Spatial Data Analysis Labs

Purpose

The Spatial Data Analysis Labs (SDAL) at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo consist of two computer-based facilities: an instructional lab and a research lab. The purpose of the labs is to enable University of Hawai'i faculty and students to develop and conduct advanced spatial and temporal analysis techniques when addressing research questions.

SDAL provides the infrastructure and initial training to achieve spatial and temporal data analysis. The labs accommodate state-of-the-art geographic information systems, digital image processing, model building and simulation, statistical analysis, and global positioning system technologies. SDAL also offers University of Hawai'i researchers access to aerial photography and satellite imagery of the Hawaiian Islands.

The Island of Hawai'i, with its array of microclimates and associated ecosystems, is frequently referred to as a “living laboratory.”  It is an excellent environment for scientific collaboration across disciplines. Thus, SDAL’s approach to research accentuates multidisciplinary methodology; we practice and encourage cooperation and sharing of knowledge within the educational system and with the private and public sectors.

The initial Spatial Data Analysis Lab was established in 2001 with 10 computers and one server with a UH Hilo College of Arts and Science grant. Since 2003, through the Information Technology for Environmental Research and the Cyberinfrastructure for Environmental Research and Education areas of the Hawai'i Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research grants from the National Science Foundation, SDAL has expanded its science and technology capability by 300% and will continue to enhance the spatial and temporal analysis expertise of the University of Hawai'i faculty and researchers into the future.

News & Events

Come and join us today, February 28, in Kanaka'ole Hall, Room 273, from 2 p.mm to 4 p.m. to learn how to use eCognition's object based classification routine on very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery to accurately map vegetation at a fine scale.
Come see Stephen's eCognition tips and tricks!

Another event is coming up:
TOPIC: Hands-on Workshop - Remote Sensing for Volcanology using ENVI
When: THURSDAY, March 6, 1-5pm
Where: University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Kanaka'ole Hall, Room 273
Who: Open to all geospatial & volcanology enthusiasts
Cost: Free (parking costs $3)

Dr. Scott Rowland, Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at University of Hawai'i at Manoa, will be presenting a half-day introduction and hands-on lab tutorial on the uses, as well as the limitations, of satellite and airborne image data for studying active and inactive volcanoes. Topics will include a basic introduction on how remote sensing works, what types of activity and features can be studied, the types of data that are used, how they are used, and ome
of the results that various volcanologists have produced.