RENEE BARTOLO

I am a research scientist focussed on developing the use of drones for environmental monitoring, particularly for mine site rehabilitation and ecosystem restoration. I also specialise in ecological risk assessment at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

My background is in quantitative remote sensing and landscape ecology. I have a PhD from Charles Darwin University, which focused on quantifying Melaleuca biomass using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. I have worked in northern Australia for the past 20 years, and have undertaken fieldwork in remote locations, including southern New Guinea.

Things that excite me include: our technological future, rapid innovation cycles (R&D to applied science), taking new ideas and seeing them realised, and contributing to the future of our environment and planet.

Why drones? The information obtained from drones has been the biggest game changer I have seen in remote sensing to date. I believe that drone imagery will answer many science questions, and enable us to ask science questions we may not have previously conceived, because we can see so much more now.

7/13/2018

Published in Science of The Total Environment. We mapped the composition and extent of magnesium sulfate with HyMap airborne hyperspectral data at Ranger Uranium Mine, Northern Territory, Australia. Hyperspectral remote sensing is a potentially rapid and sensitive method for mapping magnesium sulfates over large areas in operating and rehabilitated mines. It was successfully demonstrated as a tool for monitoring and assessment of efflorescence as a result of saline processes. You can download a copy of the paper here until July 27 2018.

New paper published: Mapping saline drainage from hyperspectral imagery

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