Remote sensing methods
Calibration, fusion, and analysis of optical, radar, and thermal imagery.
Research
Research areas
Six research areas from remote-sensing methods to uncertainty and validation.
Land cover & change
Mapping land use and detecting change over time at scale.
Water & environment
Monitoring water, vegetation, and ecosystems from space and sensors.
Disaster response mapping
Rapid mapping to support flood, fire, and hazard response.
Geospatial data science
Scalable pipelines, machine learning, and reproducible geospatial workflows.
Uncertainty & validation
Ground-truthing and error characterization so maps can be trusted.
Centers & labs
Where the work happens
Our centers convene researchers, fellows, and practitioners around shared methods and long-term questions.
Remote Sensing Lab
Sensor calibration, data fusion, and imagery analysis methods.
Land & Environment Program
Land-cover, water, and ecosystem monitoring at scale.
Disaster Response Studio
Rapid mapping and tools for hazard and emergency response.
Geospatial Data Commons
Open datasets, pipelines, and reproducible analysis infrastructure.
Our approach
We treat every map as a measurement with error. Calibration, validation, and honest uncertainty are as important to us as the analysis itself.
We build openly, releasing data and reproducible pipelines so agencies, researchers, and communities can trust, check, and reuse what we make.
External references
Public datasets, standards, and organizations relevant to our fields.
NASA Earthdata
Open access to NASA Earth-observation data.
www.earthdata.nasa.gov
ESA — Observing the Earth
European Earth-observation missions and data.
www.esa.int
USGS EarthExplorer
Open access to satellite and aerial imagery archives.
earthexplorer.usgs.gov
Copernicus Programme
European open Earth-observation data and services.
www.copernicus.eu
OpenStreetMap
Open, community-built geospatial base map.
www.openstreetmap.org
UN-SPIDER
UN platform for space-based disaster-response information.
www.un-spider.org
These are independent, third-party resources provided for context and further reading. Links do not imply any affiliation, partnership, or endorsement.
Collaborate with us
We partner with researchers, practitioners, and civic organizations on applied projects.