The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) announced that David Schell, the OGC's founder, CEO and Chairman, has received GeoTec Media's first Visionary Achievement Award. This award is given by GeoTec Media to an individual for dedication to the technical advancement and widespread use of geospatial technology.
GeoTec Media announced the winners of its Geospatial Leadership Awards in May at its annual GeoTec Event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This new awards program was created to identify and recognize individuals and organizations for both vision and achievement in the geospatial industry. The Visionary Achievement Award is awarded to a single individual. Recipients of the other Geospatial Leadership Awards were companies and agencies.
In the selection process, subscribers to GeoWorld magazine and GeoReport e-newsletter and visitors to GeoPlace.com cast votes for their top candidates in each award category.
"David Schell was a logical choice for this award," said Matt Ball, GeoWorld editor and show manager for the GeoTec Event. "While the Visionary Achievement Award is new, we previously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award with recipients that have included Roger Tomlinson and Ian McHarg. David's contributions toward advancing geospatial technology rank right in line with previous winners, and his continued good work is one of the reasons we decided not to limit the award to his lifetime to date."
GeoTec Media has been providing guidance for geospatial industry practitioners and a voice for vendors for 21 years as the publisher of GeoWorld magazine, the developer of the Web portal GeoPlace.com, the distributor of the weekly "GeoReport" e-newsletter, and the organizer of the annual GeoTec Event tradeshow and conference.
The OGC® is an international industry consortium of more than 335 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS® Specifications support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org.
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