Geospatial Technology Interactions

We bring together researchers and students and integrate state-of-the-art geospatial technologies in support of teaching/learning and research in the geosciences. Our projects prepare the future generation of geoscientists by developing and incorporating new strategies in data acquisition and visualization of geospatial data. The 3D Immersion and Geovisualization System (3DIG) is a highly interactive tool for discovery and has been used by thousands of students, staff and faculty at the University of Georgia, as well as members of the Athens community. We aim to enable and inspire the young generation of geoscientists by involving young minds in experiential learning. See below for interactions, including classes, demos, publications, conferences and other technical meetings.

1. Presley, H.W., Bernardes, S., Missaoui, A. Unlocking Forage Yield and Field Stand Persistence Potential of Alfalfa in Low pH Soils. European Grassland Federation 2024 General Meeting. (submitted)

2. Ponce, B., Porter, S., Brewer, M., Rodriguez, B., Bernardes, S. AI Takes Flight: (2024, April) Empowering Drones with Advanced Software and Hardware Integration. 2024 Conference of the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. Athens, GA. (accepted)

3. Ma, E., Riggins, R., Philips, C., Bernardes, S. (2024, April) From Pixels to Preservation: Investigating the Role of Integrated Technologies in Cultural Heritage 3D Modeling. 2024 Conference of the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. Athens, GA. (accepted)

4. Baek, H., Lowe, M., Peacock, N., Bernardes, S., Howard, A. (2024, March) Utilizing Virtual Reality Technology to Enhance Student Learning of Brain Anatomy in the Classroom. 45th Annual PSI CHI Convention of the Behavioral Sciences. Athens, GA.

5. Howard, A. M., Bernardes, S., Baek, H., Creel, E., Doan, V., Gutha, B., Lee, M., Lowe, M., Peacock, N., Rashwan, A., Tucker, A. (2024). Crafting Knowledge: Immersive Psychology Education with Student-Developed AR/VR/MR Tools. 2024 Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference. Atlanta, GA.

6. Peacock, N., Baek, H., Lowe, M., Bernardes, S., Howard, A.M. (2024). Fostering Interactive Learning: A Student-Led Open Educational Application for Exploring Brain Anatomy. 2024 Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference. Atlanta, GA.

7. Rashwan, A. Doan, V., Gutha, B., Bernardes, S. Howard, A.M. (2024). A 3D Dive into the Eye: Enhancing Undergraduate Psychology Education through Virtual Reality Experiences. 2024 Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference. Atlanta, GA.

8. Appelbaum, M., Bernardes, S., Shepherd, M., Wermter, J. (2024, January) Remote and In-Situ Investigations of a Medium City Urban Heat Island. Meeting of the American Meteorological Society. Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society.

9. Bernardes, S., Squires, J., Ponce, B., Brewer, M., Rodriguez, B. (2023, December) Integration and testing of an AI-enabled UAS in support of precision agriculture and other fields. Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

10. Bernardes, S., Missaoui, S., Presley-Wright, H., Cejalvo, R. (2023, December) Using UAS-based remote sensing to address challenges in estimating aboveground biomass and other plant traits of short crops. Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

11. Howard, A., Bernardes. S. (2023, December) Immersive insights: Enhancing climate change awareness among undergraduate Psychology students through virtual reality. Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

12. Appelbaum, M., Shepherd, J.M., Bernardes, S. (2023, November). Remote Sensing of the Surface Urban Heat Island to Inform In-Situ Atmospheric Observations. Department of Energy Savannah River National Laboratory BSRA (Battelle Savannah River Alliance) Poster Session. Aiken, SC. (best poster)

13. Palmer, R., Ross, S. Calabria, J., Bernardes, S., Jordan, T., & Madden, M. (2023, May). Geospatial techniques and analysis for monitoring the restoration of climate-resilient longleaf pine ecosystems on the Georgia Coast. Poster presented at the Georgia Climate Conference.

14. Watson, M, Howard, A., & Bernardes, S. (2023, April). Simulation of Retinal Detachment for Undergraduate Psychology Students. 44th Annual Psi Chi Convention of the Behavioral Sciences.

15. White, E., Duncan, R., Harrigan Lee, M., Bernardes, S., & Howard, A. (2023, April). Augmented Reality and Neuroscience in the Undergraduate Psychology Classroom. 44th Annual Psi Chi Convention of the Behavioral Sciences.

16. Missaoui, A., Bernardes, S., & Presley-Wright, H. (2022, December). Back in the Numbers Game: High Throughput Phenotyping of Biomas Yield in Perennial Forage Crops with Multiple Harvests. 2022 North American Plant Phenotyping Network Conference.

17. Bernardes, S. & Ponce, B. (2022, December). Capturing Hyperspectral Anisotropies of Tall Canopies Using a UAV-Based Simulated Goniometer. Fall 2022 meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

18. Bernardes, S., Howard, A., & Couey, E. (2022, December). Using Augmented and Virtual Reality to Create a More Inclusive Use of Color in the Geosciences and Other Fields. Fall 2022 meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

19. Bernardes, S. (2022, November) Geospatial data collections, visualization and analyses in support of the Geosciences and other fields: recent contributions by the Disruptive Geospatial Technologies Laboratory (DiGTL). 2022 AI Everywhere (All at Once) meeting. AI Institute-UGA. (invited talk)

20. Squires, P., Brewer, M., Ponce, B., Rodriguez, B. Presley-Wright, H., Missaoui, A., & Bernardes, S. Integration of AI Capabilities into a Drone Platform: Software Considerations. 2022 AI Everywhere (All at Once) meeting. AI Institute-UGA.

21. Ponce, B., Rodriguez, B. Squires, P., Brewer, M., & Bernardes, S. Integration of AI Capabilities into a Drone Platform: Hardware Component. 2022 AI Everywhere (All at Once) meeting. AI Institute-UGA.

22. Bernardes, S., Missaoui, A. & Presley-Wright, H. (2022, November) Drone-Based Remote Sensing to Assess Vegetation Status and Health in Support of Decision Making. American Society of Agronomy/Crop and Soil Society of America Conference. (invited talk).

23. Missaoui, A., Bernardes, S., & Presley-Wright, H. Potential of precision Ag technologies in providing accurate measures of biomass yield in perennial forage crops. 2022. International Plant Phenotyping Symposium.

24. Spratling, T., Martinez-Espinoza, A., Bernardes, S., Jespersen, D., Raymer, P. & Bahri, B. (2022, August) Sustainably Managing Dollar Spot with UV-C Light Technology. Turfgrass Research Field Day. Griffin, GA.

25. Bernardes, S. Integration and testing of a reduced-cost airborne LiDAR system for multi-sensor data acquisition and target morphometric extraction. 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

26. Bernardes, S., Howard, A., Guest, A., Beaver, H., Johnson, I., Walker, A., Couey, E., Tassoni, J., Savani, S., Le, L., Naidu, I. & Madden, M. An integrative experiential learning system for exploration and discovery in STEAM. 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. (invited paper)

27. Guest, A., Bernardes, S., Howard, A. Integration of an agent-based model and augmented reality for immersive modeling exploration. 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

28. Bernardes, S. & Shepherd, M. (2021, December) A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Extreme Precipitation Over the Continental United States. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

29. Madden, M., Jordan, T., & Bernardes, S. (2021, April). An active learning environment: Engaging students in image data collection, analysis and visualization. Imagery & Remote Sensing Educators Summit (IRSES) 2021.

30. Naidu, I., Tassoni, J., Couey, E., Savani, S., Le. L, Bernardes, S. & Howard, A. (2021, April). The application of augmented reality and virtual reality in the realm of psychology. Poster presented at the Psi Chi Conference. Athens. GA.

31. Tassoni, J., Couey, E., Naidu, I., Savani, S., Le, L., Bernardes, S. & Howard, A. (2021, April). Applying augmented reality technology to psychology education. Paper presented at the Psi Chi Conference. Athens. GA.

32. Howard, A., Bernardes, S., Couey, E., Savani, S., Tassoni, J., Naidu, I., Le, L., Dooley, C., Nercessian, P. & Madden, M. (2021, February) Virtual and Augmented Reality Experiences in Undergraduate Psychology Education. Paper presented at the Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference. Atlanta, GA.

33. Bernardes, S., Pendergast, T., Calabria, J. & Devos, K. (2020, December) Implementation and Evaluation of a High Throughput Phenotyping System to Resolve Morphometric Traits under Multiple Environmental Conditions. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

34. Bernardes, S., Howard, A., Walker, A., Mendki, A., Bhanderi, D., Guest, A., Nercessian, P., Dooley, C., Le, L., Naidu, I., Beaver, A., Couey, E., Tassoni, J., Johnson, I., Savani, S. & Madden, M. (2020, December) Immersive and Experiential Learning Based on Multi-Technology Integration: Bringing UAVs, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality into the Classroom. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

35. Madden, M., and S. Bernardes, S. (2020, November). Geospatial Time-Series Maps, Images and Story Maps Depicting African American History in Athens, Georgia, Mapping Social Justice, Geography Awareness Week, Washington University in St. Louis.

36. Madden, M., S. Bernardes, S. and Jordan, T. (2020, October). Developments in Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Applied to Coastal Studies (Invited), Georgia Coastal Research Council Virtual Conference.

37. Guest, A., Beaver, A., Johnson, I., Walker, A., Knight, A., Neel, N., Mendki, A., Bhanderi, D., Howard, A., Madden, M., Bernardes, S. (2020, November). AR activities @ CGR. Presented at the 2020 GIS Day event. Athens, GA. (video)

38. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Howard, A., Walker, A., Bhanderi, D., Guest, A. & Mendki, A. (2020, June) Solutions in UAS and virtual-augmented reality for geospatial data collection, visualization and communication. Paper presented at the ASPRS 2020 Annual Conference Virtual Technical Program meeting of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

39. Temme, A., Kerr, K., Bali, Khaled, Andrade-Sanchez, P., Bernardes, S., Bucksch, A., Hulke, B., Burke, J. & Donovan, L. (2020, February) Keeping your head cool: alleviating temperature stress during drought through root traits in cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Paper presented at the 2020 Phenome Conference. Tucson, AZ.

40. Bernardes, S. (2020, January) UAS-imagery positioning strategies: georeferencing and spatial accuracy. Precision Agriculture Technology, Southeastern Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Savannah, Georgia.

41. Bernardes, S. & Madden, M. (2019, December). Characterization of canopy anisotropies over a forested area using a multispectral imager integrated into an unmanned aerial system: the Droniometer experiment. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, CA.

42. Bernardes, S., Howard, A.M, Mendki, A., Walker, A.M., Bhanderi, D., Le, L., Tsao, A., Rukangu, A. & Madden, M. (2019, December). Innovative technologies in teaching and learning: incorporating recent developments in virtual and augmented reality into active learning at the University of Georgia. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. San Francisco, CA.

43. Denman, T., Hale, J.D. & Bernardes, S. (2019, December). Utilizing drones to assess biomass and botanical composition of forage mixtures. Poster presented at the SOFOR GIS meeting. Athens, GA.

44. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Howard, A., Mendki, A., Walker, A., Bhanderi, D., Le, L., Tsao, A. & Rukangu, A. (2019, October). Augmented tools for environmental monitoring: incorporating recent technologies into learning in the geosciences. Paper presented at the Pecora 21/International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment. Baltimore, MD.

45. Aragón, A., Johnson, C., Madden, M & Bernardes, S. (2019, October). Geospatial evaluation of former Atlanta housing project sites as socio-ecological nodes. Paper presented at the Pecora 21/International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment. Baltimore, MD.

46. Madden, M., Healy, S., Cotten, D., Jordan, T., Bernardes, S. & Ross, S. (2019, October). Fine-scale spatial and temporal monitoring of crop growth, biomass and weather damage: techniques for small farms and community gardens. Paper presented at the Pecora 21/International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment. Baltimore, MD.

47. Pendergast IV, TH, Bernardes, S. & Devos KM. (2019, March). Forays in switchgrass remote sensing. Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Switchgrass Team Meeting.

48. Madden, M. & Bernardes, S. (2019, April). Augmenting the classroom experience: incorporating recent advances in remote sensing, virtual and augmented reality into teaching and learning in the geosciences and humanities. Paper to be presented at the Annual Conference of the American Association of Geographers. Washington, DC.

49. Sorrells, R., Leigh, D. & Bernardes, S. (2019, April). Visualizing bank erosion via structure from motion in Lilly Branch watershed, GA. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the American Association of Geographers. Washington, DC.

50. Howard, A., Gurarie, E., Bernardes, S., Visalberghi, E, Izar, P., Fragaszy, D. & Fagan, W. (2019, March). The environment beyond points of directional change. Poster and paper presented at the 88th Annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Cleveland, OH.

51. Madden, M. & Bernardes, S. (2019, March) Geospatial technologies and augmented reality spark excitement in science education, research and outreach. Invited Keynote at the 2019 Georgia Academy of Sciences Meeting, Gainesville, GA.

52. Bernardes, S., Madden, M. & Jordan, T. (2019, January). A spatiotemporal analysis of vegetation browning following recent extreme events on the Georgia coast, U.S. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

53. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Knight, A. & Neel, N. (2019, January). Incorporating advances in remote sensing, virtual and augmented reality into learning in the geosciences. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

54. Healy, S., Madden, M., Cotten, D., Jordan, T., Bernardes, S., & Ross, S. (2019, January). Advanced geospatial technologies for agriculture: structure from motion and spectral reflectance to assess crop health. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

55. Jordan, T., Madden, M., Bernardes, S. & Adams, B. (2019, January). Mapping and monitoring of coastal habitats on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

56. Madden, M., Jordan, T., Cotten, D., Bernardes, S., O’Hare, N. & Adams B. (2019, January). Maintaining National Park Service vegetation databases in the southeastern United States using emerging geospatial techniques. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

57. Bernardes, S., Madden, M. & Jordan, T. (2018, December). Spatial distribution, intensity and timing of vegetation browning following recent hurricanes on the coast of Georgia, United States. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Washington, DC.

58. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Knight, A. & Neel, N. (2018, December). Integration of advanced geospatial technologies into immersive and experiential learning in the geosciences. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Washington, DC.

59. Madden, M. & Bernardes, S. (2018, November). Emerging geospatial techniques in education and outreach: augmented reality, elephants and gardens. United Nations Geospatial Information Congress. Deqing, China.

60. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Knight, A., Neel, N., Morgan, N., Cameron, K. & Knox, J. (2018, October). A multi-component system for data acquisition and visualization in the geosciences based on UAVs, augmented and virtual reality. Paper presented at the 2018 ISPRS Technical Commission IV Symposium. Delft, Netherlands.

61. Healy, S., Cotten, D., Bernardes, S., Jordan, T., Madden, M. & Ross, S. (2018, October). Advanced geospatial technologies for agriculture: UAS and handheld photos for Structure from Motion. Paper presented at the Georgia Geospatial Conference. Athens, GA.

62. Pendergast IV, TH, Bernardes, S. & Devos KM. (2018, June). Trait mapping and automated phenotyping in a F2 switchgrass population. Center for Bioenergy Innovation Annual Meeting, Asheville, NC.

63. Madden, M., Bernardes, S., Cotten, D. & Jordan, T. (2018, April). Advanced geospatial technologies for agricultural landscapes: 3D Immersion and Geovisualization System (3DIG). Paper presented at the US-IALE Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.

64. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Jordan, T., Knight, A. & Aragon A. (2018, February). A spatiotemporal analysis of vegetation status and damage following hurricanes in Sapelo Island, Georgia coast. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

65. Bernardes, S., Knight, A., Neel, N., Weber, S., Ganguly, J. & Madden, M. (2018, February). Integration of UAVs, virtual and augmented reality into education and outreach: current status and lessons learned from the 3D Immersion and Geovisualization System (3DIG). Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

66. Madden, M., Bernardes, S., Jordan, T., Wynn, A., Moon, N., Adams, B., Aragon, A., Weber, S., Morgan, N., Healy, S., Shrestha, S., & McKenna, C. (2018, February). Online storymapping, time-series maps/aerial photographs and UAS depict African American history in Athens, Georgia: 1800s to present. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

67. Knight, A., Madden, M., Bernardes, S., Mishra, D., Jordan, T. & Ashford, P. (2018, February). Detection of landmine and unexploded ordnance-like targets using UAS and image analysis. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Denver, CO.

68. Morgan, N., Knox, J., Bernardes, S., Cameron, K., Neel, N. & Knight A. (2018, January). Playing in the UGA sandbox: Incorporating Augmented Reality into Weather and Climate Classes. Paper presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society. Austin, TX.

69. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Jordan, T., Knight, A. & Aragon A. (2017, December). Integrating UAV and orbital remote sensing for spatiotemporal assessment of coastal vegetation health following hurricane events. Poster presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. New Orleans, LA.

70. Bernardes, S., Knight, A., Neel, N., Weber, S. & Madden, M (2017, December). Incorporating emerging geospatial technologies into natural resource management at the Center for Geospatial Research, UGA. Poster presented at the 11th Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference. Athens, GA.

71. Neel, N., Ganguly, J., Knight, A. & Bernardes, S. (2017, December). Creating an enhanced wildfire modeling tool using a tangible landscape system. Poster presented at the 11th Southern Forestry and Natural Resource Management GIS Conference. Athens, GA.

72. Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Knight, A., Cotten, D. & Jordan, T. (2017, March) Advanced geospatial technologies for education and outreach: 3D Immersion and Geovisualization system (3DIG). Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Baltimore, MD.

73. Knight, A., Bernardes, S., Jordan, T., Madden, M. (2017, March). Sensing microtopography signatures of landmines and UXOs using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Paper presented at the 2017 Integrative Research and Ideas Symposium. Athens, GA.

74. Knight, A., Bernardes, S., Madden, M., Lapolla, J.M., Barbars N., Uccicardi, H., Murphy, P. & Moffitt, K. (2017, March) Designing a payload for the purpose of sensing microtopography signatures of landmines and UXO’s onboard Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Baltimore, MD.