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Col. Alden Partridge Colvocoresses, USA (Ret.), developed in 1973 - 1979 the Space Oblique Mercator with John Parr Snyder and John L. Junkins. Colvocoresses was the first to realize that such a projection was needed and mathematically feasible, and in 1974 defined it geometrically projection that maps images from Landsat satellites, which he used to develop the first satellite map of the United States.[1]

Alden P. Colvocoresses was born the son of George M. Colvocoresses II and Alice Hagen in Humbolt, Arizona, in 1918. He is the grandson of George Partridge Colvocoresses and the great-grandson of George Colvocoresses. He served in the United States Army in World War II, in the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion of the 1st Armored Division, pulling duties in North Africa and Europe. He was twice wounded in combat and has received the Purple Heart as well as two Silver Stars with Oak Leaf Clusters, the second awarded under the command of Maj. General Ernest N. Harmon, who later served as president of Norwich University for 15 years, from 1950-1965. Alden became involved with aerial photo mapping for the 1st Army, where he oversaw some of the photo mapping as preparation for the D-Day assault on Normandy.

After leaving the Army, Alden was a pioneer in satellite mapping techniques, including the Space Oblique Mercator projection that maps images from Landsat satellites, which he used to develop the first satellite map of the United States.

On May 8, 2005 Colvocoresses gave his great-great-niece, Gretchen Herrboldt Hahn, graduate of NU 2005, the commissioning oath as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. She became the first descendant of Norwich University founder Alden Partridge to graduate from Norwich in 138 years. Alden is the brother of Gretchen's maternal great-great grandmother and a key link in a military family whose roots are entwined deep in the Norwich tradition.

• Norwich University

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