I just heard about the sad passing of Rasim, with whom I worked for a few years at CCRS in the 2000s. Our condolences to Rasim's family, friends and colleagues across the world. A great scientist, a fun person, and someone who will be missed. Rest well my friend.

- Andrew Davidson,  on behalf of the EO crew at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

With great sadness I read about about Rasim's passing a few days ago. Rasim was not just a leading scientist but also a great colleague, eager to share his knowledge with a view to achieve a common goal. And he had this unique humor which did not just make everybody laugh but also kept us "focus" in long meetings. 

I knew Rasim from a project about North American Land Change mapping, and we worked together in this fantastic team for about 10 years. I think it is fair to say that without Rasim's spirit, vision, and skills we could not have achieved the great outcomes.

My condolences go to his family, who he loved so much. I know that you will miss him most, but me assured that many friends and colleagues feel the same.

From Ispra, Italy, Rene Colditz.

I learned about Rasim's passing while at a conference where I had mentioned his work, as we often do.  I've known him since his first day as a volunteer at CCRS when we shared an office. We both love programming and of course Babylon 5. 

The photo above was from his early years at CCRS. Already 2 in this photos have passed away.  I'm now the only one still at CCRS from that group. 

I had the chance to meet Rasim's family many times, first at their apartment and eventually at their townhouse and their house, and Rasim and Milica are amongst the few from Ottawa that have visited me at my place near Montreal. 

He'll be missed by many.

When I first started my career at CCRS I was very intimidated when I first met Rasim. He was so intelligent and passionate about excellence in science that to someone like me, fresh out of school, he seemed so gruff and formidable. However, I quickly learned through many coffee breaks, lunches, and walks that he was equally as kind and hilarious as he was intelligent. After a couple of years of being friends with Rasim, the opportunity for me to work directly with him came up and I jumped at the chance. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. He taught me so much about remote sensing and science and he never ever made me feel out of my depth. He was an exceptional teacher. 

The lessons I will hold closest though, are related to life in general. His attitudes about how to deal with hardship, how to prioritise what is truly important to you, and how to find joy in the small things, will all stick with me. Over the past week as I have reflected on my memories of Rasim, I keep picturing him laughing, showing off some pictures of his family, or a fishing spot, or Benji. The passion for science that had intimidated me when I first met Rasim was actually a passion for everything he valued in his life. His enthusiasm was contagious. I will miss him very dearly, and I feel lucky to have had the chance to be his friend.

I had the honour of having Rasim as a colleague and friend for over 15 years. He was an exceptional scientist. He was also willing to share, mentor, teach, advise, support and criticize in the interests of the people around him and the organization he belonged to. He was a man of few words but great insight. More than any other CCRS scientist, he gave younger colleagues first authorship and placed his own name second or third, even when he was the driving force behind the research (something little understood by the promotions board). Likewise, he was far better at sharing and supporting clients and colleagues than at documenting these actions for his dossier. His capabilities and character warranted the sort of academic environment he left behind in Bosnia....which Canadian federal government was not able to offer. Yet he thrived. His GoogleScholar H-Index is testament to the breadth of his impact....despite the lack of resources and continuity his federal employer provided. He was also a force to be reckoned with outside the office: a fast, competitive and driven cyclist and cross country skier. "Time to suffer", he would say with a smile. He was a lover of food and wine. Able to be light and philosophical, funny and sanguine. Rasim had life in the palm of his hand, and twirled it in a madcap tango. There is truly no earthly justice, that he was not given another 25 years to enjoy all the rewards which were his due.

I had only few personal interactions with Rasim, partially due to Covid-19 and the post-pandemic workplace model. When I just came to CCRS, he generously shared two of his high-quality Landsat mosaics and endorsed me to apply for an HPC account, in support of my work, which is not related to his. The more I learn about Rasim, the more I appreciate his generosity as a colleague.  He will be missed for his unique individuality and dedication.  I would view that his accomplishment in Land Cover mapping has served as a pillar for our organization, leaving a lasting impact.

Rasim was a force of nature who fittingly dedicated his scientific work to monitoring nature.  He showed his love for his new country in his enjoyment of the outdoors but kept the elegance and courtesy of the old world.   But I know him best for  putting friends and especially family first.   Learning  this from him was a gift I will cherish.

Rest easy dearest Kume. Your spirit will live on through your family. We are so lucky to have known you and will miss you very much.

It seems like yesterday when we were young and playful on the ice of Dow's Lake. Rasim smiled brightly.  We lost a dear friend and colleague, while Canada lost a great scientist.

Dear Milica,
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.  Wishing you strength in the times to come. 
Thinking of you.
Elly Nadorp

Best friends for 60 years. Kumovi for 37 years. Raised our daughters together. Welcomed granddaughters together. You are in my heart forever.

Kumovi for 37 years. We will miss you every day and will never forget all the times we spent together. In our hearts forever.

When taken together, some feel that the daily snapshots that satellites collect over Canada represent the memory of our country – how it was, how it is and how it is changing.  Rasim was one of the best in the world when it came to interpreting this data, mining this memory and describing how our land is changing from coast to coast to coast.  Going forward, the challenge of understanding and adapting to this change just got harder without Rasim’s continuing scientific innovation, expertise, rigour and commitment to excellence.   Please accept my deepest sympathies during this very difficult time.

Milica and family..so very sorry to hear of your loss..Take care of yourself and each other..with sympathy Valerie Brodie

You are gone, but living memories will stay alive with each new day…

We celebrated many Birthdays…

A huge loss of dearest friend, has left us speechless, vulnerable and heartbroken. You are gone but the memories will stay, to live with us in every new day. RIP

I first met Rasim in 1998 when I joined him at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, both of us starting as research associate contractors. Back then, Rasim was the custodian of the numerous digital tapes that held the processed satellite data files he had generated to study land cover and climate change in Canada under our section head Josef Cihlar. Before I got to know him, whenever I would go ask to borrow a few of these tapes I kind of felt like a Seinfeld character angling for some of that delicious take-out soup. Of course, that was a very short-lived impression of someone who would become a long-term friend and frequent collaborator (I also learned some satisfying Bosnian words from Rasim, which could be launched in public without any repercussions). I am going to miss this most interesting, clever, funny, and unique man. I’m going to miss the relaxed companionship that came with hitting some tennis balls around with our small playing group during the past five years.
Rob

This is how I got to know Rasim, going out for a walk with Cisco his dog.  Here we are meeting up in the rink in Winterwood Park.

This comes as a complete shock to me, a man filled with such energy and friendliness is gone.  My sincerest condolences to Milica and the rest of the family.

Milica and mum in the background enjoying flowers, while dajdza loved the cars in Autostadt in Wolfsburg (Germany)!!!

Volkswagen City of Wolfsburg
Rasim & his passion for cars!

I was terribly saddened to hear of Rasim’s passing. We played tennis together a few weeks ago as we had many times before. Rasim was perhaps my most important mentor as a scientist, particularly when I started at CCRS more than 20 years ago. I considered him to be among my closest and most loyal friends. We shared many bike rides, pho soups and tennis matches outside of work. I will miss his intelligence, sense of humour and infectious laugh. My condolences to his family, and I hope he continues to observe the earth from above.
Ian

My darling dajdža (uncle), 
I’m going to miss you so much!! I remember the last time we were together in Bosnia. My parents being already in Germany sent you to accompany me to the bus station, to start the refugee travel to Germany via Belgrade, Maastricht.. I didn’t want to go, but they knew that you’ll make me. With that I was able to live a different life, study engineering, start a family. Thanks!! Always had a feeling that you were proud, niece studying engineering as her dearest uncle. The talks with you changed, became more and more adult, sometimes about next conference, cities we both traveled to, but always with great humor and always with a laugh! And always with this feeling that you are proud of what we all managed.. our family around the world, but everybody successful, caring and happy.
When we met last time in Germany, I saw my sons talking to you.. you asking them what they are going to study.. of course both tend to engineering :) We‘ll keep up the engineer‘s spirit in our family, don‘t worry about that!!
Of course this is just a glimpse of all the things we were able to experience with you. Thanks for being there for us! We are going to miss you so much, but will keep the mindset you thought us! 
We‘ll enjoy the life, every day, we‘ll travel to foreign countries, we‘ll experience and appreciate different cultures, we’ll care about each other, always with a laugh and a smile in our faces and in our hearts!
Neka ti je laka zemlja dragi naš dajdža,
Mirna

When I started in CCRS, one of the first characters I met was Rasim and he was definitely quite the character. He came across as direct, honest, and extremely serious. As a new manager, I was honestly intimidated by that first impression and his considerable knowledge. My first impressions of him weren’t all that accurate and as I got to know him over the years I came to appreciate his good humor, his perceptions of his work, the Earth Observation domain, and life in general.

He thrived on challenge (at work and at play) and took on those challenges with a truly competitive spirit. At CCRS this led to Rasim being one of the most highly respected land cover scientists in the world. As a testament to the scale and impact of his career, Rasim was the Canadian lead on the North American Land Cover Monitoring Service (NALCMS) over the last 18 years. The NALCMS is an intergovernmental (US, Mexico, Canada) initiative to devise a harmonized land cover product for all of North America. In this effort, Rasim led a small Canadian team of 2-3 individuals and joined a contingent of a large number of US scientists and contractors, and a smaller (but still large) number of Mexican scientists.  Despite the significant difference in representation, the NALCMS teams frequently adopted Rasim’s methodologies in land cover production, including classification algorithms, mosaicking algorithms, and data management routines, many of which represented pioneering efforts in the application of AI to land cover classification.

Rasim leaves behind many friends and colleagues in CCMEO, as well as numerous alumni and colleagues in other departments. More than just colleagues, he developed close, personal relationships with those he worked with. He helped start or advance the careers of many scientists across Canada. He leaves behind a profound scientific legacy. He will be missed.

In the loving memory of my uncle Rasim ❤️

Excellent professional, delivering the best of his knowledge at every moment. 
A surprising human quality,
He always flaunted the beauty of life, his family and his dog Benji.
I want to thank you for the jovial and happy moments shared by international landscapes (Banff, the Grand Canyon, Guadalajara and the tequila fields, Popocatepelt, Yellowstone...) and I also want to thank you for all your shared experience in the work of the generation of maps, his legacy has been invaluable, exalting the project's slogan: three countries, a single North American environment. 
rest in peace.
The memories will always be in my heart, treasuring the beautiful moments shared.

OBITUARIO

Rasim Latifovic

11 junio, 1959 – 9 junio, 2024

McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home & Chapel

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