Geospatial Science & Engineering Program

Michael Wimberly, Professor/Graduate Coordinator
Wecota Hall 115, Box 506B
605-688-5350
E-mail: michael.wimberly@sdstate.edu

The Geospatial Science and Engineering (GSE) Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary program that combines advanced coursework with cutting-edge research to advance the field of geospatial sciences. The focus is on transforming geospatial data into relevant information through acquisition, processing, characterization, analysis, and modeling in order to understand geographic patterns, processes, and relationships at scales ranging from landscapes to the globe. To achieve these aims, the geospatial sciences integrate the geographic disciplines of cartography, geodesy, geographic information systems, and remote sensing with elements of mathematics, statistics, the natural sciences, the social sciences, and engineering. The resulting array of geospatial concepts, methods, technologies, and datasets are used to address a wide range of pertinent questions about the functioning of the biosphere and its implications for sustainability of natural resources, agricultural productivity, biodiversity, environmental quality, and human welfare in a rapidly-changing world.

The program consists of faculty from the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence (http://globalmonitoring.sdstate.edu), and the Image Processing Laboratory in the department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (http://iplab2out.sdstate.edu/). Other participating departments include Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Geography, and Natural Resource Management. Current faculty research interests include quantitative remote sensing, sensor design and calibration, land cover and land use change, geography, hydrology, landscape ecology, climate change, and fire science as well as applications of geospatial technologies in agriculture, meteorology, natural resource management, public health, and other fields. The program seeks highly motivated students with strong backgrounds in the geospatial sciences or a closely-related field to complement these efforts.

Graduate Faculty

Mark A. Cochrane, Professor
Niall P. Hanan, Professor
Geoffrey M. Henebry, Professor
David P. Roy, Professor
Michael C. Wimberly, Professor
Xiaoyang Zhang, Associate Professor

Programs

Doctoral Degree