This course is designed to introduce the use of GPS, GIS and Remote Sensing in a reseach setting for the ecosystem sciences. It is an introductory course for those with little or no background in the subject.

Students will participate in a data collection field trip, work with satellite based remote sensing images, and produce both cartagraphic and quantitative description of the spatial patterns of their field data.

This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding Satellite Remote Sensing and image processing in costal studies. The emphasis is on developing an overview of the available data, their application research, and the skill set necessary for the construction of derived datasets of primary production, sea surface temperature and coastal landcover.

The course specifically addresses ways of investigating the spatial continuity that is an essential feature of natural phenomena.  Topics will included; univariate and bivariate spatial description, autocorrelation and cross-correlation, variograms and heterogeneous distributions, quantifying spatial pattern, and estimations of spatial processes.