Contact: Maridith Geuder
Using space-age data for down-to-earth applications is the goal of a new Mississippi State University center established with support from NASA.
A $500,000 facilities development grant from the space agency will provide computer hardware and software that enables researchers to develop ways that remote sensing technologies can benefit Mississippi, said David L. Evans of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Potential uses will range from forest management to precision farming, he added.
Mississippi State is one of 67 U.S. universities--and the only one in Mississippi--receiving a NASA's Mission to Planet Earth grant.
Faculty members in forestry, wildlife and fisheries, plant and soil sciences, and engineering will collaborate on research and teaching at the newly established Southern Remote Sensing Research and Training Center, Evans said. Additional campus collaborations are planned.
Computer resources will be located in several academic areas, including the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, department of plant and soil sciences, and the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Computational Field Simulation.
Evans heads the Spatial Information Technologies Laboratory in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. The lab is involved in research programs using remote sensing technologies for natural resource management.
Satellite remote sensing uses space-based sensors to capture and transmit data about the earth. Images generated by the data are used to create maps.
Remote sensing data can produce maps, for instance, that identify particular areas of a field needing weed control or fertilizer. Treating only precise areas can save money and have environmental benefits, said weed scientist David R. Shaw, a member of the team that proposed the center.
Other team members include soil scientist Michael L. Cox, wildlife scientist Wes Burger and electrical engineer Roger L. King. Forestry inventory and management, wildlife habitat assessment, agriculture assessment, precision agriculture, and new image analysis techniques are among the research areas in which they now are working.
"The potential uses for this technology are incredible," said Cox. King, of the Engineering Research Center, added: "We will be developing new ways to interpret the data visually."
The new center also will allow the university to expand academic courses focusing on technologies such as the global positioning system.
"Through the center, we also will offer workshops and short courses to help others across the state benefit from remote sensing technology," Evans said.