Whether drawing them as a young boy or dreaming about constructing a 3D world from imagery as a high school student, little did he know it would become his life’s calling.
Lichti, MSc’96, PhD’99, has turned his passion for maps into an award-winning career at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering. In April, he was named the Carl Pulfrich Award winner, at a ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany.
The award recognizes innovation and excellence in the field of photogrammetry, remote sensing and earth-imaging applications.
"This is one of the most prestigious awards in my field," Lichti says. "Most of the previous winners are scientists who I have always looked up to and respected, so to now be one in that group conjures incredible feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction."
Mapping out the future
Lichti remembers the exact moment he wanted to get into photogrammetry, which is the creation of maps and 3D images from photography.As a high school student trying to ’figure out what to do with my life,’ he remembers seeing a full-page newspaper advertisement featuring photogrammetry models.
"I was captivated by the idea that one could reconstruct the 3D world from imagery," Lichti says.
He earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in surveying engineering at what is now Toronto Metropolitan University before coming to UCalgary, where he received his master’s degree and doctorate in geomatics engineering.
Technology helps evolve the field
A lot has changed in the nearly 25 years since Lichti earned his PhD.From topographical maps and architecture to filmmaking and cultural heritage, Lichti says the photogrammetry field and geomatics engineering in general has grown thanks to the technological evolution we have been living through.
In fact, geomatics touches almost every aspect of our daily lives now, he says.
"It’s exciting because photogrammetry is more relevant than ever before," Licthi says. "New technologies and challenging spatial-measurement problems keep me motivated to research and teach photogrammetry."
Lichti’s focus is on terrestrial laser scanners, which has a number of applications including monitoring pipelines and studying archaeological sites.
Inspiring a new generation of engineers
Lichti is keen on spreading the word about the importance of photogrammetry and geomatics engineering as a whole.He remains busy with his work as the director for the upcoming 2026 Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, which will be held in Toronto.
The 2022 APEGA Summit Research Excellence Award-winner is also hoping to build more awareness around what it is that he and his colleagues do.
"Never have photogrammetry and, indeed, geomatics engineering been more in the public eye," Lichti says. "However, not enough people know about the exciting and challenging careers that can be found in the field and it’s importance to society."
He says he hopes recognitions like the Carl Pulfrich Award shed a light on the opportunities available to current and future students and researchers.
