Prof. Lachapelle’s success has been credited partly to his ability to foresee the impact of forthcoming developments and disruptive technologies and to continually adjust his research accordingly. The result is a judicial mix of fundamental and applied research that maximizes benefits for industry. As a direct consequence of Prof. Lachapelle’s efforts, Alberta has become a magnet for some of the world’s top researchers and for businesses seeking to commercialize GPS and related geomatics technologies. This combined industry-academic strength has made GPS and geomatics applications a big growth industry in Alberta, particularly in Calgary, over the past 15 years and that growth is expected to continue.

Prof. Lachapelle has received major international accolades for his work including the coveted Johannes Kepler Award of the U.S. Institute of Navigation, honorary professorships from universities abroad, and scores of best paper awards at international conferences. In 2001, he was awarded a Canada Research Chair and an iCORE Chair in Wireless Location to continue his work in geomatics.