Last Friday’s (Jan 16th) colloquium was a smashing success. With a fantastic turn out, this colloquium far and away holds the current record for the most attended colloquium in the Texas State Department of Geography and Environmental Studies in 2024. Dr. Reygadas presided over this event, giving an informative and well rounded presentation on her research of deforestation and degradation of forests in the Southwest Amazon. Using remote sensing tools such as Google Earth Engine, with local guidance from the communities living in the region, Dr. Reygadas performed an impactful study that not only furthers the science, but directly puts tools in the hands of the impacted communities.

Google Earth Engine combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities. Scientists, researchers, and developers use Earth Engine to detect changes, map trends, and quantify differences on the Earth’s surface. Earth Engine is now available for commercial use, and remains free for academic and research use. If you are interested in learning to harness the great power of Google Earth Engine, Texas State’s own SOGIS chapter will be holding a beginners workshop on February 29th. This workshop will cover the basics of interacting with Google Earth Engine as well as demonstrate Dr. Reygadas deforestation and degradation toolset. More information on this event will be disseminated shortly, so keep your ear to the ground and your eye to the sky.

 

Eat ’em up,

A. G. Wylie