USGS Scientist Honored by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS): USGS remote sensing scientist Lawrence R. Pettinger will be honored with the 2005 ASPRS Fellow Award for professional excellence in the mapping sciences and service to the Society. Mr. Pettinger will be recognized for career achievements in remote sensing research, operational applications, and program development, and for service to ASPRS at the national and regional levels. The award will be given at the ASPRS 2005 Annual Conference on March 9 in Baltimore, Maryland.

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USGS Director Leads U.S. Delegation to Group on Earth Observations (GEO)-6 Meeting in Brussels: USGS Director Chip Groat will lead the U.S. Delegation to the GEO-6 meeting in Brussels on February 14-15. More than 60 countries and 30 international organizations are cooperating to develop a 10-year Implementation Plan for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) for improving observations of the Earth (http://earthobservations.org/). At this meeting, the final draft plan will be prepared for presentation to the ministerial-level Earth Observation Summit III that will take place in Brussels on February 16. Dr. Groat is the U.S. Alternate Representative to GEO, and several USGS staff will participate as subject-matter experts in key areas of the plan development and on the international GEO Secretariat. USGS has a key role in ensuring that ground-based as well as remotely sensed observations are considered in developing the plan. (Jim Devine, Reston, 703-648-4423; Larry Pettinger, Reston, VA 703-648-4519)