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ForestSAT 2018 International Conference co-hosted by University of Maryland Department of Geographical Sciences
We are pleased to announce the eighth edition of the ForestSAT 2018 conference hosted by the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center at the newly completed Hotel at the University of Maryland, just minutes from Washington DC. ForestSAT has become the pre-eminent conference on the application of spatial analysis and remote sensing technologies for forest monitoring, modeling and description.
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MPS GIS welcomes first cohort from joint partnership with Nanjing Normal University
On June 21st, 2018, the MPS GIS program hosted a orientation luncheon for the first cohort of students from Nanjing Normal Univeristy.
During the course of the program, students spend a year studying at their home institution (NNU) before transferring to the U.S. to complete a six-month residency at UMD prior to graduation. UMD faculty visit NNU to teach some required courses, and all class instruction—whether given in China or the U.S.—is conducted in English.
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PhD student Danielle Rappaport leads study that provides first comprehensive set of emissions factors for Amazon forest degradation
Understanding whether forest degradation from fire and logging represents an important source of carbon emissions from the Amazon region is essential to balance the global carbon budget, improve climate projections, and optimize efforts to reduce land-use emissions, such as REDD+. In the video below, Danielle Rappaport, PhD student, highlights how the newly published paper she led in Environmental Research Letters will contribute to improved carbon accounting of Amazon forest degradation.
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Faculty members attend the SARI Land Use Meeting in the Philippines
An international workshop and training were organized by Krishna Vadrevu (Adjunct Professor) and Chris Justice with support from Garik Gutman (NASA HQ) and local hosts at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, as part of the NASA South and Southeast Asia Regional Initiative (SARI). Attendees and speakers from the Department were Tatiana Loboda, Chengquan Huang, Christina Justice, Kris Lasko and Eric Vermote (Adjunct Professor). Drs. Huang contributed to the training program. A field trip was held before the meeting to visit the crater of Mount Pinatubo (which exploded in 1991) and the surrounding countryside.
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Mid-Atlantic Team, Lead by UMD Students, Takes 2018 World Geography Bowl Title
"Which countries import the most coffee per capita?" "What type of soil, which starts with the 3rd letter in Louisiana, is most common in the state?" "What two rivers make up the Fertile Crescent?" "An ingredient in the popular hurricane drinks of New Orleans, the invention of rum is credited to what country?"
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When UMD Connects with El Salvador
Four graduate students from the department of Geographical Sciences traveled to San Salvador, El Salvador from March 17th to the 24th, 2018 to establish communication channels with Salvadoran universities interested in developing their academic and research capacity. Two different universities eagerly opened their doors - the Universidad Jose Matias Delgado (UJMD) and the Universidad de El Salvador (UES), known as the National University. Overall, faculty and researchers at both universities recognize the urgency of advancing applied research in GIS and remote sensing to anticipate and mitigate severe climate-related and anthropogenic impacts.
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GEOG 198A Online Summer Course-Introduction to GIS in the Era of Big Data
GEOG 198A Online 1-Credit Course in Summer 2018
This Summer 2018, the Center for GIS is offering:
GEOG 198A: Introduction to GIS in the Era of Big Data (1 credit: course schedule is here; register at OES)
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GEDI Moves Towards Launch on ISS
"A first-of-its-kind laser instrument designed to map the world's forests in 3-D is moving toward an earlier launch to the International Space Station than previously expected.
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation – or GEDI, pronounced like "Jedi," of Star Wars fame – instrument is undergoing final integration and testing this spring and summer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The instrument is expected to launch aboard SpaceX's 16th commercial resupply services mission, targeted for late 2018. GEDI is being led by the University of Maryland, College Park; the instrument is being built at NASA Goddard."
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Inbal Becker-Reshef wins the Provost's Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty
Inbal Becker-Reshef wins the Provost's Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty for her outstanding contributions and accomplishments in research.
