Remote sensing of vegetation and landscape dynamics for wildlife ecological applications

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Our understanding of natural ecosystem functioning is currently limited by our capacity to observe complex environmental dynamics frequently and over large areas. Remote sensing has long been identified as a key technology for supporting wildlife habitat analysis and other ecological applications, but its use in multi-disciplinary projects is not yet fully-developed. This work is designed to strike a balance between applications-driven research and technology-driven methods development intended to improve the use of remote sensing science in an ecological context. Specific challenges to be addressed include (i) developing new methods for characterizing vegetation phenology - recurring biophysical events such as spring greenup or budburst - using time series of satellite imagery that observe the earth on a daily basis, and (ii) establishing better methods for detecting and measuring landscape disturbance such as forest harvesting, insect damage, and wildfire. The results of our research will contributes to contemporary management and conservation initiatives surrounding endangered wildlife and biodiversity, and are intended to assist anyone dealing with remote sensing technology in an ecological context.