UVM Spatial Analysis Lab

Sean focuses on the application of geospatial technologies to natural resources and conservation-related projects. He has used GIS and remote sensing applications in wildlife habitat mapping, biodiversity assessment, ecological reserve design, conservation lands, forest characterization, and watershed-scale analyses of pollutant loading. Most recently, he has used object-based image analysis (OBIA) techniques in conjunction with high-resolution imagery and LiDAR to map natural resources in a variety of urban and suburban settings, including multiple tree canopy assessments for cities and counties in the United States.

Sean.MacFaden@uvm.edu

Ernie manages computer systems and leads a team applying Python tools that leverage several geospatial software applications to process large volumes of LiDAR and imagery on cloud computing platforms. In addition to data development, the team prepares analytical summaries and geospatial data products for delivery at project completion. A mainstay in the SAL since the early 90s, Ernie has worked on the development of tools and databases for conservation planning, wildlife habitat modeling, biodiversity assessment, land cover mapping, geoprocessing automation, dynamic database-driven website development, wetland inventory, and avian field research. He was a technical leader on the Vermont Biodiversity Project and Gap Analysis for Vermont and New Hampshire. He has also developed data, models and analytical techniques for projects investigating a variety of topics ranging from bobcat movement and habitat use to public health effects of transportation networks. Ernie also teaches GIS courses and manages computer systems in the Aiken Center’s Geospatial Teaching Lab.

Ernie.Buford@uvm.edu

Anna is a GIS technical specialist at the SAL. She began her work at the SAL in 2009 as a student employee while completing her Bachelor of Arts at UVM in Geography. Since that time Anna has led a team of quality control technicians in the manual review of over 100,000 square miles of geospatial data. While Anna’s primary role is supervising the quality control of land cover mapping projects, she has also worked on a variety of projects such as street tree mapping in New York City and impervious mapping in Sonoma County, CA. During Anna’s time at the SAL, the quality control team has expanded from three technicians to up to 40. She has had the pleasure of training more than 180 student and former student employees and values the SAL’s place as a starting point for many exciting careers in geospatial technologies.

anna.royar@uvm.edu

Adam is an Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research Engineer and leads the UAS program at the Spatial Analysis Lab, bringing together his extensive academic and industry experience in leveraging UAS technology for disaster response, conservation, engineering, and humanitarian applications.
As one of the earliest members of the University of Vermont’s UAS Team, Adam graduated from UVM in 2014 with a degree in Environmental Engineering and a Geospatial Technologies minor after completing an undergraduate thesis focused on potential applications of UAS technology for disaster response. He then became the first American employee of Swiss UAS manufacturer senseFly, serving a critical role in establishing and expanding the company’s North American presence. In addition to managing senseFly’s industry-leading Customer Service & Satisfaction team, Adam served as a technical trainer and consultant for enterprise partners, federal agencies, research universities, and Fortune 500 corporations.
Adam returned to UVM in 2019 where he leads UAS operations, training, and research, including UVM’s core-membership in the FAA’s Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE), alongside 23 of the world’s leading research institutions and 100 industry and government partners. Consortium members together provide the expertise and infrastructure needed to help the FAA conduct the research and testing necessary to make laws that keep the skies safe. As part of the FAA’s Center for Excellence, the UVM SAL UAS Team researches the use of UAS for emergency response, providing the agency with data for their safe operations in times of disaster.
Beyond UVM, Adam is a member and the former Vice President of Drones For Earth, an international NGO that focuses on demonstrating and promoting the great potential of UAS to protect our planet and support local communities. He has conducted a variety of UAS missions across the globe for environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection, humanitarian aid, and historical preservation.

Adam.Zylka@uvm.edu

Maddy Zimmerman is an Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Specialist at the Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL). Maddy has been a licensed FAA Part 107 pilot since joining the UAS Team as an intern in 2020 and holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from UVM. In their current role, Maddy leads UAS training initiatives and course development, including ASSUREd Safe initiatives. They also contribute to ASSURE Center of Excellence (COE) research on UAS for disaster response and recovery. Maddy’s expertise includes operating many types of UAS platforms and sensors, conducting advanced flight operations, training, mentoring, data processing, and geospatial analysis.

mczimmer@uvm.edu

Lauren Cresanti is a member of the SAL’s Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Team, serving as a UAS Technician. She began her work with the team as a UVM undergraduate student and after graduating with a B.S in Environmental Sciences and minor in Geospatial Technologies, she began working full time as a member of the UAS Team. Lauren is responsible for coordinating with partners and clients, flight planning for a number of platforms and sensors, leading flight operations, processing data and producing deliverables, mentoring students, and instructing workshops. Lauren has been involved in a wide range of projects including capturing critical datasets for disaster response and recovery, tracking the impact of invasive species on forest defoliation, mapping harmful algal blooms and aquatic invasives, monitoring critical landslides, and mapping farms in support of furthering the science of precision agriculture. As part of UVM’s core-member status in the FAA’s ASSURE research consortium, Lauren has also worked to develop and instruct FEMA-sponsored drone training programs for the first responder community.

Lauren.Cresanti@uvm.edu

Benny Berkenkotter is an accomplished UAS Pilot and Research Technician for the University of Vermont UAS Team. He graduated from UVM in 2023 and has a degree in Environmental Sciences with a Geospatial Technologies minor. He has worked with several multirotor and fixed-wing UAS platforms as a part of different research projects, such as landslide monitoring with the Vermont Geological Survey and VT Agency of Transportation, disaster response during the Great Vermont Flood of July 2023, mapping harmful algal blooms on Lake Champlain, and Precision Agriculture. These research projects include the use of UAS for true-color, multispectral, and thermal photogrammetry, as well as UAS LiDAR. In addition to research projects, he has also been an instructor for several UAS workshops and demos which includes FEMA UAS/Drone Training Courses, ASSUREd Safe, BHS YES, and demos with the Gund Institute.

Bernard-V.Berkenkotter@uvm.edu

Kelly brings a wealth of experience in GIS, photography, and UAS operations. She splits her duties between supervising the SAL’s undergraduate workforce and running UAS missions. Kelly has a passion for quality and works to ensure that our projects meet the highest standards. Her UAS work has ranged from mapping dry lake beds to quantifying aquatic invasive species. As a master photographer, Kelly has won numerous accolades for her work and has led instructional workshops. Her drone photography has been featured on magazine covers. Kelly brings a unique perspective to our team with her background in agriculture and animal science.

Kelly.Schulze@uvm.edu