DGES Student awarded best Remote Sensing Masters in Canada: Forest change detection and mapping in Gatineau Park
DGES Student awarded best Remote Sensing Masters in Canada: Forest change detection and mapping in Gatineau Park
Chris Czerwinski, MSc graduate in Geography, was awarded the best 2012 Master’s thesis in Canadian remote sensing at the 34th Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing in Victoria, BC. Czerwinski’s thesis is entitled “Forest Change Detection and Mapping in Gatineau Park, Quebec, 1987 to 2010 using Landsat Imagery.” He was co-supervised by Doug King and Scott Mitchell.
Czerwinski measuring forest parameters.
An Abstract of Czerwinski’s thesis
Remotely sensed observations can be used to infer landscape dynamics, however the reliability of detected change depends on the spatial and temporal resolution of the data. The goal of Czerwinski’s research was to detect both abrupt and subtle change within the forests of Gatineau Park, Québec, by integrating ground-based measurements with Landsat imagery. Thirty three 1 ha field plots were surveyed with respect to vegetation quantity and health during the growth season of 2010, and thirteen near-anniversary Landsat TM 5 images from 1987 to 2010 were assembled into a relatively calibrated image time series. Regression of 2010 Landsat derived vegetation indices against the field data helped aid interpretation of the spectral trends extracted from the image time series. Results show distinct localized spectral trajectories due to gradual forest deterioration or regrowth. Mapping the timing, location, magnitude, and duration of forest change will help inform land management policy and actions within Gatineau Park and other similar landscapes.
To learn more about The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, please visit: http://www.carleton.ca/geography/