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New advancements in remote sensing science: opportunities for capacity building in forest monitoring

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Bay Trust Forum
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Main Plenary - Bay Trust Forum

Speaker

Dr Jeffrey Cardille
Associate Professor
McGill University

Incorporating Model and Reference Uncertainty into Accurate Assessments: A proposed generalization of current best practices

4:00 PM - 4:15 PM

Abstract

Biography

An Associate Professor at McGill University, Jeff is trained in landscape ecology, computer science, and teaches courses there in environmental studies and remote sensing/GIS. Prof. Cardille studies the causes of landscape pattern change and the consequences of these changes on ecosystems, biodiversity, and the human world. In addition to his research, Jeff is the lead editor of the 55-chapter "Cloud-based Remote Sensing with Google Earth Engine", published by Springer in 2023.
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Dr Bruce Cook
Physical Scientist
NASA

Landsat Next: Temporal, Spatial and Spectral Improvements Leading to Scientific Discovery and Decision-Making During the Next Half-Century

4:15 PM - 4:30 PM

Abstract

Biography

Dr. Cook is a Physical Scientist who studies ecosystem form and function in uplands and wetlands using lidar and multi-sensor/temporal remote sensing. His research interests include forest inventory; forest health monitoring and protection; photosynthesis and plant production; disturbance and plant succession; nutrient cycling; and ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of CO2, CH4, heat and water vapor. He is Project Scientist for Landsat Next (https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/landsat-next/), and Principal Investigator of NASA Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) airborne imager (https://gliht.gsfc.nasa.gov/).
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Dr Neha Hunka
Assistant Research Professor
University of Maryland

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 forest biomass estimates from Earth Observation

4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Abstract

Biography

Dr Neha is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park. She received a PhD from the University of Copenhagen in 2016 on the mapping of tropical forest loss and its spatio-temporal dynamics using radar satellites. At UMD, she coordinates efforts towards the harmonization of space-based forest carbon maps, i.e. the CEOS Biomass Harmonization activity . A core goal of this research is to facilitate the understanding and uptake of such maps by countries for policy reporting within frameworks of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
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Mr Paul Berkowitz
Physical Scientist
University of Hawaii / USGS SilvaCarbon Program

Comparing Deforestation Alert Systems to Help Build Capacity to Prevent Forest Loss

4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Abstract

Biography

Paul Berkowitz works as GIS Analyst and Physical Scientist for the University of Hawaii and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) SilvaCarbon Program. As a member of the USGS SilvaCarbon team, he provides support for numerous tropical developing countries to enhance their capacity to report on carbon emissions from forest-related activities and land use change. In recent years, he has co-organized multiple workshops focusing on Deforestation Alert Systems, as well as Mangrove Mapping and Carbon Stock Estimation. He is based in Hilo, Hawaii, where he works out of the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center under the Ecosystems Mission Area of USGS.
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Pontus Olofsson
Research Scientist
NASA

Chairperson

Biography

Pontus Olofsson is a research scientist at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Before joining NASA, he was a research professor and lecturer in the department of Earth and Environment at Boston University. Olofsson has degrees in physical geography and mathematical statistics from Lund University, Sweden. He received his PhD in Physical Geography from Lund University in 2007. Olofsson’s primary research interests revolve around the mining of archives of satellite data to further the understanding of how Earth is changing and the impact of change on people and environment. He has a special interest in how to combine remote sensing data and traditional sampling techniques to gain knowledge of environmental change. Olofsson is a science team member of the NASA Carbon Monitoring System, the NASA Land-Cover and Land-Use Change Program and NASA SERVIR. He has supported the capacity building efforts of SilvaCarbon for almost a decade.
Mrs Sylvia Wilson
Climate And Forest Scientist
Usgs

Chairperson

Biography

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