GEOTalks

Depending on the size and scale of a marine survey, bathymetry data can come with a prohibitive price tag. Traditional data acquisition methods—such as multi-beam sonar and airborne lidar—are effective, but can lead to significant cost and logistical complexity. In this episode, Amy Anfinrud from TCarta joined us to share the operational benefits of Satellite-Derived Bathymetry maps (SDB). We disc...

Common eelgrass is a type of aquatic plant that grows in shallow waters. It provides a range of invaluable benefits to the ecosystems it calls home. This is precisely why Tiffany Wu set out to predict where these meadows will grow using spatial data for her master’s thesis. We were joined by Tiffany’s collaborators on this project—Cheyenne Adams from the Maine Department of Environmental Protectio...

• About this episode • Forensic mapping specialists from the Windham, ME, Police Department use drones alongside GIS software to analyze vehicle crash sites and crime scenes. During this episode, we discussed Eugene Gallant and Jason Burke’s insights from the GEOTalks 2025 User Conference, as well as a few additional attendee questions, and the impact of their work with GIS technology. • Listen on...

• About this episode • Storm surges and sea level rise pose greater risks to coasts each year.  Maine felt the effects of climate change this past winter when powerful storms and flooding berated its coast. The Camp Ellis Jetty was particularly vulnerable to these storm surges and sea level rise, and the Saco Bay community lost nearly 40 homes as a result. In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Will K...

Lidar technology, in addition to other methods of remote sensing, can be integral to performing accessible research in a given area. This month on the GEOTalks Podcast, we spoke to Dr. Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa about his team’s research in the Guanacaste Conservation Area at Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. His team is creating accurate methods for studying secondary tropical dry forests with l...

You may know the Global Mapper software suite, but do you know how it was created? Mike Childs created Global Mapper — known then as dlgv32 — as an intern at the USGS in 1997. This version had a fraction of the power of the Global Mapper we know today, however, it boasted great GIS mapping functionality for the time. Mike Childs joined the GEOTalks team to unpack Global Mapper’s origin story and d...

Bathymetric surveys provide vital information that informs decisions about marine environments and communities. Tomer Ketter of Map the Gaps and SubMerge, and Sefano M Katz of the Pacific Blue Foundation’s Beqa Lagoon Initiative, joined us on this episode of GEOTalks to share insights from a collaborative bathymetric survey they performed in the Beqa Lagoon in Fiji. The livelihood of Fiji’s people...

Kelsi Schwind joined us on the GEOTalks Podcast to explore how GIS technology can enable progress in conservation. We discussed the budding efforts to preserve the Texas Hill Country’s Bigtooth maple population, which is imperiled in this region. In our discussion, Kelsi highlighted how her automated method for extracting canyons has enabled her team to perform thorough research on Bigtooth maple...

About this Episode Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of chemicals defined by carbon-fluorine bonds that make them resistant to fire, water, and oil. When PFAS were discovered in our farmlands and waterways, studies indicated that these chemicals have adverse, long-term effects on our environment and bioaccumulative effects in humans and other organisms. A team from the Univer...

About this Episode The effects of climate change are present around the world, especially in coastal salt marshes. In this episode, we speak with Andrea Celeste Curcio, who has been evaluating the performance of remote sensing with drone/UAV technology (photogrammetry/lidar) and hyperspectral sensors for researching salt marshes over time. She explores the utility of using drones for monitoring co...