observing and understanding the Earth and its environment

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

PeopleLisa Belyea Chris Browitt

Andrew Curtis Steve Dowers

Bruce Gittings John Grace

Bob Harwood Mike Mineter

William Mackaness Tim Malthus

Patrick Meir Maurizio Mencuccini

Chris Merchant John Moncrieff

Chris Place Keith Smith

Neil Stuart Matt Williams

Iain Woodhouse …+PDRAs +PhDs

Partners:

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

Aims and Purpose

• Optimise exploitation of observations of the Earth and its environment (both in situ and remote – NOT JUST REMOTE SENSING).

• Sharing expertise and experience in measurement, modelling, technology, analysis, data handling & assimilation, visualisation, application.

• Science questions driven by other research groups.

• Technical and science support for other research groups.

• Insight!

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

My current interests (as an example)Everything in the context of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

• Forward (radiative transfer) modelling for microwave interaction with vegetation (including surface scattering).

• Inverse modelling (parameter retrieval).

• Image reconstruction (ill-posed problems, maximum entropy methods for speckle reduction).

• Polarimetry and interferometry (coherence theory)

• Visualisation (HCI)

• Applications in … just about anything!

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

Activities

• Seminar programme (in collaboration with societies, partners, or other research groups)

• Symposia (collaborative and internal) (ECRR)

• Workshops (“What can GIS do for me?”)

• Outreach (Dynamic Earth?)

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

Aims and Purpose

• Promote and support new and innovative science in Edinburgh (benefit to researchers at the University)

• Help make Edinburgh a centre for world class research in the “GeoSciences” (attract external support and researchers)

• ?? Platforms, facilities, data, opportunities, people…

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

Initiatives• SRIF bid (£1M), NERC capital equipment

Research AircraftEnvironmental Sensors

Image Processing SoftwareGIS & Visualisation Lab

Canopy CraneMobile LaboratoryCosmogenic Lab

Stable Isotope Lab

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

Future Initiatives

• Future equipment opportunities (NERC?)• New posts (making bridges, plugging holes)• Identifying suitable candidates for visiting

researchers• Collaborative research

– Within School of GeoSciences (NERC)– With e-Science Centre, Informatics, EPCC

(EPSRC)– Others (Archaeology, ROE) (NERC, PPARC)

SCHOOL of GEOSCIENCES

observing and understanding the Earth and its environment