| Geographic
Information Science
Remote Sensing & GPS
Meteorology & Climatology
My graduate work involved the idea of screening.
When we characterize phenomena that are distributed in space,
we can rarely make exhaustive assessments, so we usually rely
upon discrete samples to draw conclusions about the entire population.
Many regulations that govern environmental assessments are based
on notions developed in the field of analytical chemistry, whereby
accurate environmental characterizations require extremely precise,
detailed measurements of discrete samples. This ignores the problems
posed by spatial variability, so my Masters' and Ph.D. work examined
the advantages of trading a few
detailed (but expensive) measurements for many spatially distributed
screening samples.
This idea has carried over into the second line
of research I have developed as a result of my association with
NASA. Advances
in technology are leading to higher
resolution satellite images, and the increased
volume of this data often exceeds the capabilities of current
hardware and analytical techniques, even in the face of continued
technological advances in computer memory, processing speed, and
storage capability. Increased resolution does not always lead
to increased accuracy, since noise can often obscure the signal
of interest. Generalization has always been an important element
of cartographic representation and geographical analysis, so my
remote sensing investigations are directed toward
developing methodologies that match the operational
scale of the real-world phenomenon to the appropriate
measurement resolution in an unbiased fashion.
This involves the use of fractals,
geostatistics, and Monte Carlo simulation.
In my view, the acquisition of knowledge and
the development of understanding involve: observation, memory,
creativity, research of previous approaches, repeated trials,
and critical assessment of successes and errors. I believe that
an educated person should be both literate and numerate, and in
my classes I include assignments that emphasize both qualitative
expression and quantitative analysis. In GEOG 375 Introduction
to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), I focus
on the utility of GIS both as a tool for understanding the infinite
complexity of the world and as a means of communicating this understanding
to others. In this process, students gain basic facility in the
operation of this complex software suite. In the upper-level GEOG
569 Geographic Information Systems
class, I seek to develop hands-on expertise, so
the students can see first-hand how the spatial-analytical theories
that constitute the heart of both the introductory and advanced
courses apply to real-world problems.
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