1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Two Dot Room | Shannon Albeke, University of Wyoming

Abstract:
As Geospatial Data Scientists, we aim to enable others to analyze and visualize information derived from complex systems easily, especially when informing policymakers and the general public about the current climate and potential shifts in future climate. The University of Wyoming has received a new National Science Foundation award named WyACT (Wyoming Anticipating Climate Transitions), aimed at facilitating the co-production of knowledge to enable cutting-edge science that helps Wyoming communities anticipate and adapt to these potential climate change impacts on water. As part of the WyACT research team, we have embarked on a mission to develop novel and reusable visualization tools within a geospatial web context. One might think this approach would be straightforward with knowledge of potential tools such as ESRI Experience Builder. However, judging a book by its cover may not be the best choice! In this presentation, we will describe the trials and tribulations of experimenting with different software development approaches to build a current and future climate dashboard and provide suggestions based on our experiences.

Bio:
Dr. Shannon Albeke is a Senior Research Scientist and GIST Faculty member. Dr. Albeke received his PhD from the University of Georgia – Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources in 2010 as well as becoming a member of WyGISC. Dr. Albeke’s general research interests center around applied GIS, programming, and statistics. Specific interests include: 1) Modeling of ecological processes across broad spatial extents and multiple scales. 2) Facilitation of Data Science workflows using innovative modeling, programming, and data management techniques. 3) Promote and enable scientific outreach to others through open-data portals and visualization tools. 4) Use of UAS for estimation of vegetation community assembly and biomass.