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The Basic Science and Remote Sensing Initiative (BSRSI) is a research program in the Department of Geography at Michigan State University focused on global changes. The goal is to develop an interdisciplinary approach to understanding global change, at both regional and global scales, through the integration of both physical and social sciences. 

Research of the BSRSI is focused on:

  • Monitoring land use and land cover change and analyzing the causes and effects of these changes, with an emphasis on both global scale questions and regional issues in the Great Lakes Region
  • Development of basic, remote observation systems through Landsat 7 and Terra (EOS AM-1), as well as international remote sensors, radar applications, and commercial high resolution sensors 
  • Development and implementation of information technology, such as the development of a web-based GIS system
The scope of our research spans from local to global analyses of land use and land cover change patterns, biogeochemical cycles, and human dimensions of land use and land cover change and global change. Research on the patterns and process of land use and land cover change exemplifies our interdisciplinary approach.   We aim to understand the inter-annual variability in land use and cover change and how such variability affects the global carbon cycle, greenhouse gas emissions, and global climate change. 

To gain this understanding, it is necessary to have precise, spatially explicit and dynamic measurements at high temporal and spatial resolution, and to integrate those measurements with process models. Multidisciplinary collaborative research provides the best opportunity to do this kind of problem solving. Remote sensing and GIS are important research tools in the analysis of complex problems. Finally, through the use of information technology, we can disseminate the information to researchers, policy-makers, and educators.
 
 

Research Profile