Karen Anderson

​Associate Professor - Remote Sensing

RESEARCH

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We study the spatial and volumetric expression of ecological, hydrological and geomorphic structures in landscapes using remote and proximal sensing techniques. Our diverse research uses spatial data from satellites, aircraft, kites and drones to improve understanding of landscape and ecosystem function. We work with airborne LiDAR data for characterising the 3D nature of vegetation canopies. We have developed techniques for modeling surface soil moisture using thermography. We are pioneering the use of drone-based sensing for environmental monitoring and modeling. We are exploring new ways of integrating proximal sensing data from drones into the remote sensing workflow (e.g. for calibration/validation of satellite data products).  Our major study systems are wetlands and drylands, where fine-grained patterns in vegetation or geomorphic surface structure are linked to underlying hydrological function.