UN Volunteer Crowdsource Opportunity

The fighting and famine in Somalia have displaced enormous numbers of people in an area where access to the ground is very difficult. The UN needs reliable population estimates to begin the logistical planning for response: remote sensing is one way to achieve this.

The SAC is currently working with Shadrock Roberts (University of Georgia) and Patrick Meier (Director of Crisis Mapping for Ushahidi) to crowdsource the manual interpretation of imagery in Somalia for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Digital Globe is donating imagery which will be served out as small tiles in the free, easy-to-use Tomnod platform. Volunteers will follow a provided rule-set and try to identify as many structures as possible in a 5-day period. You can learn more about the effort from Patrick's blog entry here: http://irevolution.net/tag/tomnod/.

If you would like to help out the UN, you can contribute to the project in your ASPRS student chapter or as an individual! This project is expected to occur in early November.

More information about the dates and how to participate will be distributed shortly. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please email: Laura Calandra, SAC Communications Councilor at lncalandra@gmail.com.

Many thanks from all of us for helping to improve the humanitarian response to Somalia!

ASPRS Student Volunteer Opportunity!

Pecora 18 Symposium - Student Volunteer Opportunity!

When: November 13-17, 2011

Where: Herndon, Virginia

Attention all student members of ASPRS!

If you have not already done so, plan now to attend this conference as a Student Volunteer and pay NO registration fee.

If you are a student at an accredited college/university and would like to attend this conference without paying the required conference registration fee, consider serving as a Student Volunteer. Note, volunteers are responsible for all other expenses including travel, accommodations and meals.

The Conference Volunteer Coordinator is looking for Student Volunteers to help from Sunday, November 13 – Thursday, November 17, 2011. In exchange for the opportunity to attend the General and Technical Sessions, visit the Exhibit Hall, and enjoy the Exhibitor's Reception, Student Volunteers will be required to work at least 8 hours during the conference.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about the geospatial field, meet some of the top names in the industry, and explore job possibilities; you are encouraged to bring your resumé as a special area will be set aside for resumé postings. In addition, the ASPRS Student Advisory Council has organized a Student-Employer Meet and Greet and informal evenings out for students during the conference.

If you are interested in attending as a volunteer, fill out an application http://www.asprs.org/pecora18/pdf/Volunteer%20Opportunities%20Application_Fall%20mod.pdf and send it in.

Also, see the description of Volunteer Tasks. http://www.asprs.org/pecora18/pdf/Volunteer_Guidelines.pdf

All applications must be submitted by e-mail to the Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Rakesh Malhotra, at mailto:rmalhotr@uncfsu.edu. Please include ASPRS Volunteer Program in the Subject Line of all e-mail correspondence. Assignments will be made on a first come basis.

Here is a timeline for the Student Volunteer process:

Application Deadline: October 17, 2011

Student Volunteer work schedules announced: the last week in October

Please note: This message is being sent to all ASPRS Student Members and faculty.

ASPRS Scholarships!

Don't forget to apply for the 2011-2012 ASPRS Scholarships! Deadline is October 17, 2011.

For a list of awards, visit http://www.asprs.org/Awards-and-Scholarships/

For award application instructions, visit http://www.asprs.org/Awards-and-Scholarships/General-Application-Instructions.html

Good luck!

-Adam