Remote Sensing and Natural Hazards

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This course introduces students to the capabilities of analyzing remotely-sensed and other spatial gridded data products through Google Earth Engine (GEE). With a focus on utilizing these data products to monitor the impacts of natural hazards, the course combines comprehensive remote sensing topics—including theory, data acquisition, and data analysis—with a deep understanding of natural hazards (including their potential to become disasters), and the remote sensing products available for monitoring these events and their environmental impacts.

Students will execute analyses in Google Earth Engine, primarily using GEE’s JavaScript API. The curriculum emphasizes practical applications and hands-on learning, culminating in an independent research project. In this project, students will utilize GEE datasets related to natural hazards to conduct their own analyses on a hazard of interest, integrating the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the course.