Highlights
Detailed Environmental Mapping for Resource Management
The mission of the Spatial Analysis Lab is to develop landscape-scale ecological information through partnerships with agency personnel, research groups, and conservation organizations to support effective management of terrestrial, wetland and aquatic communities.
Our research and projects involve scaling ground-based Earth observation data using remote sensing and modeling. A primary focus area is detailed vegetation and habitat mapping using imaging spectroscopy and airborne laser scanning. Applications include biodiversity conservation planning, plant trait and chemistry mapping, forest health monitoring, and invasive species detection.
We promote the use of geo-technologies in the state by delivering student internship and research opportunities, and partnering to develop workshops, training materials, and demonstration projects. Geospatial resources, training, and engagement opportunities and material are provided through this website.
The Spatial Analysis Lab is housed under the Broader Impacts Group at the University of Montana.
Latest News and Opportunities
- New report with recommendations resulting from last winter's workshop on broadening the use of NASA datasets by the species distribution modeling (SDM) community.
- New paper by Brecken Robb: benchtop spectroscopy helps rapidly identify variation within sagebrush shrubs - a tool for matching locally adapted plants to the right site.
- New paper in Ecology and Evolution: Developing a flexible learning activity on biodiversity and spatial scale concepts using open-access vegetation datasets from the National Ecological Observatory Network.
- Recent paper in Ecological Applications: Alpine treeline ecotones are potential refugia for a montane pine species threatened by bark beetle outbreaks.
- Can NASA get its satellite data into the real world?
See News and Opportunities for more.
