UC DAVIS department of environmental science and policy, Thorne lab

GIS RESEARCH ASSISTANT

APRIL 2024 - PRESENT

ArcGIS data development and analysis regarding tree species throughout the state of California. Ultimately, the goal of this Postdoctoral research project is to analyze the impact of climate change and forest fires on 84 of the most common tree species in the state.

USED: ArcGIS Pro, Python

Digitized Historical Data: Converted paper scans from Griffin & Critchfield's The Distribution of Forest Trees in California into georeferenced digital formats, creating accurate range maps for climate exposure analysis.
Optimized Processes: Developed Python automation scripts that streamlined the digitizing process, reducing manual geoprocessing time by 50%.
Mentored and Quality Assured: Oversaw and reviewed the work of fellow interns, providing constructive feedback and ensuring adherence to high-quality standards and project objectives.

NEXT STEPS

As we finish digitizing the last of the range maps, the next step would be combining a wide variety of geospatial data, while balancing the varying quality of each, in order to performance raster analysis to analyze the impact of climate change and forest fires on 84 of the most common tree species in the state.