Woods Hole Research Center Research Associate Wins Two Awards at the North East Map Organization's Annual Meeting

June 21, 2007

Gregory Fiske

Research Associate, Greg Fiske

Greg Fiske, a research associate in the Woods Hole Research Center’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory, was recognized with two awards for The Albertine Rift: Protected Area Watch, an informational map that he designed as part of the Center’s work in Africa. The honors – one for Best Data Integration and the other for Most Unique – were announced at the annual meeting of the North East Map Organization (NEMO), held June 7th and 8th in New York City.

The protected area map took several months to complete, surviving several rounds of edits and review. The background raster information is an amalgamation of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface reflectance and percent tree cover products. The vector information is a collection of data shared by correspondents working on location in the Albertine region of Africa. This estimation of protected area boundaries in the Albertine region is the best yet available in digital form. Consequently, it is also a work in progress.

Fiske says, “It is an honor to be recognized by the North East Map Organization as they hold particular expertise in the art and practice of cartography and are a separate crowd from the GIS and Remote Sensing group to which I’m normally linked.”

Fiske is a geographer interested in the use of cartography and other techniques of modern geographic information science to sustain the health of the natural environment. He works in the Center's Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory. Prior to joining the Center, Fiske was an intern at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has worked as a research assistant on a project dealing with the status of the world's international river basins. He earned his B.S. from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire and his M.S. from Oregon State University.

The Albertine Rift, which encompasses some of the most diverse and endangered ecosystems in the world, is home to more than 7,500 species of animals and plants. With a population of up to 500 people per square kilometer, it is also one of Africa’s most densely populated regions. Because this “hot spot” of biological diversity has undergone a series of devastating ethnic conflicts since the mid-1990s, rapid action is required to avoid environmental catastrophe. Using satellite imagery and field observations, Center scientists involved in the Africa Program study this diverse ecosystem, which is being threatened by logging, poaching, and agricultural expansion, helping park managers and forest conservationists map their forests, track land-use changes, and promote better and more sustainable practices. This poster is part of those efforts. Copies of the poster may be downloaded from the Center's FTP site in PDF format.

NEMO is dedicated to serving as a unifying body for all who use, produce, collect, and market maps and cartographic information in the Northeast; increasing communication between all interested in maps; and working with state, regional, and national organizations and government agencies in dissemination of maps and cartographic information. NEMO's principal region is Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont but also includes membership in Colorado, California, Illinois, Virginia, Ontario, Quebec, and Europe.

The Woods Hole Research Center is dedicated to science, education and public policy for a habitable Earth, seeking to conserve and sustain forests, soils, water, and energy by demonstrating their value to human health and economic prosperity. The Center has initiatives in the Amazon, the Arctic, Africa, Russia, Asia, Boreal North America, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England including Cape Cod. Center programs focus on the global carbon cycle, forest function, landcover/land use, water cycles and chemicals in the environment, science in public affairs, and education, providing primary data and enabling better appraisals of the trends in forests.