John Townshend has been made an Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom's Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society. 

Honorary membership is awarded to individuals of prominence in the field of remote sensing and photogrammetry.

The award was made by  Paul Aplin, Chairman of the Society, when John visited the UK to give the Society's Annual Lecture at the University of Nottingham on the topic of "Challenges and Opportunities for Terrestrial Earth Observation."