The Remote Sensing Research Unit (RSRU) is an organized research unit of the
Department of Geography. Since its beginning, RSRU has been directed by Dr.
John E. Estes, Professor of Geography. Often in cooperation with other UCSB
faculty members, RSRU staff, graduate and undergraduate students conduct a
diverse range of research in environmental applications of remote sensing and
geographic information systems. Current research is directed toward
ecosystem
studies, marine pollution monitoring, land use and land cover mapping,
agricultural studies, coastal zone research, and endangered species habitat
mapping and analysis. A particular focus of current RSRU is the
integration of
remote sensing with GIS. These studies include large scale land use change
detection and GIS-based urban development analysis, landscape modeling in
tropical environments, and modeling of selected health risk factors
within a
GIS. Large multi-year research grants from federal agencies such as NASA and
EPA have funded large parts of the work conducted in the Unit.
The Remote Sensing Research Unit can we reached on the WWW at
http://keystone.geog.ucsb.edu/