2023
May 11, 2023 Meeting at Cabrillo College
Open Source Software and Open Data for GIS (9am - 2pm)
Invited Talks
1. Michele Tobias, Ph.D. (UC Davis Library and Open Source Geospatial Foundation) *Keynote
Geospatial Data Specialist
Title: "Introduction to the Open Source Geospatial Community" (slides | video)
Presentation Abstract: I would like to invite you to join the open source geospatial community! I’ll demystify this complex network of software projects, datasets, communities, and organizations and share the principles of the open source way of doing things. You’ll learn how open source geospatial tools and having an open source mindset benefits your work not only in terms of cost savings, but also for speed, quality, and impact of your work.
Introduction: Michele Tobias is a coastal plant geographer with a PhD from UC Davis. She currently works as a geospatial data scientist at UC Davis DataLab, a unit within the UC Davis Library, where she works with spatial data of a variety of types and from a variety of disciplines. She’s loved GIS since her first class in 2002 and started working with open source tools in 2007 shortly after which she joined the Open Source Geospatial Foundation community. She became a Charter Member of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation in 2017 and served from 2020-2022 on its Board of Directors.
2. Marine Lebrec (MBARI and CeNCOOS)
Data Specialist
Title: “An Introduction to the CalOOS Data Portal: A Tool for Improving Access to Ocean Data to Meet Stakeholder Needs" (slides | video)
Introduction: Marine recently joined the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute as a Data Specialist for the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS). In this role, she supports data management for the CalOOS Data Portal, a web platform for serving and visualizing oceanographic data, including fixed sensors, model outputs, satellite products, and biological observations. Marine’s background is in chemical oceanography, having spent the last several years developing new methods for measuring nutrients using low-cost instruments as part of her Master’s research.
3. Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Ph.D. (UCSC and NOAA)
Project Scientist
Title: “The Use of Public Sources for Developing Species Distribution Models for Protected Species” (slides | video)
Introduction: Nerea Lezama-Ochoa is a marine biologist from the Basque Country (Spain), working as a UCSC project scientist at the Environmental Research Division (ERD), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Monterey. Her team is producing daily projections from 1980-2100 for 10 highly migratory species (leatherback turtle, blue shark, common thresher shark, shortfin mako shark, humpback whale, swordfish, northern right whale dolphin, Pacific white-sided dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, and California sea lion) in the California Current System using ocean projections. These projections will help to create ecological indicators to inform risk assessments for the Marine Sanctuaries in California. The research group has been previously analyzing data from this fishery for target and bycatch species between 1990-2017 using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) to understand the environmental preferences of these species. These relationships will help to understand their future habitat distribution.
4. Michelle Tanner (2NDNATURE)
Product Manager
Title: "A Practical Model for Quantifying Urban Stormwater Opportunities and Improvements" (slides | video)
Presentation Abstract: Stormwater managers across the nation are increasingly being required to quantify the effectiveness of their program. This presentation will introduce a spatially-distributed GIS model designed specifically for urban stormwater managers. This model provides runoff estimates at a 30-meter scale using raster-based calculations that characterize long-term rainfall and land use distributions, all while using publicly available datasets.
Introduction: Michelle is a Product Manager at 2NDNATURE, based in Santa Cruz. She uses her expertise in GIS and applied science to lead the research, design, and development of stormwater software products. She has spent the last six years at 2NDNATURE helping customers integrate dashboards, mobile applications, and GIS analysis into their everyday workflows. She has also played an important role in developing models that can be used for the ongoing tracking and modeling of green stormwater infrastructure.
5. Jennifer Jencks (NOAA NCEI)
Director of the IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry
Jesse Varner (NOAA NCEI)
GIS Specialist
Title: "Improving the Discovery and Access of Bathymetric Data Through Geospatial Web Services" (slides | video)
Introduction: Jennifer is a Physical Scientist at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information in Boulder, Colorado. For the last several years, she has served as the Director of the co-located IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry and chair of the IHO Crowdsourced Bathymetry Working Group. Much of her focus is on the data management and data sharing aspects of ongoing national and international seafloor mapping initiatives. Before joining NCEI, Jennifer worked offshore for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and for a geophysical consulting firm in California. She earned her B.S. in Geological Engineering from the University of Mississippi and M.S. in Ocean Engineering from the University of Rhode Island.
Jesse is a GIS specialist working at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, collaborating with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). He is interested in cartography, interactive map design, and geospatial software development. He has worked to improve data access and visualization and make many of NCEI's diverse datasets more easily understandable and discoverable. Some of the mapping products/applications Jesse has worked on include bathymetry, natural hazards data (e.g. tsunamis), marine geology/geophysics, geomagnetism, and NOAA Ocean Exploration data.
6. Monica Moritsch, Ph.D. (EDF)
Blue Carbon Scientist
Title: “Modeling Blue Carbon Potential in Coastal Marshes and Seaweed" (slides | video)
Presentation Abstract: Blue carbon, or carbon captured in marine ecosystems, is gaining attention for its contributions to mitigating climate change. Determining where future climate benefits will occur is critical to guiding ecosystem management, carbon finance, and marine spatial planning. This talk discusses two examples of how open data from online repositories and recent scientific publications can support models to identify where we can realize carbon sequestration and other ecological benefits in the blue carbon ecosystems of coastal marshes and seaweed farms.
Introduction: Monica is a Blue Carbon Scientist for the Climate Resilient Fisheries and Oceans team at the Environmental Defense Fund. She is interested in using GIS to identify where marine ecosystems can contribute to climate resilience and assist with marine spatial planning. With a background in marine ecology, she has been modeling where marine ecosystems can store carbon since 2018. Before joining EDF, she earned her PhD at UC Santa Cruz and spent several years as a Research Ecologist at USGS identifying where marsh restoration could promote carbon sequestration. She is based in Santa Cruz.
Lightning Talks
Katharina Park (UCSC)
Title: "Kelp Rockfish Stock Assessment Using PISCO Data" (slides | video)
Matt Levey (SeaSpatial Consulting)
Title: "Impractical Applications of Open-Source Software and Open Data" (slides | video)