Updated: 27 March 2018

Meinrad Abegg:  Doctoral Student, National Forestry Institute , U. of Zurich

  • Meinrad’s thesis work focuses on TLS applications for the NFI and the development and evaluation of algorithms for information extraction (estimation of coarse wood from point clouds) using NFI data and a virtual scanning environment. He will contribute his knowledge of data derivation and statistical analysis to the development of field measurement protocols.

Felipe Alencastro: Doctoral Student, University of Alberta

  • Felipe is using TLS to analyze the structure (plant area index, tree height, DBH, tree volume) of Costa Rican forest plots with the Leica C10 scanner in comparison with the Vegnet instrument. He will learn more about TLS, data analysis, and software through the RCN and will share his experiences with the group.

John Armston:  Senior Researcher, University of Maryland; Scientist, Remote Sensing Centre of Queensland, DSITI Queensland

  • John’s work links satellite, airborne and ground measurement data for large area mapping and monitoring of vegetation structure attributes and above-ground biomass in Australian State Government environmental management programs. He is developing applications for his department’s Riegl VZ-400 TLS in this context, and will work with the group to define the specifications of the aboveground biomass laser scanner. He is presently working with the GEDI team at the University of Maryland, focusing on mapping forest biomass by space borne lidar.

Jeff Atkins:  Postdoctoral Associate, Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Jeff is working with Chris Gough, Brady Hardiman, and Robert Fahey using TLS to evaluate whether canopy structural complexity–the spatial variability in leaf arrangement within a canopy–is a generalized predictor of forest carbon storage within and across sites varying in physical structure, species composition and diversity, and climate. Jeff will help develop this and other new applications of TLS to forestry and ecological science.

Harm Bartolomeus:  University Docent, Wageningen U.

  • Harm has worked with hyperspectral and optical imagery and lidar data for diverse applications; he will identify and pursue new and synergistic applications of TLS and the aboveground biomass laser scanner.

Martin Béland: Assistant Professor, Laval University

  • Martin’s research has focused on retrieval of leaf area and LAI with TLS, including the development of voxel-based methods applied to point clouds, for input to biophysical and biochemical models of forest dynamics. He will help identify new algorithms and approaches for retrieving forest structure to add new applications of TLS for ecological modeling.

Peter Bunting:  Senior Lecturer, Abersytwyth U.

  • Pete’s work has focused on the computational processing of spatial data for mapping land surface biophysical attributes; he is particularly interested in 3-D point cloud and has been a leader in the development of the sorted pulse data library (SPDLib) for lidar processing. He will help develop processing strategies for the new aboveground biomass laser scanner.

Peter Boucher: Doctoral Student, U. Massachusetts Boston

  • A member of Crystal Schaaf’s group at UMass Boston, Peter’s doctoral work concerns monitoring changes in forest structure using the Compact Biomass Lidar at Harvard Forest. He will share the new techniques and approaches to monitoring forest change he develops with the RCN.

Andrew Burt:  Doctoral Student, U. College London

  • Andy’s doctoral thesis focuses on retrieval of forest structure through quantitative structure modeling as applied to TLS point clouds. He is working with Mat Disney as his advisor. He has developed a processing chain for extracting individual trees from point clouds and will contribute these tools and approaches for TLS and the aboveground biomass laser scanner.

Kim Calders:  Postdoctoral Researcher, Ghent University

  • Kim is presently working on a large 3-D reconstruction at Wytham Woods, Oxford, for structure retrievals and radiative transfer modeling. At Ghent he will focus on how full 3-D structure from TLS is related to airborne or spaceborne remote sensing signals. Kim will help identify new algorithms and approaches for TLS applications.

Eric Casella: Project Manager, UK Forest Research

  • Eric’s work focuses on process-based modeling of water and CO2 fluxes, along with energy and carbon balances of forests. He is developing new algorithms to extract forest structural measurements from TLS and ALS scans, and will share this work with the group.

Supriya Chakrabarti:  Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, U Mass Lowell

  • Builder of the Dual-Wavelength Echidna Lidar, Supriya will help coordinate the development of new technologies leading to a specification for a low-cost TLS system for rapid aboveground biomass measurement. He will also coordinate our efforts with the UMass Lidar Initiative, which he co-chairs with Crystal Schaaf.

Yiming Chen:  Doctoral Student, Beijing Normal U.

  • Yiming has extensive experience with Riegl VZ-400 data from his work at Beijing Normal; he recently completed an exchange visit with Boston U. on retrieval of leaf angle distribution with combined Riegl and DWEL data from the TLSIIG Brisbane Intercomparison activity.

Tim Condon:  M.A. Student, Boston U.

  • Tim is presently researching the link between hemispherical forest photography and TLS for estimation of leaf area index and clumping as informed by destructive sampling at Harvard Forest. He helps coordinate the RCN activity under the direction of Alan Strahler.

Debbie Crawford: Experimental Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water

  • Debbie is an experimental scientist at CSIRO in Canberra, and works with the carbon cycling and vegetation processes team. She has scanned in eucalypt forests, woodlands, and shrublands using the Zebedee (Zeb1) hand-held scanner, and hopes to develop and share ways that the Zeb1 can be used to complement scans from higher-resolution instruments.

Mark Danson:  Professor of Environmental Remote Sensing, Salford U.

  • Mark is the developer of the dual-wavelength Salford Advanced Laser Canopy Analyzer (SALCA). He will advance coordination on biomass retrievals and new technology development for the aboveground biomass laser scanner, and participate in comparative and calibration activities, as well as hosting a workshop in Year 1.

Mat Disney:  Reader in Geography, U. College London

  • Mat’s expertise is in 3D RT modelling and measurement and his contribution will focus our discussions on how models can provide tools for instrument and algorithm development, particularly for quantitative information extraction. Mat will also providing new TLS and model datasets for calibration and testing of TLS instruments, including his own Riegl VZ400.

Jan Eitel: Research Assistant Professor, U. of Idaho

  • Jan leads the development an autonomous TLS to monitor forest structure at high temporal and spatial resolution, and is also working with a two-wavelength laser system for mapping leaf biochemistry and plant function. He will help with the development of the ABLS and work toward new applications of TLS in forest ecology.

Ahmed el Sharif: Doctoral Candidate, U. of Newcastle

  • Ahmed’s work at Newcastle with Rachel Gaulton focuses on dual-wavelength scanning to estimate leaf water content as an indicator of stress. Ahmed will add to new ecological applications of TLS with this work and will share them with the network.

Angela Erb:  Doctoral Candidate, U. Mass Boston

  • Angela’s doctoral work in Crystal Schaaf’s lab focuses on remote imaging and retrieval of land surface attributes from satellite platforms. She has deployed terrestrial lidars in diverse environments and maintains an active interest in new TLS applications.

Robert Fahey:  Forest Ecologist, Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL

  • Bob uses 2-D portable canopy lidar to examine forest structure-function relationships in the upper Great Lakes region. He is interested in developing standards for below-canopy systems.

Rachel Gaulton:  Lecturer in Remote Sensing, U. of Newcastle

  • Rachel brings experience in TLS applications in forest monitoring, including the use of the dual-wavelength SALCA for monitoring canopy biochemistry. With a background in ecology, she will pursue new ecological TLS applications, including in hedgerow and bioenergy crop monitoring, as well as advising on standards and specifications for the above-ground biomass laser scanner.

Christopher Gough:  Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth U.

  • Chris is a plant physiological and ecosystem ecologist with training in forestry and a research emphasis on forest carbon cycling. He uses lidar products to examine how forest physical and biological structure relate to key carbon cycling processes, including forest net primary production and carbon sequestration. He will help develop new ecological applications for TLS.

Lyndsey Graham:  Doctoral Student, Newcastle U.

  • Lyndsey’s research focuses on the use of TLS for hedgerow structure monitoring and habitat modelling, supervised by Rachel Gaulton. She will assist in testing and applying new TLS technology and processing methods in this alternative ecological application.

Jonathan Greenberg: Associate Professor, U. of Nevada, Reno

  • Jonathan works with TLS in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Nevada and California, and uses TLS for 3-D biomass change detection, mapping of surface fire fuels, and calibrating ALS to understory structure and dynamics. He will provide RCN researchers with sample data and methods for forest and fuels structure and dynamics extraction with TLS.

Steven Hancock:  Senior Researcher,  U. of Maryland

  • Steve has worked with airborne and terrestrial lidar data since 2005 for forest structure and land surface modeling. He will bring his experience and skills to developing new theory and applications for TLS. He is presently working with the GEDI team at the University of Maryland, focusing on mapping forest biomass by spaceborne lidar.

Brady Hardiman:  Assistant Professor, Purdue University

  • Brady has studied forest disturbance monitored by remote sensing and its effect on carbon and nitrogen cycling. He will help develop and refine ecological applications of TLS, including the relationship between forest structure as measured by TLS with ecosystem complexity and diversity.

Alex Held:  CSIRO Canberra

  • Alex will lead the coordination toward methods and standards of ground biomass measurement with TLS for calibration and validation of regional and international carbon monitoring programs.

Martin Herold:  Professor of Geo-Information, Wageningen U.

  • Martin’s work combines structural attributes and canopy characteristics obtained from Riegl VZ-400 data with the retrieval of structural and biophysical parameters from high and moderate resolution time-series satellite data. His work in GEO and GOFC-GOLD provides a very useful perspective on the needs of the biomass measurement community.

Markus Hollaus:  Senior Scientist, Vienna U. of Technology

  • Markus and his colleagues in Norbert Pfeifer’s group are working on TLS issues of calibration, 3D models, and biomass proportions. They will contribute theory and algorithms for TLS preprocessing and applications as applied to ecological and biomass applications.

Lucy Hutyra:  Associate Professor of Earth & Environment, Boston U.

  • Lucy’s work has integrated remote sensing and field ecology to better understand the linkage between vegetation structure and carbon and nitrogen flows. She will coordinate with other ecologists to develop and test novel applications for TLS.

Tom Jovanovic: Research Scientist, Australian National University

  • Tom is a research scientist at Australian National University in Canberra, focusing on precision measurement of trees and forests. Using the Zebedee (Zeb1) scanner, Tom is adding hand-held lidar to airborne and optical data of crown architecture types in the National Arboretum. He will share his experiences with the Zeb1 and its applications.

Mikko Kaasalainen:  Professor, Tempere U. of Tech

  • Mikko is an applied mathematician specializing in inverse problems; he maintains an active interest in remote sensing and environmental studies and has stimulated the development of quantitative structure modeling for retrieval for forest structure from TLS point clouds. He will help develop automated approaches to structure retrieval for biomass measurement.

Sanna Kaasalainen:  Research Professor, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute

  • Sanna leads a group working with active sensors, particularly lidars, in developing new instruments, such as hyperspectral lidars, and innovative lidar applications. She will help develop the specifications and needed characteristics of the above-ground biomass scanner.

David Kelbe:  Postdoctoral Researcher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Dave’s doctoral work centered on ALS and TLS of forests, both in theory and applications as applied to point clouds and full waveform returns. He recently completed a study of automated retrieval of tree trunk diameters from registered point clouds and has worked on theory and software approaches to TLS data processing for biomass and ecological applications. Although his research has moved into a different area, he maintains an active interest in TLS.

Alvaro Lau Sarmiento:  Doctoral Student, Wageningen U.

  • Alvaro Lau, a member of Martin Herold’s group, is working with TLS data from the Riegl VZ-400 in tropical forests, testing a plant scaling metabolism model. He will help develop improved methods of structure retrieval in tropical forests for biomass and ecological applications.

Zhan Li:  Postdoctoral Researcher, U. Mass Boston and Boston University

  • Zhan has worked extensively with Alan Strahler on the DWEL lidar during its construction and has developed new theory and applications for dual-wavelength data, including sensor calibration, separation of leaf and wood hits, and leaf and wood point clouds. He will participate in development of the above-ground biomass scanner and its applications.

Sruthi Moorthy:  Doctoral Student, U. of Ghent

  • Under the direction of Hans Verbeeck, Sruthi is deploying Ghent’s Riegl VZ-400 for the study of lianas in the tropical forest for the Tree Climbers Program. She will share approaches and progress in separating lianas from host trees and estimating liana biomass.

Felix Morsdorf:  Senior Research Associate and Group Leader, U. of Zurich

  • Felix has extensive experience working with ALS data for forest structure retrieval and is now exploring TLS for that objective. He will help in developing applications for the aboveground biomass laser scanner, especially those involving radiative transfer within modeled forests based on scanner data.

Jasmine Muir:  Research Fellow, University of New England, Armidale NSW

  • Jasmine’s research concerns using TLS to measure site –based biodiversity and condition. She has also explored photogrammetric methods for counting trees and measuring tree diameters in eucalypt stands. A particular interest is using TLS to quantify fire fuel loadings. She received her Ph.D. in 2017 from the U. Queensland, working with Stuart Phinn.

Glenn Newnham:  Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Land and Water, Melbourne

  • Glenn has worked directly with the Echidna Validation Instrument and is developing new applications for the CSIRO DWEL. He will help develop new applications of TLS for wildland fire risk assessment and impact measurement.

David Orwig:  Forest Ecologist, Harvard Forest, Harvard U.

  • David’s work in forest dynamics and the effects of invasive insects on forest ecosystems, coupled with his development of the 35-ha ForestGEO plot at Harvard Forest, will provide fertile ground for new TLS applications development at Harvard Forest and beyond.

Ian Paynter:  Postdoctoral Researcher, Goddard Space Flight Center

  • Ian has played a major role in developing processing and application software for the Canopy Biomass Lidar, focusing on both forest and marshland structural measurements for this doctoral work with Crystal Schaaf at UMass Boston. In his new position at NASA Goddard, Ian will work primarily with airborne lidar and imagery, while maintaining his interest in TLS and its use for validation of airborne measurements.

Francesco Peri:  Research Engineer/Project Manager, U. Mass Boston

  • Francesco, working with Crystal Schaaf’s group, has played a leading role in developing and building the Canopy Biomass Lidar. He will participate in the development of the above-ground biomass lidar scanner.

Stuart Phinn:  Professor School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, U. Queensland

  • Stuart’s work has focused on developing environmental monitoring programs in Australia combining field measurements and remote sensing of vegetation structure, including biomass. This includes linking TLS to optical and SAR measurements of vegetation structure. His expertise will help ensure that the applications developed will work within operational environmental monitoring and management programs.

Pasi Raumonen:  Senior Research Fellow, Tampere U. of Technology

  • Pasi has developed automatic modeling methods for tree and forest structure from TLS data. By fitting geometric primitives to forest point clouds, his software quickly and accurately estimates forest aboveground biomass and other structural information. He will continue this development as it finds new applications.

Andrew Reinmann:  Assistant Professor, City University of New York

  • Andy’s work focuses on biosphere-atmosphere carbon exchange along an urban to rural gradient. He will help develop new ecological applications of TLS, focusing on urban vegetation structure.

Edward Saenz:  PhD., U. Mass Boston

  • Eddie received his doctorate in 2017 from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, working with Crystal Schaaf’s group on bidirectional imaging effects in satellite data; he has participated in CBL deployments and maintains an active interest in TLS.

Fadal Sasse:  Doctoral Candidate, Salford U.

  • Fadal is a Doctoral Candidate working with Mark Danson. He will focus on multispectral TLS data for species classification and structure measurements contributing to algorithms for the aboveground biomass laser scanner.

Peter Scarth:  Senior Research Scientist, U. Queensland

  • Peter works in large area land cover mapping applications and has used GLAS data to map horizontal and vertical vegetation structure across Australia. His interests with TLS revolve around the retrieval of gap fraction, within and between crown clumping and developing parallelized cloud applications to serve waveform clouds and derived products to users in their format of choice for further analysis.

Crystal Schaaf:  U. Mass Boston and Boston U.

  • Crystal Schaaf, Principal Investigator of the TLS RCN, developed the Canopy Biomass Lidar (CBL) instrument in collaboration with Jan van Aart at RIT and pioneered new applications of that instrument. She leads the work of the RCN following the change in status of Alan Strahler from PI to participant in early 2018. Crystal focuses on specifications and development of the aboveground biomass laser scanner and brings her expertise in forest scanning with the CBL to the group.

Michael Schaefer:  Research Team Leader, CSIRO Canberra

  • Michael’s research interests in TLS include TLS acquisition and data processing using CSIRO’s Dual Wavelength Echidna Lidar (DWEL), aboveground biomass validation programs, TLS-ALS synergy, and remote sensing for natural land management. He will assist in development of the aboveground biomass laser scanner and its processing algorithms.

Michael Schaepman:  Professor, U. of Zurich

  • Michael’s interests lie in physically based RS models based on RT theory. He maintains a set of fully parameterized and validated reference sites in Switzerland, measuring vegetation biochemistry and structure as well as aboveground biomass. Michael’s group is also building a multispectral waveform lidar with a tunable wavelength range between 400-2500 nm.

Cynthia Scheuerman:  Graduate Student, Virginia Commonwealth U.

  • Cynthia works closely with Chris Gough and his collaborators Jan van Aardt and David Kelbe on ground-based 2- and 3-D lidar, primarily examining structural changes through forest development. She will assist Chris’s group in development of new TLS applications.

Konrad Schindler:  Professor, ETH Zurich

  • Konrad’s interests lie in photogrammetry, computer vision, image processing, and remote sensing. He is head of the Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Department and will keep the RCN aware of his group’s work in image processing and remote sensing as it applies to ecological applications.

Fabian Schneider:  Doctoral Candidate, U. of Zurich

  • Fabian’s doctoral work with Felix Morsdorf is focused on characterizing functional diversity of temperate (Laegern) and tropical (Lambir) forests using ALS, TLS and imaging spectroscopy in combination with radiative transfer models. He is especially interested in linking structural complexity to the radiative regime of the forest, and will contribute to the development of new ecological applications for TLS.

Lucy Schofield:  Lecturer, York St. John University

  • Lucy’s doctoral work with Mark Danson focused on the SALCA dual-wavelength instrument, including its calibration and its ability to separate leaves from trunks and branches. She continues her work with TLS in her new teaching position in Geography at York St. John.

Alexander Shenkin:  Postdoctoral Researcher, U. of Oxford

  • Alexander has worked with Riegl VZ-400 data in the Andes/Amazon, creating visualizations, and using QSM for stem respiration modeling. He will help the RCN develop new ecological applications, using TLS to build functional tree and forest models of productivity and other forest functions.

Ben Sparrow:  Ausplots Director, TERN, U. of Adelaide

  • Ben directs the AusPlots program, which provides monitoring and assessment of Australia’s rangelands and tall forest ecosystems. His experience in field methods will help the RCN team design protocols and tools for biomass sampling and monitoring.

Atticus Stovall: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Virginia

  • Atticus is using TLS point clouds to estimate tree biomass from tree volume using a new algorithm, with the goal of developing nondestructive allometric equations. He is also working to quantify forest productivity from measures that merge vegetation area index and structure from TLS. Atticus is working with Hank Shugart at UVa, and will collaborate with RCN participants to advance these goals.

Alan Strahler:  Professor, Boston U.

  • Alan has twelve years of experience in developing TLS applications and technology (EVI, DWEL), and founded the Terrestrial Laser Scanning International Interest Group (TLSIIG) in 2012. After leading the TLS RCN as Principal Investigator beginning in 2015, Alan assumed the role of participant in early 2018 as Crystal Schaaf became PI.

Jose Gonzales de Tanago Menaca:  Doctoral Student, Wageningen U.

  • Jose Tanago is a member of Martin Herold’s group; his interests lie in TLS scanning and forest structure. He will assist in developing new procedures and applications of TLS using the group’s Riegl VZ-400 instrument.

Jan van Aardt:   Professor, Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology

  • Jan leads a group measuring the condition of vegetation, including structure, function, and composition, using imaging spectroscopy and lidar technologies. He and Crystal Schaaf are working to refine the Canopy Biomass Lidar and develop algorithms for forest structure retrieval. He will work toward developing the specifications and capabilities of the aboveground biomass laser scanner.

Martin van Leeuwen:  Postdoctoral Researcher, University College London

  • Martin’s interests lie in the theory and processing of TLS and ALS data for retrieval of stand structure and canopy radiation. Now working with Mat Disney’s group, Martin will help develop data processing and applications algorithms for the above-ground biomass laser scanners.

Hans Verbeeck:  Docent, U. of Ghent

  • Hans’ interests lie in models of tropical forest, including their ecology, carbon balance, and functional diversity. He will advise Sruthi Parvathi’s liana scanning project using the U. Ghent Riegl VZ-400 and help devise above-ground biomass estimation plans using the ABLS.

Matheus Boni Vicari: Doctoral Student, University College London

  • Matheus’s doctoral work, under Mat Disney, is the development of an automatic wood-leaf separation methodology for TLS, using a generic lidar ray-tracing model. The work will contribute to remote estimation of biomass, leaf area, and leaf angle distribution, as well a provide a model for lidar tool development.

Lee Vierling:  Professor, U. of Idaho

  • Lee leads a research group at U. Idaho working with TLS, ALS, and other instruments for remote assessment of plant biochemistry, as well as other applications of remote sensing in forestry, ecology, and agriculture. He will contribute to the development of ABLS and help devise new ecological applications for TLS.  As Executive Director of the U. Idaho McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), Lee also will help coordinate outreach and engagement efforts relating to TLS science and applications.

Jan Dirk Wegner:  Researcher, ETH Zurich

  • Jan is broadly interested in photogrammetry, remote sensing, computer vision, and machine learning. His TLS work at ETHZ presently includes marker-free registration and object classification in TLS scans. He will contribute his expertise to the development of processing algorithms useful for the ABLS and other lidar sensors.

Philip Wilkes: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University College London

  • Phil’s experience is in characterizing forest structure over large areas in diverse forest types with ALS. At UCL, Phil focuses on training materials for earth observation involving TLS; developing field methods; and radiative transfer approaches. He will help develop sample strategies and field protocols, as well as new technology using open-source solutions.

Curtis Woodcock:  Professor of Earth & Environment, Boston U.

  • Curtis’s work with the heritage Echidna Validation TLS Instrument, his experience with land cover mapping and change, and his participation in GOFC-GOLD, GEO, and REDD+, will help focus our TLS development toward carbon monitoring and inventory on regional and country-wide scales.

William Woodgate:  Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO, Melbourne

  • Will is working on retrieval of gap fraction, canopy openness, and leaf/plant area index from TLS systems in comparison with other ground-based methods. Will will help improve and refine these methods as applied to the aboveground biomass laser scanner and other TLS systems.

Zhenyu Zhang:  Lecturer, U. Southern Queensland

  • Zhenyu has worked on methods of tree species identification, canopy surface modeling, and derivation of DEMs from lidar data. He will help with algorithms and methods of structure retrieval for biomass modeling and ecological applications.

Julie Zinnert:  Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth U.

  • Julie is a plant physiological ecologist and remote sensing ecologist working at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site; she has focused on using ALS and TLS to examine plant canopy structure (both shrub and forest) and light penetration/attenuation. Julie will investigate applying her approaches to TLS data for better characterization of community composition and changes across coastal ecosystems.