Since 2010, UCGIS has acknowledged those individuals who have contributed to the advancement of geographic information science and technology. The status of UCGIS Fellow is bestowed on the recipient who has had an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the spatial disciplines and communities of practice that use spatial information to complement and support their business operations or academic activities.

The geospatial community brings together individuals from diverse spatial disciplines including but not limited to cartography, computer science, geodesy, geography, geographic information science, photogrammetry, remote sensing, spatial information science, and surveying. These individuals participate in one or more communities of practice. Examples of communities of practice include agriculture, defense, education, emergency management, forestry, health, environment and natural resources management, education, government, landscape architecture, nonprofit groups, planning and public administration, transportation, tourism, and more.
 
Profile of UCGIS Fellows

Candidates for Fellow should have an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the spatial disciplines and communities of practice described above. Service that furthers the mission of UCGIS is a strong consideration to be elected to Fellow. That mission includes to:

• Advance research in the field of Geographic Information Science;
• Expand and strengthen Geographic Information Science education;
• Advocate policies for the promotion of the ethical use of and access to geographic information technologies; and,
• Build scholarly communities and networks to foster multi-disciplinary GIS research and education.

The UCGIS Board of Directors and the current UCGIS Fellows welcome nominations for others to join this illustrious group.

Nominations are now open for individuals to be named as UCGIS Fellows in 2024. All materials are due on April 19, 2024. This deadline will not be extended. Fellows will be named during an award ceremony at the joint CaGIS and UCGIS symposium in Columbus, Ohio, on June 3-6, 2024.

The process for nomination and selection of new fellows is set forth under UCGIS Fellows Program. The FAQ site answers further questions and the Guideline for Selecting Fellows helps you understand how fellows are selected. The selection committee consists of all past UCGIS Fellows and the immediate past president, current president, and president-elect of UCGIS.

In a nutshell, the geospatial community from which UCGIS seeks Fellows consists of the diverse spatial disciplines including but not limited to cartography, computer science, geodesy, geography, geographic information science, photogrammetry, remote sensing, spatial information science, and surveying. Candidates for Fellow should have an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the spatial disciplines and communities of practice. Service furthering the mission of UCGIS is a strong consideration and includes (a) advancing research in the field of Geographic Information Science; (b) expanding and strengthening Geographic Information Science education, (c) advocating policies for the promotion of the ethical use of and access to geographic information technologies; and (d) building scholarly communities and networks to foster multi-disciplinary GIS research and education. While nominations and the accompanying documentation should address all of the UCGIS mission components (a through d), extraordinary accomplishments under all categories are not typically required.

Nominations for electing new UCGIS Fellows should meet the following timeline:

March 21 - Call for nominations to be distributed to the delegates at all UCGIS member institutions and to current fellows (delegates@ucgis.org and fellows@ucgis.org)

April 19 - Deadline for receipt of nominations and support materials. As detailed on the website, the nomination to be complete must include (1) a signed letter of nomination from a current fellows or a current delegate from a UCGIS member organization (2) a complete curriculum vitae, and (3) a minimum of two additional support letters. As noted at UCGIS Fellows Program, all materials must be sent to UCGIS Executive Director, Amy Rock (arock@ucgis.org). Any questions on requirements or documentation should be addressed to Harlan Onsrud ([email protected]).

April 22 - All nomination and support documents will be made available on a protected online site accessible only to members of the Selection Committee and they will be instructed to review the materials

April 26 - Selection committee members vote to determine whether 0, 1, 2, or 3 nominees will be selected in 2024. (Online ballot closes on the 28th)

April 29 -  Selection committee members vote to determine which nominees will be named as UCGIS Fellows in 2024. (Online ballot closes at midnight Eastern Time on May 2)

May 3 - Notifications sent by the UCGIS President or UCGIS Executive Director to the elected Fellows and their nominators

June - Formal announcements and recognition of new fellows at the Annual UCGIS Symposium. For 2024, the symposium will be at Ohio State University on June 6-9.

 
The intent and hope of the selection committee is to recognize an expanding group of exemplary and deserving contributors to the geographic information science community. We look forward to receiving your applications