Management

Val Noronha, PhD, President, has 30+ years of experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His technical specialties are in GPS, transportation networks, spatial modeling, error remediation and remote sensing. He has extensive experience in project conceptualization, needs analysis, GIS strategy and cost-benefit analysis. He began his career winning the PhD of the Year award from the Association of American Geographers, and soon after, helped to launch one of the first GIS degree programs in Canada, at the University of Alberta in 1986. He started his first consulting firm in 1990. He has developed innovative GIS solutions in emergency management, elections management, health, education, retail location modeling and transportation. In 1997 he established the Vehicle Intelligence and Transportation Analysis Laboratory at the Center for Spatial Studies (formerly National Center for Geographic Information Analysis, NCGIA), University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2000 and 2007, partnering with UCSB, he led winning teams for the National Consortia on Remote Sensing in Transportation (NCRST) research awards funded by the USDOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration. He served as Research Chair of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Geographic Information Science and Applications, and has played a lead role in standards development in transportation.

William Lyte (in memory and gratitude), Senior Consultant, has 30 years of experience in business development with major U.S. consulting engineering firms in the port engineering sector. He is past president and 15-year board member of the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  He also serves on the executive committee of the federal/state California Marine and Intermodal Transportation System Advisory Council (CALMITSAC). Through these organizations, in many public hearings, work with community groups and legislators, and support for funding, Mr. Lyte has worked for approval of $7+ billion of port and intermodal transportation infrastructure since 1991.  These include the Alameda Corridor ($2.5 billion), Alameda Corridor East ($1 billion), Middle Harbor ($1+ billion), Gerald Desmond Bridge ($1+ billion), Plains All American Marine Terminal ($600+ million), and the China Shipping, Trapac, Wilmington/San Pedro Waterfronts, and Alameda Corridor SR-47 projects ($2+ billion collectively). In technology, he became involved with Digital Geographic through participation since 2000 in USDOT technology research programs in association with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and UCSB.  He has worked extensively in port technology initiatives, including helping to establish a technology incubator at the Port of Los Angeles (Port Tech LA) and managing an ongoing series of Harbor Association “Tech Mixers” to showcase emerging technologies.

Bill passed away in August 2015. His legacy remains alive at DGRC and the harbor community. In February 2017 he was awarded the Gary L Gregory Lifetime Achievement Award at the California Maritime Leadership Symposium.