Imagery and GIS

Our team has extensive experience as Remote Sensing Scientists and GIS Specialists team and have lead and developed projects related to:

• land cover and benthic composition mapping

• advanced remote sensing image processing analysis 

• classification products and change detection

• GIS database development and integration of web geospatial platforms

• water quality ocean color algorithm development. 

• data fusion with satellite and airborne imagery

Current Projects

Coastal vegetation classification changes for key sites using high resolution remote sensing imagery
The project evaluated recent vegetation and landcover changes in various coastal areas of Puerto Rico, including the southwest (Cabo Rojo saltflats area), southeast (Punta Tuna), and northwest (Jobos, Secret Spot) regions. The study utilizes remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) tools to analyze these changes, leveraging current (2022) very high resolution satellite data for classification of vegetation and other features, and evaluate changes from previous imagery (2010). Some of our findings include:

•Jobos: 11% rise in dead vegetation and substantial loss of both dense (4%) and sparse (23%) vegetation; increase in barren land (27%).

•Secret Spot: Dramatic 291% increase in dead vegetation, especially in wetlands; vegetation otherwise stable.

•Punta Tuna: 77% increase in submerged zones, with a shift from dense to sparse and dead vegetation; presence of Sargassum in 2022.

•Salinas: Dead vegetation rose by 71%; mangrove losses but little change in other vegetation categories.

•Punta Aguila: Submerged area expanded by 1000%, with notable shoreline loss and a 52% reduction in sparse vegetation and barren land.

•Bahia Sucia: Significant decrease in mangrove vegetation (60% loss) and 12% increase in submerged areas.

•Playa Sucia: Vegetation mostly unchanged, but dead mangroves declined by 28% and submerged area grew by 19%.

Case Studies