Applied Geospatial Research Group
Dr. Greg McDermid, P.I.
PhD (University of Waterloo), MSc, BSc (University of Calgary)
Greg is a geospatial scientist whose research activities revolve around the application of remote sensing and other geospatial technologies to environmental monitoring and ecology. He is involved in a wide variety of interdisciplinary research collaborations in the fields of wildlife ecology, biodiversity assessment, ecological monitoring, plant-phenology assessment, and vegetation mapping. He's interested in a broad range of remote sensing and other GIScience pursuits, including UAVs, cloud computing, environmental modelling, and data fusion/integration.
Dr. Scott Ketcheson, P.I.
PhD, MSc (University of Waterloo), BSc (McMaster University)
Scott is an Assistant Professor and NSERC Canada Research Chair in Hydrological Sustainability at Athabasca University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary. As a field hydrologist, he studies the movement of water between forests, wetlands and streams in northern Alberta. His research program uses both traditional hydrological techniques and innovative sensor networks to gain a better understanding of the how headwater catchments work and their importance for keeping water flowing through streams and rivers within the lower Athabasca River Basin. Scott also collaborates on several projects including oil sands reclamation, peatland biogeochemistry & mercury dynamics, seismic line impacts & restoration, and wildfire vulnerability & peatlands.
sketcheson@athabascau.ca | AU Website | @SJ_Ketcheson
People
Post-Docs
Irina Terenteva, Postdoctoral Fellow
PhD (Moscow State University) , MSc (Moscow State University)
Irina is a postdoctoral fellow who joined the lab in Spring 2022. Her past work involved organizing and carrying out field investigations of peatlands, floodplains, lakes, and arctic areas of Western Siberia with a focus on large-scale greenhouse gas emission estimates and remote sensing. Her current research applies neural networks for object detection of seedlings using drone imagery. In her spare time, Irina enjoys traveling in remote locations and experiencing local cultures. She has participated in speleological expeditions to the deepest caves spending many days under the ground.
Graduate Students
BSc Hons, MSc (University of Calgary)
Colette Shellian, PhD Student
Colette is a PhD student and also completed her MSc degree under supervision of Dr. McDermid. Colette is interested in forest ecology and using remote sensing techniques to understand forest regeneration in fragmented landscapes. Her current research investigates factors that influence seedling growth on seismic lines in Northern Alberta. In her spare time, Colette loves spending time in the mountains- whether it be hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking or skiing.
Yusif Abdullai, MSc Student
BSc, MSc (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology)
Yusif is a Master’s student from Ghana. He joined the lab in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Greg McDermid. He is interested in forest monitoring with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). His research with BERA is focused on using UAV’s to assess and monitor natural recovery along seismic lines in the boreal forest of Alberta. In his spare time Yusif loves to go kayaking and play tennis.
Tori Harrison, MSc Student
BSc (University of Calgary)
Tori is a Master’s student with the AGRG looking at the distribution of soil moisture and organic material across headwater catchments of the Boreal Plains to predict wildfire risk. This project has piqued her interest in the future of wildfire safety in Canada as a result of current forest management practices and global warming. Tori is an avid outdoors lover and in her spare time loves to whitewater kayak, mountain bike, ski and travel around the world.
Hannah Ponsonby, MSc Student
BSc Hons (McMaster University)
Hannah is a Master’s student and joined the lab in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Scott Ketcheson and Greg McDermid. Hannah is interested in hydrology and contaminated hydrogeology. Her current research investigates the hydrology of the Stony Mountain Headwater Catchment Observatory, which specifically looks at understanding the hydrological connectivity among swamp peatlands, forest, and headwater streams. In her spare time, Hannah loves being active – whether it is at the gym, hiking, snowmobiling, ice fishing or walks with her sister.
Lelia Weiland, MSc Student
BSc Hons (McMaster University)
Lelia is a Master's student joining the lab under the supervision of Dr. Scott Ketcheson. She is studying the hydrology of seismic lines in Northern Alberta with the BERA research group, in order to improve upon current restoration practices. This includes looking at surface topography, soils and underlying water tables to understand how hydrophysical properties are affected by the formation of seismic lines. In her spare time, Lelia likes to rock climb, hike, slackline and recently joined the rowing team.
Tanya Yeomans, MSc Student
BSc, BA (University of Calgary)
Tanya is a Master's student interested in the intersection of remote sensing, GIS, open data, and public service. Her BERA research is focused on using satellite imagery and time-series analysis in Google Earth Engine to assess vegetation recovery on boreal forest disturbances. Outside of her studies Tanya is an active member of the broader Calgary data community with a particular interest in data literacy and accessibility.
Xue Yan Chan, MSc Student
BSc (University of Alberta)
Xue Yan is a Master's student who joined BERA's remote sensing team in Fall 2022. Xue Yan is a drone operator and her research is focused on linking plant traits to drone-based remote sensing datasets. She also has experience as a wildfire analyst with Natural Resources Canada, where her work primarily focused on mapping wildfire burn severity and sub-daily patterns of fire intensity in boreal Alberta.
Nicole Byford, MSc Student
BSc Hons (University of Lethbridge)
Nicole is a Master’s student joining BERA’s remote sensing team under the supervision of Greg McDermid. Her research is focused on using aerial remote sensing technologies to assess vegetation recovery along seismic lines in northern Alberta. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, and reading.
Visiting Students
Pauline Maier
BSc (Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany)
Pauline is a visiting research student from Germany, where she´s enrolled in the MSc Environmental Systems and Sustainability at the Ludwigs-Maximilian-University in Munich. Currently she´s working on her thesis under the supervision of Scott Ketcheson and Ralf Ludwig. The research focuses on a comparison of three wetland-dominated, nested sub-catchments in the Stony Mountain Headwater Catchment Observatory (SMHCO) to understand the hydrological processes between and within the catchments. In her free time she enjoys outdoor sports like skiing, climbing and hiking.
Felix Wiemer
BSc (Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany)
Felix is master’s student from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich with a passion for remote sensing and drones, with a particular focus on drone-based LiDAR technology. His research centers around mapping of water tables and microtopography along seismic lines. He’s also an enthusiast of film photography and enjoys outdoor sports like mountain biking, mountaineering, and hiking.
Undergraduate Students
Sean Hillson
University of Calgary
Sean is entering his third year at the University of Calgary, majoring in Earth Science. Sean is interested in using Remote Sensing to further understand the interaction between habitat loss and wildlife in Alberta. Sean's hobbies include fly-fishing, upland hunting, paddling, and birdwatching.
Summer Students
Sofia Ahmed
BSc (University of Calgary)
Sofia is an Environmental Science graduate from the University of Calgary. She has experience working in geography and environmental microbiology research labs. Her research interests include restoration and bioremediation, specifically working with wetlands and/or aquatic environments. She is excited to work with BERA this summer and gain more knowledge on wetland restoration, as well as increase her experience with GIS and remote sensing. She will be starting her Master of Environmental Toxicology in the fall.
Ryan Ray
University of Calgary
Ryan, an ecology major at the University of Calgary, is currently working as a summer research assistant for the BERA project. With a strong desire to apply his skills in practical settings and deepen his understanding of the natural world, he is passionate about ecological studies. During his leisure time, he finds joy in engaging in activities such as tricking, cliff jumping, hiking and reading.
Iga Mielczarek
University of Calgary
Iga is joining the BERA team as a Summer Research Assistant this year, while pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Ecology at the University of Calgary. Taking an interest in everything and anything, she is excited to learn from the team and further her own experience with research and field work. Outside of work, she can be found exploring the outdoors with her dog, indulging in crafts, and exploring new hobbies.
Tyler Bray
BBA (Mount Royal University)
Tyler is an Environmental Science student at Mount Royal University with a particular interest in remote sensing and GIS. He is working at the University of Calgary as a summer research assistant with the BERA team to further understand how geospatial technologies can be utilized for environmental management and restoration. In his spare time Tyler enjoys hiking, skiing, golfing, and trying different outdoor activities with friends and family.
Staff
Julia Linke, BERA Spatial Ecologist
BSc (UNB), MSc, PhD (University of Calgary)
Dr. Julia Linke is a spatial ecologist with a B. Sc. degree in forestry and environmental management (University of New Brunswick 1999) and M. Sc. and PhD degrees in geography (University of Calgary in 2003 and 2010). Her research interests include the applications of GIS and remote sensing data and tools for the monitoring, modeling, mapping and landscape pattern analysis of forest ecosystems. She joined the Applied Geospatial Research Group in March 2016 as scientific coordinator for the NSERC BERA-project team to facilitate communication between members of the research team, collaborators, partners and the public and to assist coordinating cross-teamed research collaborations.
Mir Mustafizur Rahman, Research Associate
PhD (University of Calgary), MSc (Asian Institue of Technology),
BSc (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology)
Mustafiz envisions himself as a Geospatial Scientist, developing innovative geospatial solutions for understanding and monitoring the physical environment at different scales, whether within multi-faced and diverse urban settings or broader natural settings. Consequently, he is involved in a variety of multidisciplinary research projects in the field of ecological modeling, wetland and vegetation mapping, grassland mapping and plant phenology analysis, and Urban Planning and Urban Energy Budget. The ultimate goal of his research works is to continue working towards a flexible and holistic approach to the use of geospatial tools for large-area resource management.
Richard Zeng, Research Associate
PhD (University of Calgary), MSc (Asian Institue of Technology),
BSc (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology)
Richard is working in role of Geospatial Research Technician for BERA Project, providing technical support for team members as well as developing software tools to manage and analyze geospatial data generated during research activities. Richard has rich experiences in remote sensing and GIS on both software development and data processing. He is interested in web-based geospatial data analysis, machine learning applications in remote sensing and drone related data automation.
Claudia Maurer, Research Admin Assisstant
Bachelor's Degree (Architecture)
Claudia Maurer is the Research Administrative Coordinator supporting three different teams in the department of Geography at the University of Calgary, including the group of Dr. Greg McDermid. Originally from Germany, where she received a degree in Architecture, she changed careers in 2011 and joined the University of Calgary. She held various administrative roles and has gained expert understanding of the University’s systems and processes both from the operational and research side. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, skiing, and spending time with her family and friends.
Maverick Fong
SAIT
Maverick has a degree in Surveying and Information Technology. He has years of oversea surveying experience using total stations, GNSS, and UAV to collect data; create and maintain geospatial data, create maps in the ArcGIS enterprise environment in the past employments. He joined the lab as a Co-op summer practicum student and now provides field and technical expertise. Integrating field surveying experiences with GIS skills has made him ready for the coming challenge of real-world applications.
Jiaao Guo
BSc (University of Western Ontario), MGIS (University of Calgary)
Jiaao is a geospatial research coordinator working for both AGRG and Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) since September 2022, coordinating and/or facilitating projects and project-related needs between AGRG and ABMI. Prior to joining AGRG/ABMI, he was a remote sensing analyst at Government of Northwest Territories and a firefighter volunteer in Inuvik, NT. Jiaao has a background of B.Sc. in Environmental Science (University of Western Ontario), and Master in GIS (University of Calgary). Jiaao is also a part-time research assistant working with different teams at Canadian Mountain Network.
Recent Graduates
Niklas Heiss, MSc (2023)
Thesis: Radar interferometry as a technique for mapping peatland surface deformation around energy development infrastructure in Northern Alberta
​
Jasper Koch, MSc (2023)
Thesis: LiDAR-based assessment of microtopography on seismic lines in Northern Alberta's boreal forest
Marlis Hegels, MSc (2023)
Thesis: Characterizing solar radiation on linear disturbances in Alberta’s boreal forest
Where is she now: Marlis is conducting her PhD at the Technical University of Munich.
Alissia Paluck, MGIS (2023)
Thesis: Collection & Processing of RPAS-Based Data and Modelling Species Richness in an Alpine Environment: A Case Study in the Cardinal Divide, AB
Where is she now: Alissia works as a remote sensing scientist in Lethbridge.
Ian Perry, MSc (2021)
Thesis: Methods for Fire Severity Assessments with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems
Silvia Alejandra Losada, MSc (2021)
Thesis: Remote sensing of understorey vegetation using LiDAR
Where is she now: Silvia works as a GIS analyst in Calgary.
Lucy Poley, PhD (2020)
Thesis: Modelling and Mapping Fine-Scale Grassland Vegetation Biomass in Banff National Park Using Remotely Sensed Data Collected by Unmanned Aerial Systems
Where is she now: Lucy is the Canada KBA Ecosystems Criteria Coordinator, National Conservation Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Grad Student Alumni
Name
Colette Shellian
Ian Perry
Silvia Alejandra Losada
Lucy Poley
Gus Lopes
Shannon Blackadder
Annie He
Julie Lovitt
Shijuan Chen
David Laskin
Corey Feduck
Adam McLane
Tania Garcia Bravo
Tariq Munir
Nils Kaplan
Raul Wood
Brent Smith
Allison Zimmer
Chunhua Zhang
Jeff Wielki
William McInnis
Adrian Faraguna
David Birkigt
Andrea Ram
Julia Linke
Erin Latham
Aleksandra Sobol
Ben Curry
Shadan Sanii
Jennifer Hird
Iain Smith
Sarah Miall
Adam McLane
Katie Yalte
Dan Austin
Prasanna Man Shrestha
Sangeeta Guha
Year
2022
2021
2021
2020
2019
2019
2018
2017
2017
2016
2016
2016
2015
2014
2014
2014
2013
2013
2012
2012
2012
2011
2011
2011
2010
2010
2009
2008
2008
2008
2007
2007
2007
2007
2006
2006
2007
Degree
MSc
MSc
MSc
PhD
MSc
MSc
MSc
MSc
MSc
PhD
MGIS
PhD
MSc
PhD
MSc
MSc
MSc
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MSc
MGIS
MGIS
PhD
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MSc
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
MGIS
Thesis Summary
UAV photogrammetry seedling height
Fire severity assessment with RPAS
Remote sensing of understory vegetation
Remote sensing of bison forage biomass
Remote sensing of coarse woody debris
Whitebark pine distribution modelling
Peatlands shrub biomass estimation
UAV photogrammetry microtopography
UAV photogrammetry
Remote sensing of plant phenology
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Clark's nutcracker habitat modelling
Peatland restoration
Peatland functioning
Habitat modelling of bull and cutthroat trout
Climate Change Impacts on Hydrology
Grasslands mapping
Habitat modelling of cattle
Object-based accuracy assessment
Fire severity mapping
Native grasslands mapping
Mountain pine beetle susceptibility
Aquatic biomass estimation
Changes in Alberta grizzly bear habitat
Grizzly bear habitat monitoring
Changes in Sierra-Nevada sheep habitat
Grizzly bear home range delineation
Forest disturbance mapping and detection
LiDAR data processing
Analysis of NDVI time series for phenology
Mapping whitebark pine in Waterton Lakes
Knowledge formulation: pixels vs objects
Processing LiDAR data for canopy closure
Relative change detection
Object and pixel-based classification
Spatial modeling of vegetation structure
Quantification of depression storage
Research Associates
Name
Dr. Eleanor Bash
Dr. David Laskin
Dr. Julia Linke
Dr. Jordan Eamer
Dr. Mustafizur Rahman
Shannon Blackadder
Jennifer Hird
Alessandro Montaghi
Dr. Guillermo Castilla
Will McInnes
Deep Mazumdar
Tracy Timmins
Dr. Anna Hernando
David Laskin
Adam McLane
Role
Post-doc, glaciology
Research associate, Parks Canada
Science Coordinator, BERA
Research associate, CloudUAV
Research associate, Biodiversity monitoring
Research associate, ecological indicators
Research associate, biodiversity monitoring
Post-doc, LiDAR remote sensing
Post-doc, biodiversity monitoring
Research associate, ecological indicators
Research associate, biodiversity monitoring
Research associate, ecological indicators
Post-doc, object-based analysis
Research associate, bear habitat modelling
Research associate, caribou habitat modelling
Years Active
2019-2022
2017-present
2016-present
2016-2017
2014-present
2013-present
2009-present
2014-2016
2009-2014
2012-2013
2011-2012
2011-2012
2011
2006-2009
2007-2009