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Name: Eric Rowell
Title: Image Programmer/Remote Sensing Analyst
Phone: 406-243-6277
Email:

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Eric Rowell is Image Programmer/Remote Sensing Analyst at the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana.

Highlights of Qualifications

• Experience processing and analyzing cutting edge active remote sensing data products (airborne/ ground based Lidar and SAR)
• Skill in passive remote sensing quantitative analysis (multi-spectral and hyper-spectral systems)
• Geographic Information Systems development and execution (Geodatabase development, objected oriented applications, spatial data analysis (vector & raster))
• Excellent project development and management skills
• Computer knowledge
• Remote sensing software packages: ENVI, IDL, ERDAS Imagine, Leica, Geosystems Cyclone 5.1, Horizons, Inc/ Earthdata Intnl. proprietary laser altimetry processing software, Leica Geosystems Laser altimetry processing software,  & Terrasolid (TerraScan & TerraModel)
• GIS/CAD software packages:  ARC 9.2 (ArcMap, Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Network Analyst, ArcObjects, & ArcScene), ArcInfo Workstation (ArcInfo & Grid), GPS Pathfinder, ArcView, Autocad, & Microstation
• Coding languages: VB, AML, IDL, & HTML
•  Network and Microsoft Windows 2000/XP management skills: maintenance/installation of software, client setup, OS troubleshooting, networking
• Statistical analysis packages: SAS, SPSS & Minitab
• Office packages: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook)
• Graphic design and visualization: Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, Maya, & Macromedia Flash
• Experienced liaison between academic institutions, federal/state agencies, tribal colleges, and private industry
• Extensive public participation process and consensus building experience 
  

Employment

University of Montana
National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, Missoula, MT
Remote Sensing Analyst/Programmer Analyst, October 2004 - Present

• Scientific research for using laser altimetry based data products for purposes of forest fuels and biophysical parameters inventory.
• Transposing of research findings from the Black Hills of South Dakota laser altimetry research to study sites in the Northern Rockies.
• Forging on-going co-operative research with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho and the U.S. Forest Service Remote Sensing and Applications Center.
• Development of laser altimetry processing utilities for the purpose of surface fuels, crown fuels, and silvicultural features extraction.
• Oversight of laser altimetry data processing stream, including determination of data processing methods and training of NCLFA staff to implement these methods.
  

University of Montana
National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, Missoula, MT
Research Staff - temporary appointment, May 2004 - October 2004

• Principal Investigator for a joint  project between University of Montana and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology  to develop and test the feasibility for the use of ground based laser altimetry applications for forest canopy and surface fuels characterization.
• Oversight of project includes management, training, and orientation for project staff members.
• Development of novel processing and analysis methodologies regarding the use of ground based lidar.
• Facilitate distance coordination with project members.
  

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology & Horizons, Inc., Rapid City, SD
Graduate Research Assistant/Remote Sensing Scientist, June 2002 - May 2004

• Negotiated for a joint position between private industry and an academic institution for the purpose of research and development of new spatial data products from active remote sensing
• Developed rigorous scientific methods to produce laser altimetry derived spatial data sets to characterize forest structure and canopy fuel load mapping in the Black Hills of South Dakota for transition into private sector use
• Conducted a large scale field campaign collecting field data managing a field crew of 5 - 8
• Responsible for the proposal writing (submission of a USDA SBIR proposal 2003) and project oversight
• Involved South Dakota Senators and House of Representatives members for support in proposal submissions
• Attended and presented at numerous professional conferences representing private sector and academic institutions
• Preparing two peer reviewed articles based on the research for publication 
  

Horizons, Inc., Rapid City, SD
Lidar Analyst, September 2000 - June 2002

• Participated in the first generation laser altimetry software and methods development.
• Responsible for the processing of laser altimetry data to correct effects of plane motion for use in DEM production.
• Provided expertise to co-develop data process techniques used by Horizons, Inc and Earthdata International to process laser altimetry and synthetic aperture radar data.
• Oversaw and trained a staff of 10 -15 data processing technicians.
• Produced complex flight plans for laser altimetry acquisition missions.
• Developed work plans and flows including documentation of methods of data processing to achieve ISO9001 certification.
  

Planning and Development District III, Yankton, SD
GIS Analyst September 1999 - June 2000

• Produced cadastral mapping products for numerous counties, cities, and towns for the regional council of governments.
• GPS mapped state and county roads including location of individual residences for E911 mapping.
• Produced geodatabases for E911 mapping requirements used by emergency response agencies.
• Developed spatial databases used in feasibility studies for transportation corridors, road improvements, and landuse management.
  

University of California, Sustainable Communities Consortium and Community Design and Planning Services, Davis, CA
Post Graduate Researcher I, February 1997 - April 1999

• Co-wrote a proposal funded by the University of California Office of the President to develop a landuse study to determine sustainable/traditional land grant land planning methods through regional GIS modeling in the Upper Rio Grande Basin, New Mexico.
• Conducted public participation meetings with New Mexican Land Grant Communities, local cities, Rio Arriba County, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Pueblo Communities, and New Mexican state agencies.
• Facilitated consensus building workshops for public access, environmental restoration, and community facility improvements throughout Northern California.
• Provided GIS, 3D Visualization, design, and planning services to numerous public agencies.
  

Shapins Associates, Boulder, CO
Landscape Architecture Intern, September 1996 - January 1997

• Assisted in open space and land conservation planning for numerous counties in Colorado and Arizona.
• Produced detailed planting plans and drafting services for communities in the Denver Metropolitan Area.
• Produced GIS maps for use in reports and final planning documents. 
  

University of California, Community Design and Planning Services, Davis, CA
Landscape Architecture Intern, June 1994 - June 1996

• Facilitated public participation processes on behalf of the State of California for and environmental restoration and water quality enhancement project in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
• Provided advanced 3D visualization services for community design and planning projects.
• Produced landscape architectural designs and plans for cities and State of California agencies.
  

Education

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota,  2004
Masters of Science in Atmospheric Sciences with an Emphasis on Earth Systems and Remote Sensing

University of California, Davis, California,  1996
Bachelors of Science in Landscape Architecture

Accomplishments

• Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium  Scholar 2002 - 2003
• Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium Graduate Conference, Chair and Organizer, November 2003.
  

Teaching

• Rowell, E.  Acquiring and using lidar data.  Intermountain GIS Users' Conference, Donnelly, Idaho. April 2-6, 2007
• Vierling, L. and Rowell, E.  Data collection methods and application for atmospheric flux sites. Earth Science Tools for Educators 2002, South Dakota EdPARC.
  

Publications

Clawges, R., Vierling, L., Vierling, K., and Rowell, E.  The use of airborne lidar to assess avian species diversity, density, and occurrence in a pine/aspen forest.  Accepted for Publication Sept 2007, Remote Sensing of Environment.

Rowell, E., Seielstad, C., Vierling, L., Queen, L., and Sheppard, W.  Using laser altimetry-based segmentation to refine automated tree identification in managed forests of the Black Hills, South Dakota. In review, Photogrammetry, Engineering, and Remote Sensing.

Chen, X., Vierling, L., Rowell, E., and DeFelice, T.  Using lidar and effective LAI data to evaluate IKONOS and Landsat 7 ETM+ vegetation cover estimates in a ponderosa pine forest. Remote Sensing of the Environment, Vol. 91, No.1, pp. 14-26

Vierling, L., Rowell, E., Chen, X., Dykstra, D., and Vierling, K.  2002. Relationships among airborne scanning LiDAR, high resolution multispectral imagery, and ground-based inventory data in a ponderosa pine forest."  IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), Toronto, Canada, Proceedings of IGARSS '02.

Selected Presentations

Rowell, E., Seielstad, C., and Queen, L.  Developing a lidar processing utility for forestry applications.  Eleventh Biennial USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, April, 2006.

Rowell, E., Seielstad, C., Vierling, L., Queen, L., and Sheppard, W.  Using Laser Altimetry-Based Segmentation to Refine Automated Tree Identification In Managed Forests of the Black Hills, South Dakota.  Silviscan Conference, September, 2005, Blacksburg, Virgina.

Rowell, E., Seielstad, C., Vierling, L., Queen, L., and Sheppard, W.  The Development of Geospatial Datasets for Estimating Forest Inventory Variables Using Small Footprint Laser Altimetry.  NURISA Conference, May, 2005, Pocatello, Idaho.

Rowell, E., Vierling, L., and Sheppard, W.  Using Lidar Remote Sensing to Supplement Forest Inventory Variables and to Characterize Canopy Fuels in the Black Hills Experimental Forest.  Tenth Biennial USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, April, 2004.

Vierling, L., Chen, X., Conley, A., Deering, D., Derr, K., Matzner, S., Rowell, E., Smith, R., Swets, D., and Toomey, M. "Remote Determination of Leaf Area Index Along Fire Chronosequences in the Black Hills and Southern Siberia." Presented at the NASA EPSCoR Annual Conference, Washington, DC, March 2003.

Rowell, E. and Vierling, L. Developing LiDAR Data Products for Use in Mechanistic Fire and Biogeochemical Modeling.  EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD, December, 2002.

Rowell, E. and Smith, A. Forest Structure Mapping Using Laser Altimetry.  UMAC Graduate Conference, Bozeman, Montana, October, 2002.

Vierling, L., Rowell, E., Smith, R., Chen, X., and Toomey, M. "From surface to satellite: using remote sensing to measure and monitor forest ecosystems." South Dakota Association of Environmental Professionals 6th Annual Conference, Rapid City, SD, October, 2002.

Chen, X., Vierling, L., Dykstra, D., Rowell, E., and Capehart, W. "Assessing fractional tree coverage using IKONOS, Landsat 7, and LiDAR data in a ponderosa pine forest via sub-pixel interpretation." Presented at the Ecological Society of America annual meeting, Tucson, AZ, August, 2002.

Rowell, E., Vierling, L., Dykstra, D., and Chen, X. "Small footprint LiDAR estimates of canopy gap structure in a ponderosa pine forest." Presented at the Ecological Society of America annual meeting, Tucson, AZ, August, 2002.  Poster presentation.

Rowell, E., L. Vierling. "Development of Analysis Utilities for Forestry Applications Employing Airborne Scanning LiDAR, High Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging and Ground Based Inventory Data".  2002 ESRI International User Conference, San Diego, California, July 8-12, 2002.

Vierling, L., Rowell, E., Chen, X., Dykstra, D., and Vierling, K. "Relationships Among Airborne Scanning LiDAR, High Resolution Multispectral Imagery, and Ground-Based Inventory Data in a Ponderosa Pine Forest." Presented at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Toronto, Canada, June, 2002. Poster presentation.

Rowell, E. and Vierling, L. LiDAR Remote Sensing: A New Tool For Forestry Analysis & Decision Making. Western Forestry Leadership Conference, Rapid City, South Dakota, May 2002.

Chen, X., Vierling, L., Rowell, E., Dykstra, D., Capehart, W., and DeFelice, T. "Relationships Among IKONOS Imagery, Airborne Scanning LIDAR, and Ground-Based Tree Inventory Data in a Ponderosa Pine Forest: A Multiple Endmember Approach." USGS/NIMA/NASA High Spatial Resolution Commercial Imagery Workshop, Reston, VA, March, 2002. Oral