Title: UAS for Earth Observations

Speaker: John Adler, PhD. CU Boulder

Abstract:
Earth observations are the basis for scientific endeavors across many diverse disciplines. The recent ubiquity of small, inexpensive Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) allows for people to obtain timely datasets worldwide with minimal expense. Scientific data products obtained from UAS include digital elevation models, three-dimensional structure mapping, in situ atmospheric measurements, thermal maps, and more. Dr. Adler will discuss some of the projects he has worked on and outline how the new Geography UAS course allows any student to learn how to fly UAS for Earth Observation missions.

Bio:
Dr. Adler has been working with UAS (Uncrewed Aircraft Systems) for over 15 years, including projects with NASA, NOAA, the US Navy, and Arctic MUSCOX. These projects included fixed wing and multicopter platforms; sensors included lidar, RGB cameras, hyperspectral imagers, and in situ METOC measurements.  

During the academic year Dr. Adler teaches UAS and Remote Sensing courses in the Geography Department at CU Boulder. He is also a member of the NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) team, conducting airborne surveys across the nation during "peak greenness".