Research

The GeoIDEA lab investigates emerging geospatial technologies to push the boundaries of efficiency in data collection and management through innovation and development, while analyzing datasets using cutting-edge analytical methodologies to better understand complex multidisciplinary problems. Check out our recent publications and some of our current research endeavors are described below.

Current Projects

Analyzing the potential contribution of onsite wastewater treatment systems to elevated E. coli concentrations in surface water

The GeoIDEA Lab has paired up with the AU Contaminants Lab to better understand how pathogens like E. coli are getting into surface waterbodies. Led by Master’s student (soon to be PhD student) Mallory Jordan, we are using GIS-based modelling (multi-criteria decision analyses) and advanced chemical analyses to better understand how onsite wastewater treatment systems, like septic systems, contribute to overall water contamination. We are currently working in the Choccolocco Creek watershed in Alabama and will soon be investigating the coastal Alabama counties of Baldwin and Mobile. This research is funded by the Auburn Intramural Grants Program and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Results coming soon!

Gauging people’s perceptions and knowledge about groundwater across the Southeast US

The GeoIDEA Lab has paired up with the AU Contaminants Lab to better understand what different groups of people in the Southeastern US know and perceive about groundwater. Part of this work includes making well testing kits available for people to test their well water. We are also using a series of surveys to conduct this investigation. This research is funded by the Alabama Center of Excellence (ALCoE) and the NSF. Results coming soon!

Past Projects

Using unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) for mapping, modeling, and predicting future Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (cyanoHABs) can be detrimental to water resources and dangerous to the health of ecosystems, animals, and humans. There are still many unknowns about when, where, and why these toxic blooms occur. We are using various sensors on UAS platforms to map, monitor, model, and predict where and when these blooms occur. Former GeoIDEA post-doc Dr. Edna Fernandez-Figueroa spearheaded a project, published in Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, investigating if off-the-shelf UAS platforms could measure the reflectance of photosynthetic pigments found in all phytoplankton (i.e., chlorophyll a) and those related to cyanobacteria (i.e., phycocyanin) to more quickly and efficiently map and monitor cyanoHABs. The visible light sensors were moderately effective for estimating chlorophyll a (e.g., DJI Phantom 4 Pro) while multiband multispectral UAS sensors (e.g., Parrot Sequoia) provided a low-cost, plug-and-play alternative for managers and researchers interested in integrating remote sensing tools for quantitatively estimating phytoplankton abundance in small inland systems.

Figure 3 from Fernandez-Figueroa et al (2021) depicting water color variability in research ponds at Auburn University’s E.W. Shell Fisheries Center. The results of UAS flights shown here took place at three different time periods; black dots indicate the locations where water samples were taken which were used to correlate laboratory analyzed chlorophyll a and phycocyanin concentrations to reflectance values obtained from UAS imagery.

Additionally, in summer 2022, the GeoIDEA lab teamed up with the Wilson Aquatic Ecology Lab and Dr. Yin Bao to expand our project and include more advanced sensors and water quality analyses. This work was funded by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES). More results coming soon.

Investigating the effects of environmental characteristics on honey bee colony mortality

The GeoIDEA Lab paired up with the Auburn Bee Lab (AU-BEES), the University of Maryland Bee Lab, and the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) to investigate how environmental characteristics affect honey bee colony mortality across the United States. We found that higher winter colony losses were correlated to colder November temperatures and drier conditions in February.

A publication in *Ecological Indicators* led by former GeoIDEA lab member and MS Geography student, Kaj Overturf, used nine years of BIP survey data and discovered that colder average temperatures in November and drier Februarys led to increased winter colony losses, overall.

In another project published in Scientific Reports, Dr. Rogers assisted in some geospatial data wrangling and interpretation of results on a project led by statisticians Dr. Luca Insolia and Dr. Roberto Molinari who used open source data to show that extreme temperatures significantly impact colony losses.