CARIBOU — Ken Murchison of the Northern Maine Regional Planning Commission recently received the Maine Association of Planners 1993 award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to the planning field for computerized mapping work on the Loring Air Force Base Reuse Plan.

The Loring AFB maps were submitted as part of a statewide program to recognize achievement in the planning field. Each year the association searches and request applicants for the awards program. Awards were presented at ceremonies held at Bates College on June 25.

Traditional mapping methods and techniques have been used by the NMRPC since its inception more than 20 years ago. The mapping capability at the commission increased with the demand for services as programs and studies were created and completed. The commission has accumulated a substantial amount of mapped information for the communities in its service area, according to commission officials.

The NMRPC has upgraded its mapping computer equipment to provide information in electronic files, allowing NMRPC officials to generate a wide variety of sizes, scales, colors and combinations of data.