Lidar for Lunch at St. Petersburg, Florida, Propeller Club

By Ann Tihansky March 2008

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Above: Bill Horner (right) introduces luncheon speaker Amar Nayegandhi to the St. Petersburg Propeller Club at their monthly meeting. [larger version] Above: The USGS map "Topobathymetric Data for Tampa Bay, Florida" was a popular take-home item with the Propeller Club members. [larger version]

Amar Nayegandhi, an ETI Professionals contractor at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) office in St. Petersburg, Florida, was invited to be the luncheon speaker at the monthly meeting of the Propeller Club at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club on January 17, 2008. Bill Horner, the current Propeller Club president, requested a high-technology presentation by a speaker who would share some new scientific findings with club members. Horner wanted "to provide current science and technology information to keep this group of maritime-industry representatives on top of issues affecting our natural coastal resources and the shipping industry." When he learned of lidar (an acronym for "light detection and ranging") and its many applications, he knew it would be perfect for his group. Nayegandhi discussed the basic principles of airborne lidar technology and presented examples of how the USGS uses this technology in his talk titled "Applications of Lidar Technology in Coastal and Marine Environments." Nayegandhi highlighted scientific applications that include monitoring coastal-change hazards, characterizing coastal-vegetation communities, and monitoring trends and health of coral-reef habitats (see URL http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/remote-sensing/).

The USGS took the opportunity to share several resources with the group, including a recently published map, "Topobathymetric Data for Tampa Bay, Florida" (URL http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1051/), for which some of the source data were acquired by lidar.

The Propeller Club recognizes that science and technology dominate maritime-related professions in the area, thanks to the C.W. "Bill" Young Marine Science Complex in downtown St. Petersburg (see Sound Waves story, "Appreciation Day for Congressman Young of Florida"). The group is interested in expanding their membership and hopes to encourage science and technology professionals in the area to join their group. If interested, contact Bill Horner at (727) 898-6055.

Appreciation Day for Congressman Young of Florida December 2004 / January 2005

Integrated Remote Sensing and Modeling Group USGS (U.S. Geological Survey)

Topobathymetric Data for Tampa Bay, Florida - USGS Open-File Report 2007-1051 USGS (U.S. Geological Survey)

Propeller Club non-profit organization

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March 2008

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in this issue:

cover story:
Iron Biogeochemistry in the Gulf of Alaska

Sea-Floor Survey Off Key Largo

Coral-Reef Builders Vulnerable to Ocean Acidification

USGS Everglades Science in National Geographic Program

Lidar for Lunch at Propeller Club

Northern Gulf of Mexico Land-Cover Characterization Workshop

Best Publication in The Condor

Athearn Receives Scholarship

Tour of NOAA Aircraft Facility

New Tool for Water Managers

March Publications List