Skip to main content
University of Wisconsin–Madison
SILVIS LAB
Spatial Analysis For Conservation and Sustainability
  • HOME
  • PEOPLE Expand Collapse
    • Current Members
    • Faculty
    • Academic Staff, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Scientists
    • Graduate Students
    • Alumni
  • RESEARCH Expand Collapse
    • Overview
    • Biodiversity
    • Birds
    • Conservation
    • Fire
    • Houses & WUI
    • Land Use
    • Remote Sensing
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MAPS & DATA Expand Collapse
    • All Maps & Data
    • Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Change 1990-2010
    • Block Level Housing Density Change 1990-2010
    • Dynamic Habitat Indices
    • Climate Averages and Extremes Data
    • Carpathians Historical Land Use
    • Impervious/Tree Cover Change around Chicago
  • ABOUT US Expand Collapse
    • Information for prospective graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scholars
    • Facilities and Equipment
  • Sign In

Remote Sensing

Satellite images provide a wonderful record of the last fifty years of global change. We have pioneered new methods to map wildlife habitat and proxies for biodiversity and habitat, as well as agricultural abandonment and other types of land use change for large areas. We analyze MODIS/VIIRS data across the globe, Landsat and Sentinel-2 across continents, and high-resolution CORONA spy satellite imagery across countries.

SILVIS, big data and the man behind it all

Jan 2014 - Remote Sensing

SILVIS depends on the ability to store, manipulate and analyze large datasets. David Helmers is the wizard in charge of the servers and digital infrastructure that make it all possible.

It is getting weirder - extreme events in satellite records

Jan 2014 - Biodiversity - Birds - Conservation - Remote Sensing

Extreme weather events are becoming both more frequent and intense. These events could be shifting bird numbers and their normal distributions in the United States. Ultimately, these weather events could lead to the extinction of highly-sensitive species.

Extreme weather events affect bird reproduction

Jan 2014 - Conservation - Remote Sensing

Extreme weather events are expected to increase in the future. Extreme weather could result in population declines if these strike during the breeding season for North American passerines.

The power of maps and the beauty of old ones

Jan 2014 - Remote Sensing

Historical maps are pretty AND useful. Catalina is using them to determine the effects of past land use on subsequent land cover change in the Carpathian Region of Europe.

Patterns of forest degradation in Mexico

Jan 2014 - Biodiversity - Conservation - Land Use - Remote Sensing

Forests of Mexico are under threat due to development, both for urban and agricultural purposes. However, it is not clear the spatial and temporal extent to which this is happening. SILVIS PhD candidate, Carlos Ramirez Reyes is exploring this using remote sensing data, and a novel method, spectral mixture analysis.

If you can't stand the heat, fly north!

Jan 2014 - Biodiversity - Birds - Remote Sensing

What happens when it gets too dry? Brooke Bateman discovers how migratory birds like Dickcissels respond to extreme drought events in the Midwestern United States and looks at what that means for future management and conservation efforts.

Removing clouds that obscure satellite imagery

Apr 2013 - Conservation - Land Use - Remote Sensing

Satellite imagery provides invaluable information regarding land cover features over time. However, since many satellite-based image sensors cannot see through clouds, imagery researchers need to screen cloudy pixels from cloud-free pixels in order to analyze land change through time.

Remote prediction of biodiversity abundance

Feb 2013 - Biodiversity - Birds - Remote Sensing

Can you predict biodiversity abundance without fieldwork, sitting at your desk? Patrick Culbert can. Using satellite images and data from Breeding Bird Survey, Patrick estimates abundance of bird species across United States.

Identifying stopover sites for migratory birds in the southeastern U.S.

Jan 2013 - Birds - Conservation - Remote Sensing

How do you find stopover habitat of migrants moving under the cover of night? David La Puma uses weather radar to see in the dark and identify sites across the southeastern U.S.

Understanding patterns of housing loss to fires throughout the United States

Jan 2013 - Houses & WUI - Remote Sensing

Rural housing development and fires: Understanding trends of housing loss to wildfires and rebuilding efforts throughout the United States.

  • Previous page
  • 1
  • 2
  • You're on page 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • Next page
University logo that links to main university website

Contact Us

  • Dept of Forest & Wildlife Ecology
    Russell Laboratories
    1630 Linden Drive
    Madison, WI 53706
  • Map map marker
  • Email: helmers@wisc.edu
  • Phone: (608) 890-3160

Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: helmers@wisc.edu.

This site was built using the UW Theme. © 2021 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.