Post doc position to work on NASA HyspIRI grant

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation

 (to be based in USGS, Flagstaff, AZ)

Background:

U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) and University of Arizona (UoA) is funded by NASA ROSES HYSPIRI PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES USING EXISTING IMAGERY or HyspIRI (http://hyspiri.jpl.nasa.gov/) to work on existing hyperspectral data (spectroradiometer and Hyperion  data of irrigated crops) on a project entitled: “Water Use and Water Productivity of Key World Crops using Hyperion-ASTER, and a Large Collection of in-situ Field Biological and Spectral Data”. It is a 1 year project- mainly to analyze existing data and write a peer-reviewed article. The outcome of the research will lead to: 1. Determining proportion of irrigated areas in low, medium, or high water productivity (WP; kg\m3) and their drivers (management practice, soil type, salinity status, etc.); 3. Pin-pointing areas of low and high WP, 3. Establishing water use (m3\m2) of 5 irrigated crops, 4. Determining dynamics of water and nutrient stress; 5. Recommending optimal Hyperion waveband centers and widths, in 400 to 2500 nanometer range, required to best study irrigated cropland characteristics; and 6. Comparing the performances (through accuracies and errors) of narrow-band data (e.g., Hyperion) with broad-band data (e.g., IKONOS, ETM+, ALI). 

Post doc (or someone soon after Master’s) responsibilities:

The overarching goal of this study is to assess water use and water productivity of key world crops using Hyperion-ASTER and a large collection of in-situ field biological and spectral data. The study will be based on existing datasets. The irrigated cropland data acquired include: (a) Hyperion narrow-band data (5 images) from Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), (b) spectroradiometer data from 400-2500 nanometers, (c) broad-band data from ASTER as well as ETM+, ALI, IKONOS, and Quickbird, and (d) field-plot biological data. The field-plot data of World’s major crops such as wheat, cotton, maize, rice and alfalfa are available. Similarly, data on spectral measurements of crops, crop variables (e.g. biomass, LAI, yield), soil type and salinity, water variables (e.g., inflow, outflow), and meteorological data (e.g., rainfall, ET) are also available.

Required\desired Education background:

A recent Ph.D. or Master’s degree in remote sensing and GIS with strong understanding of hyperspectral remote sensing, agriculture, irrigation, and water issues. Closely related fields of study with required skills and interests accepted. Salary and benefits are negotiable-good package. Health benefits possible. You should be legally eligible to work in USA. The position is for 1 year (01\21\2011 through 01\20\2012). This is an excellent opportunity for a young student\graduate of remote sensing and GIS to work on an important project and gain excellent experience.

Software skills:

Excellent skills in hyperspectral remote sensing (spectroradiometer, Hyperion) and GIS software tools: ERDAS, ArcGIS, Arcview, ERMapper, and ENVI is a must. Highly knowledgeable in statistics (preferred SAS analysis skills). Graphics and spreadsheet skills.  Programming skills is a plus.

Start date:

January 21, 2011 or soon after.

Location and related information:

Candidate will be based in USGS Flagstaff (Arizona) office. You are likely to be hired through University of Arizona (UoA) but will be based in USGS office in Flagstaff. The candidate will work under the guidance of Dr. Prasad S. Thenkabail, Research Geographer, USGS (pthenkabail@usgs.gov; thenkabail@gmail.com; Tel.: 928-556-7221), Prof. Alfredo Huete (alfredo.huete@uts.edu.au), and Dr. Terry Slonecker (tslonecker@usgs.gov). Please send all applications to Dr. Prasad S. Thenkabail, Research Geographer, USGS (pthenkabail@usgs.gov; thenkabail@gmail.com).

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