The ASPRS Films project began as a proposal to document the history of our society and the legacy of prominent members. The ASPRS Films Committee, formed in early 2007, gathered historical photographs, audio tapes, and films from sources such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, the US Geological Survey, and personal archives. In addition, the committee developed a prioritized list of individuals to be interviewed on camera; six of these individuals were interviewed by Penn State Public Broadcasting (PBSB) in the early development stages of the Geospatial Revolution project.
In anticipation of the ASPRS 75th anniversary celebration planned for March 2009 in Baltimore, ASPRS retained an independent media production company, The Important Story, to develop a series of short videos on salient topics, using the archive materials and PSPB interviews. These can viewed and downloaded from this website. They can also be viewed from the ASPRS YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/ASPRS. Funding for the initial set of five videos was provided by ASPRS sustaining and individual member contributions.
Inspired by response to the initial set of videos, the ASPRS Board of Directors approved funding for the ASPRS Films project to continue throughout this year. The committee has identified two primary goals:
Production of additional videos for the ASPRS/MAPPS Fall Conference in San Antonio, TX.
Development of a process for collecting additional interviews from ASPRS members, young and old.
Please contact the ASPRS Films Committee at films@asprs.org if you:
have an idea for a 60-90 second short film
would like to nominate an individual to be interviewed
would like to join the ASPRS Films Committee
would like to become a sponsor of this project. All donations are tax-deductible.
Please also check out the website for the upcoming Public Television project, the GeoSpatial Revolution. Thanks to all the ASPRS regions, sustaining, and individual members who supported the initial ASPRS Foundation grant to Penn State Public Broadcasting.