Hawaii EPSCoR presents "Spatial Tech Talks"

Free fall series open to GeoSpatial professionals and those who would like to expand their spatial literacy

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Contact:
Lisa Canale, (808) 933-3190
IMUA NSF Hawaiʻi EPSCoR
Posted: Aug 9, 2005

HILO, Hawaii - The Hawaii Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (Hawaii EPSCoR) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is proud to present an Applied GeoSpatial Technologies Lecture Series called "Spatial Tech Talks" from August-November 2005. This exciting guest speaker series kicks off on August 18 with Remote Sensing of Hawaiian Ecosystems, a presentation given by renowned Earth scientist Dr. Greg Asner of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology & Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University.

The series offers both cutting-edge applied spatial technology research presented by notable scientists and technical talks on advanced ArcGIS topics. The talks are on Thursdays from 4:45 pm to 5:45 pm at the University of Hawaiʻi, Hilo Campus, in the University Classroom Building (UCB), room 100. Spatial Tech Talks is free and open to everyone, including GeoSpatial professionals and the just-plain-curious who would like to expand their spatial literacy.

Special hands-on ArcGIS workshops for University of Hawaiʻi faculty and researchers will also be offered. The workshops are free and are held the Friday morning following the ArcGIS presentations by EPSCoR-UHH-ITER‘s Paul Berkowitz in the Spatial Data Analysis Lab‘s instructional facility located at UH Hilo in Kanakaʻole Hall 273. The workshop exercises will also be posted on the EPSCoR-UHH-ITER website http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~sdalhelp.

Spatial Tech Talks Fall 2005 Schedule

When: 4:45pm — 5:45pm on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Thursdays of each month
Where: University of Hawaii, Hilo Campus, University Classroom Building (UCB), Room 100
What: Guest speaker series featuring:
· Applied spatial technology research presented by notable scientists
· Technical workshops on advanced ArcGIS topics
Who: All are welcome to attend. Free parking.

For more information email sdalhelp@hawaii.edu, call 808-933-3190 or visit http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~sdalhelp.

August 18, 2005
Remote Sensing of Hawaiian Ecosystems

Dr. Greg Asner, Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology & Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University

An enormous range of climatic and soil variation occurs throughout Hawaii, providing diverse ecological settings in which to develop new remote sensing theories, methods, and applications. Given the wide ranging environmental problems facing terrestrial ecosystems in Hawaii, such as land-use change, invasive species and climate change, remote sensing has much to offer at the local and regional levels. The Carnegie Institution has developed a regional ecosystems analysis program in Hawaii to forward remote sensing research for ecosystem studies, conservation and management. The program focuses on the use of new technologies such as field-based, airborne and space-based imaging spectroscopy and laser detection and ranging (LIDAR) to better understand ecosystem structure, biogeochemistry, and species composition across the landscape. Some recent results focused on bioclimatic determinants of ecosystem structure, as a window into potential future changes in the ecology of Hawaiian systems with climate change. Other studies have focused on the impacts of invasive species on canopy biochemistry and biogeochemical cycling. This talk will present the goals, activities and recent findings of the Carnegie program, and will highlight its ongoing collaborative efforts with state, federal, and private organizations in Hawaii.

August 25, 2005
Creating an ArcGIS Fly-Through Animation & Introduction to ArcGIS

Paul Berkowitz, EPSCoR- ITER at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

This lecture introduces ArcGIS 9.1, the world‘s leading GIS (Geographic Information System) software. The focus will be on how to use the software‘s main applications, ArcMap and ArcCatalog. It will begin with a 3D fly-through to exhibit some of the software‘s more advanced features, and then move on to more workhorse topics. The talk also serves as an introduction to a hands-on ArcGIS workshop for UH Faculty and researchers, scheduled for the following morning in Kanakaʻole Hall room 273. Seeing is one thing, but doing is another. The best way to learn ArcGIS is to use it! UH Faculty & Researcher Hands-on Workshop is scheduled for Friday, August 26 in Kanakaʻole Hall 273 from 8:30am to noon.

September 8, 2005
Integrating GIS and GPS Applications Into K-12 and Undergraduate Science Programs

Derek Masaki, Pacific Basin Information Node, U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN), located on the Maui Community College (MCC) campus, has been working with community college faculty and K-12 educators to promote the integration of spatial technologies in the science classroom environment. USGS staff have assisted in the development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) teaching lab through the extension program, and have been active in the instruction of students, staff and educators. During the last six months USGS staff have been working in the field with MCC Ethnobotanist Cathy Davenport and instructors associated with the Pikoi Ke Kaula Kualena native Hawaiian science education program. The students at MCC and with the Pikoi program have been using GPS and GIS to georeference restoration efforts on land and in the ocean. Derek Masaki, Technical Coordinator with the Pacific Basin Information Node, will demonstrate the applications and results from the student fieldwork.

September 15, 2005
ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension

Paul Berkowitz, EPSCoR-ITER at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
UH Faculty & Researcher Hands-on Workshop: Friday, September 16 in Kanakaʻole Hall 273 from 8:30am to noon

September 22, 2005
Applications of satellite remotely-sensed oceanographic data to ocean and ecosystem studies around the Hawaiian Archipelago

Dr. Jeffrey Polovina, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA

For the past decade we have developed and applied methods for using satellite measurements of sea surface height, surface wind, ocean color, and sea surface temperature to describe the ocean dynamics around Hawaii. We've found sea surface height useful in estimating geostrophic currents and changes in the depth of the thermocline. Ocean color has provided estimates of surface chlorophyll which we use both to monitor summer blooms and the boundary of water masses. Surface wind data provides an estimate of surface currents. Sea surface temperature has been useful in detecting cold-core eddies. Examples of applications of these data will be presented to describe some aspects of the ocean dynamics around the Hawaiian Archipleago. Aproaches to merging satellite and biological data will be discussed.

September 29, 2005
Coupling Biological and Physical Processes Across a Range of Scales in the Coastal Ocean

Dr. Margaret McManus, Oceanography Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa

As technology evolves to permit observations at smaller spatial scales, new phenomena are often observed. Within the last decade, significant advances in optical and acoustical methods have produced new high-resolution descriptions of the distributions of plankton. Recently, quantitative calibrated optical and acoustical instruments and methods for their deployment, have been developed which have detected structures within the water column characterized by vertical scales on the order of 10s of centimeters. These ʻthin layers‘ range in thickness from a few centimeters to a few meters, may extend horizontally for kilometers and may persist for days. They are characterized by in-layer planktonic densities that can be orders of magnitude greater than the densities just above or below the structure. Frequently, there may be multiple thin layers in a single vertical profile, each with a distinct plankton assemblage. Traditional sampling methods, usually performed with bottles mounted on CTD packages deployed at a relatively rapid rate of descent or with net tows, tend to vertically average out features with spatial scales less than several meters in the vertical dimension. We will discuss the importance of these thin biological structures and their relationship to physical oceanographic processes in the coastal ocean.

October 13, 2005
Internet Mapping Services and the Pacific Basin Information Node ArcIMS site

Mike McMahon, Hawaiʻi Natural Heritage Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa

October 20, 2005
Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS)- Building an advanced benthic cable-based observatory system and its associated plug & play devices
Dr. James Bellingham, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

October 27, 2005
ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension

Paul Berkowitz, EPSCoR- ITER at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
UH Faculty & Researcher Hands-on Workshop: Friday, October 28 in Kanakaʻole Hall 273 from 8:30am to noon

November 10, 2005
Detailed high resolution vegetation mapping of the Hanalei watershed using object based classification

Stephen Ambagis, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, USGS

November 17, 2005
ArcGIS Tracking Analyst extension & Importing GPS waypoints into ArcGIS

Paul Berkowitz, EPSCoR- ITER at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
UH Faculty & Researcher Hands-on Workshop: Friday, November 18 in Kanakaʻole Hall 273 from 8:30am to noon

Schedule is subject to change.

The Spatial Tech Talks series is sponsored by the IMUA NSF Hawaiʻi EPSCoR Information Technology for Environmental Research thrust area at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

For more information, visit: http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~sdalhelp