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Modeling Forest Transition In Peru

In March, 2022, Sadie Calhoun and I were selected to co-establish a remote sensing component of Dr. James Keese and Dr. G. Andrew Fricker's research on the political ecology of forest transition in the Peruvian Andes. The purpose of this research was to quantify tree species land-cover and maturity in Taucamarca, Peru using high-resolution satellite imagery. We used the deep learning frameworks integrated in ArcGIS Pro to classify land-cover. The model was trained with hand-digitized samples from satellite imagery obtained in 2018 and 2022, with assistance from on-the-ground GPS points that were collected in August 2022. This project culminated in a research paper that served as mine and Sadie's senior thesis at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  

Association of Pacific Coast Geographers PowerPoint

In October, 2022, Sadie Calhoun and I presented our preliminary research at the annual Association of Pacific Coast Geographers conference in Bellingham, Washington. This presentation aimed to break down our project's significance, goal, and methods in a way that was digestible and engaging to all audience members, whether they had PhD's in Geospatial science or had never heard of GIS. 

This presentation was awarded the Christopherson Geosystems Award for excellence in Applied Geography and Earth Systems at the BA level. 

Project Poster: GIS Day, 2022

This poster was designed and written by me, with edits from my co-researcher Sadie Calhoun. It was presented in November 2022 at Cal Poly's annual GIS Day. The poster was made in the first stages of our project and aimed at visually communicating our research progress, our difficulties with data collection, and communicating the importance of deep learning in a non-technical way.

PeruAgroForestry_GISDay2022.jpg

Project Final Research Paper

Our final research paper aimed to create a readable source of literature, methods, and data that can be referenced by future seniors to establish a longitudinal remote sensing study of land use and land cover change in Taucamarca, Peru. 

This fantastic research opportunity funded by Cal Poly's Latin American Studies Program also served as a once in a lifetime cultural experience. Throughout our month in Cusco, Sadie and I were lucky enough to live with the Farfan-Guevara family for a month in Cusco's Wanchaq district and to spend a week alongside two of our professors on the Inca Trail. This series of photos documents some of my most treasured moments from our wonderful trip. 

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