Vincent AMBROSIA

EDUCATION:

• Master of Science in Geography, 1980, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. Focus: Remote Sensing and GIS.
• Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning/Geography, 1978, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Focus: Remote Sensing and GIS.

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT:

• Associate Program Manager – Wildfires, NASA Applied Science Program, NASA HQ, August 2013 –present.
• Senior Research Scientist / Adjunct Faculty, Department of Applied Environmental Science, College of Science, California State University – Monterey Bay, NASA-Ames Research Center, August 2001 – present.
• Visiting Professor: Introduction to UAS Systems; Master Program, University of Science and Aerospace Technology, Polytechnical University of Catalunya (2010-2011)
• Senior Remote Sensing Scientist / Deputy Project Manager, Johnson Controls World Services, Inc., Ecosystems Science and Technology Branch, NASA-Ames Research Center. March 1993 – August 2001.
• Consultant, Remote Sensing, Image Processing, Natural Resources Management, Ecosystem Monitoring, and GIS.  October 1990 – present.
• Senior Remote Sensing Lab Scientist, ATAC, Inc., Airborne Data Facility, High Altitude Mission Branch, NASA-Ames Research Center. August 1989 – November 1992.
• Research Scientist, TGS Technology, Inc., Ecosystem Science and Technology Branch, Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. November 1980 – August 1989.

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS / AWARDS:

• 2019: Remote Sensing Journal, 10-Year Anniversary ‘Best Paper’ award for “Considerations for the Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Remote Sensing and Scientific Research”, (article published in 2012), March 2019.
• 2018, 2017 & 2016 – Keynote Address: 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment, March 2018, March 2017, and April 2016.
• 2010 / 2011 Visiting Professor: Introduction to UAS Systems; Master program, University of Science and Aerospace Technology, Polytechnical University of Catalunya (UPC), Castelldefels, Spain, April / May, 2010 and 2011.
• 2009 NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal, June 2009.
• 2009 NASA-Ames Honors / Group Achievement Award, Wildfire Research and Applications Partnership (WRAP) Team. For the development and use of UAV technologies in providing critical fire information to state and federal fire fighting forces during the western firestorms of 2007-2008, October, 2009.
• 2009 Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer: Interagency Partnership Award. FLC’s highest honor; Recognizing the efforts of agency partners who have collaboratively accomplished outstanding work in the process of transferring a technology; WRAP Team, May 2009.
• 2009 The Pulaski Award: National Finalist: National award from the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior presented annually by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and recognizes outstanding contributions to wildland firefighting and America’s wildland firefighters. The Pulaski Award recognizes group achievement, November 2008.
• 2008 Research and Development Journal: Top 100 R&D Significant Technologies Introduced to the Market in 2008 (Sensor Web 2.0). September 2008.
• 2008 Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, Far West Region Outstanding Partnership Award: Wildfire Research and Applications Partnership (WRAP) Project. September 2008.
• 2008 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Operations Award (Brent Cobleigh; Project Team Member, Lead of NASA’s Ikhana UAS for the WSFM Missions): Distinguishes an AUVSI member or non-member directly involved in the testing, evaluation and / or operational deployment of unmanned systems. June 2008.
• 2008 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Best Paper Award ((P. Hall; NOAA/DFRC Ikhana Project Team Member): “Operational Experience With Long-Duration Wildfire Mapping UAS Missions Over the Western United States.”  June 2008.
• 2008 NASA Group Achievement Award: “Wildfire Research and Applications Partnership”, for outstanding group achievement and public service integrating NASA technology into procedures for fighting wildfires in the western United States. May 2008.
• 2008 NASA Group Achievement Award: “Western States UAS Fire Mission Team”, for successful execution of long-duration, unpiloted aircraft missions, multiple wildfire infrared-imagery collection, and real-time data delivery to on-scene fire commanders. May 2008.
• 2007 NASA-Ames Honor Award: “Western States Fire Mission Team”, for excellence in providing operational real-time fire condition information on the Esperanza Fire from a UAS operating in National Airspace,” September 2007.
• 2007 NASA Group Achievement Award: “Western States Fire Mission Team, for excellence in providing operational real-time fire condition information on the Esperanza Fire from a UAS operating in National Airspace,” September 2007.
• 2006 NASA Certificate of Recognition for “The Creative Development of a Technical Innovation: UAV Over-The-Horizon Disaster Management Demonstration Proje”
• 2004 Recipient – 2004 NASA Group Achievement Award to “ERAST Alliance, for outstanding success in pioneering uninhabited aerial vehicles and their associated systems. Impressive accomplishments of the Alliance have significantly advanced unpiloted aeronautics,” July 2004.
• 2003 Recipient – 2003 NASA Group Achievement Award to “Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Real Time Fire Response Experiment Team,” May 2003.
• 1999 Recipient – 1999 ASPRS ERDAS Award For Best Scientific Paper in Remote Sensing: “An Integration of Remote Sensing, GIS, and Information Distribution for Wildfire Detection and Management” in Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE&RS), Vol. 64, No. 10, October 1998, pp. 977-985. (Lead Author)
• 1992 Recipient — 1992 NASA Certificate of Recognition for “The Creative Development of a Technical Innovation. Aircraft and Satellite Thermographic Systems for Wildfire Mapping and Assessment.”
• 1990 Recipient — 1990 NASA Group Achievement Award to “Yellowstone Firestorms of 1988 – Fire Response and Environmental Impact Assessment Team.” June 1990.
• 1989 Recipient — 1989 NASA-Ames Group Achievement Award, for “Group Achievement” in Obtaining a Unique and Time Critical Set of Measurements by Aircraft and Satellite and Thereby Impacting the Management of Fire Fighting Forces and Recovery Operations Involved with Stopping and Assessing the Massive Destruction of Life and Property in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.” September 1989.
• 1988 Recipient — 1988 NASA Group Achievement Award, as member of Biomass Burn/Biospheric-Environmental Impact Measurement Team for “Obtaining a Unique Set of Measurements Leading to Improved Characterization of the Impact of Forest Fires on the Biosphere, the Soil, and the Environment.” May 1988.
• 1988 Invited Seminar/Colloquium speaker, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Geography, “Global Fire Occurrences and Effects on Atmospheric Pollution.” May 1988.
• 1984 Grant Recipient, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources, for Research Paper Presentation at 25th International Geographic Congress, Paris, France. August 1984.
• 1981 Guest Lecturer, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, Geography and Computer Sciences Department. December 1981.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

Thirty-nine years of experience with project management, planning, modeling, and digital image processing of remotely sensed data for natural resource inventory, monitoring, conference / workshop organization / management, and geospatial research / applications specializing in disaster management with a particular focus on wildfire assessment and the use of UAS platforms.

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES, SEMINARS, GUEST LECTURES, OUTREACH:

• Seminar: NASA Missions: Earth Observations. California State University – Monterey Bay, School of Natural Sciences Seminar Series, Seaside, CA., 27 January 2020.
• Seminar: NASA Missions: Earth Observations. Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, CA., 6 September 2019.
• Keynote Address: NASA Missions: Earth Observations and Applications. Seventh International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment, Paphos, Cyprus, 19 March 2019.
• Seminar: NASA Applied Science Program: Wildland Fire. Department of Mechanical Engineering & Fire Research Group. University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 27 February 2019
• Keynote Address: NASA’s Global Perspective: Observations Programs and Future Missions. Sixth International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment, Paphos, Cyprus, 26 March 2018.
• Keynote Address: NASA Applied Science Program: Building Capacity in the Community. Fourth International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment, Paphos, Cyprus, 4 April 2016.
• Keynote Address, 10^th European Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL) Forest Fire Special Interent Group Workshop, Limassol, Cyprus, 2 November 2015.
• Invited Speaker: USFS Aviation Safety Working Group Meeting, Ames Research Center, CA, 23 January 2014.
• Invited Speaker: 52nd Annual Fresno State Geomatics Engineering Conference, Clovis, CA, 24 January 2014.
• Invited Speaker: Wildfire Futurecasting Summit Workshop, Air Force Academy (AFA), CO Springs, CO, 13 February 2014.
• Invited Speaker: Fifth Joint Fire Science Program Knowledge Exchange Consortia Meeting, Tucson, AZ, 7 May 2014.
• Invited Speaker / Participant: Challenges in Fighting Wildfires, Office of Science Technology and Policy (OSTP), Ames Research Center, 19 September 2013.
• Guest Lecturer: Observing Wildfires: Demonstrating Use of UAS for Civilian Disaster Monitoring, San Francisco State University Dept. of Geography and Environment;San Francisco, CA, 23 October 2013.
• Invited Speaker: Aerovirnoment, Simi Valley, CA, 29 October 2013.
• Invited Speaker: A Project to Demonstrate the Feasibility of Satellite and Modeling Capabilities for Wildfire Applications, Arcadia, CA, 30 October 2013.
• Seminar Speaker: Observing Wildfires: Demonstrating Use of UAS for Civilian Disaster Monitoring, Sonoma Technology, Inc., Petaluma, CA, 5 December 2013.
• Presentation: NASA and Wildfires: Science and Technology Supporting the Nation, NASA Hyperwall, AGU Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 12 December 2013.
• Invited Speaker: USFS Aviation Safety Working Group Meeting, Ames Research Center, CA, 23 January 2014.
• Invited Speaker: 52nd Annual Fresno State Geomatics Engineering Conference, Clovis, CA, 24 January 2014.
• Invited Speaker: Wildfire Futurecasting Summit Workshop, Air Force Academy (AFA), CO Springs, CO, 13 February 2014.
• Invited Speaker: Fifth Joint Fire Science Program Knowledge Exchange Consortia Meeting, Tucson, AZ, 7 May 2014.
• Guest Lecture, Tulane University: Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy Masters Program – Crisis Informatics and Analytics, “UAS Remote Sensing Platforms for Emergency Response and Management”, 25 April 2013.
• Invited Panel Speaker, AIAA – Civilian Applications of UAVs – A California Perspective, a Policy Symposium, “UAS in Support of Wildfire Observations: Right Tools for the Right Job!”, Westlake Village, CA, 27 March 2013.
• Invited Panel Speaker, AIAA – Second Annual California Aerospace Week, CA Governor’s Office, “Enhancing our Nation’s Wildfire Management Capabilities Through Application of NASA Science and technology”, Sacramento, CA, 12 March 2013.
• Visiting Professor, Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC), Casteldeffels, Spain, April 2010 and April / May 2011.
• Guest Seminar Speaker, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, CSIC), Cordoba, Spain, 16 May, 2011.
• Invited Panel Member, NASA Public Outreach Forum, “Unmanned Vehicle Systems Supporting Wildfire Observations”, Mountain View, CA, 9 September 2010.
• Invited Panel Member; Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems North America 2010, Hot Topics Panel Session “Potential Uses and Criteria for Unmanned Aerial Systems for Wildland Fire Fighting”, Denver, CO, August 2010.
• Invited Panel Member; National Academies of Science, Disaster Roundtable, “From Realities 2010 to Vision 2020: Translating Remotely Sensed Data to Assets, Exposure, Damage and Losses”, Washington DC, 8 July 2010.
• Mentored and Hosted Enric Pastor, PhD., from Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC) Spain, UAV developments and robotics controls, with focus on wildfire observations, June 2011 – August 2011.
• Mentored and Hosted Pablo Royo, PhD., Post-Doc from Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC) Spain, UAV developments and robotics controls, with focus on wildfire observations, September 2009 – March 2010.
• Team-Authored Non-Reimbursable Agreement between NASA-ARC and CAL FIRE to jointly develop / share technologies for improved wildfire monitoring. December 2010.
• Guest lectures at numerous universities including UC-Berkeley, U of Idaho, Cal. State Univ. – Monterey Bay, San Jose State University,

EXPERIENCE:

• External Advisory Board (EAB) Member, EXCELSIOR (ERATATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Center for Earth SurveiLlance and Space-Based MonItoring Of the EnviRonment), WIDESPREAD-01-2018-2019: Teaming Phase 2, Horizon 2020 Program, Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), Lemasos, Cyprus.
• Associate Program Manager – Wildfires, NASA Applied Science Program, NASA, HQ, Responsible for scientific, programmatic, and budgetary management of a portfolio of NASA-supported wildfire applications projects. Also support to NASA as liasian at national and international workshops, symposia, conferences, committee and panel membership.
• Senior Research Scientist / Principal Investigator. Development of tools and methodology for real time analysis of wildfire conditions utilizing piloted and remotely piloted (UAV) aerial platforms. Lead in defining criteria for the sensor and data telemetry system, manage staff budget and science criteria.
• Consultant, consulting on various image processing and remote sensing problems incorporating aircraft and satellite scanning systems.  Consulting work has included technical proposal writing, image processing for mineral exploration, estimations of temperature gradients and radiance from thermal fires data, assistance in image processing training, GIS integration and data base construction, and development of Passive Chlorophyll Detection filters for plant stress detection.
• Research Scientist, analyzing 4-channel scanner data collected over Brazilian fires for intensity and radiometric assessment.  Member of team assessing fire estimations and atmospheric contributions from such for an ecosystem in southwest Brazil.  Lead investigator on NASA Director’s Discretionary Fund Research project assessing the utility of a CCD, electro-optical camera and narrow-band filtration for remote sensing of forest insect infestations.
• Senior Remote Sensing Lab Scientist, employing high altitude remote sensing data for resource analysis of terrestrial ecosystems.  One phase involves analysis of hyperspectral AVIRIS  data for vegetation condition determination.
• Co-principal Investigator and Research Scientist for remote sensing research of the effects of biomass combustion on terrestrial and atmospheric trace gas development and mobilization of nutrients.  The objective of this research was to determine the function that wildland fire plays in trace gas generation and movement, terrestrial nutrient movement and potential pollutant effects on local, regional, and global scales.
• Principal Investigator of project to determine Rift Valley Fever Mosquito Vector habitat areas in Kenya and Senegal, Africa utilizing remote sensing spectral analysis and SAR Radar data.  In cooperation with U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.
• Co-investigator of an international study concerned with the mapping of natural and geologic resources of Spain.  This project involved an international research team using both satellite and aircraft data to develop methodologies to map and monitor land use/land cover and geologic resources/features of the Iberian Peninsula.
• Principal Investigator and Research Scientist for remote sensing information processing in stratified forest volumetric mensuration and inventory.  The objective of this research and application project was to investigate remote sensing processes for determining timber volumes in conjunction with the USFS.
• Research Scientist for forest spectral/structural variable analysis in Sequoia National Park utilizing Thematic Mapper data.
• Research Scientist for change detection analysis of multi-date Landsat data for optimizing Soil Conservation Service National Resource Inventory sampling strategies.
• Research Scientist for Nevada inventory project involved in incorporating ground data and Landsat information to estimate Pinyon pine/Utah juniper volumes in Nevada.
• Applications Scientist for AgRISTARS project involving feature selection and information content of Thematic Mapper data for forested areas.
• Applications Scientist for Alaskan Interior forest timber typing project involved in determining species/structure volume calculations.
• Firefighter, Tennessee Rural-Metro Fire Department, Knoxville, Tennessee. July to November 1980.  Firefighter and EMT.  Responsible for fire attack and specialized emergency rescue.
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.  January to September 1980.  Taught courses in introductory remote sensing, physical geography/geomorphology, world economic and political geography.
• Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.  September 1979 to January 1980.  Remote Sensing Scientist and Cartographer on EPA grant.
• Architectural Surveyor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.  May to September 1979.  Grant from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
• Graduate Research Assistant, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, September 1978 to June 1979.  National Science Foundation Grant.
• Mapping Production Manager, Seegar Map Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. October 1977 to May 1978.  Grant to Carroll University Geography Department.
• Assistant County Cartographer, Milwaukee County Planning Commission (Work-Study Program), Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  September to December 1977.
• Cartographic Lab and Teaching Assistant, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin.  September to December 1977.
• Cartographer/Researcher Internship, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.  January 1976 to May 1977.

PROFESSIONAL / TECHNICAL / SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:

• External Advisory Board (EAB) Member, EXCELSIOR (ERATATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Center for Earth SurveiLlance and Space-Based MonItoring Of the EnviRonment), WIDESPREAD-01-2018-2019: Teaming Phase 2, Horizon 2020 Program, Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), Lemasos, Cyprus; 2018-present.
• Scientific Organizing Committee, 2016-2020, International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment (RSCy), Annual Meeting, Cyprus.
• Technical Program Committee, 2017 ISRSE Conference, May 2017, Tshwane, South Africa.
• Technical Program Committee, 2015 ISRSE Conference, May 2015, Berlin, Germany.
• Organizing Committee, USFS Remote Sensing Conference 1990-2010, Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Scientific Committee, 2011, 8th International Workshop of EARSeL Special Interest Group of Forest Fires, October 2011, Stresa, Italy.
• Technical Program Committee, 2011 ISRSE Conference, April 2011 Sydney, Australia.
• Forest Fire Airborne Observations Sessions and UAS Workshop Organizing Committee, ISRSE Conference, April 2011 Sydney, Australia.
• Technical Program Committee, 2009 ISRSE Conference, May 2009, Stresa, Italy.
• ISRSE Workshop Organizer, UAS Uses For Remote Sensing, May 2009, ISRSE, Stresa, Italy.
• Committee Chair, Tactical Fire Remote Sensing Advisory Committee, 2003-Present, NASA-USFS Cooperative project on Fire Remote Sensing.
• Science Team Member, 2001-present, European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL) Forest Fires Special Interest Group (FF-SIG).
• Committee Co-Chair, Tactical Fire Remote Sensing Advisory Committee, 2003-present, NASA-USFS Cooperative project on Fire Remote Sensing.
• Science Team Member, 2001-present, European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL) Forest Fires Special Interest Group (FF-SIG).
• Program Chairman, Remote Sensing Specialty Group Committee for Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting Program 1987, ’88, ’89, ’90, and ’91.
• Chairman 1985-1986, Remote Sensing Group Committee of Association of American Geographers (AAG)
• Committee Member, Staff 1982-1992, Remote Sensing Committee of National Council for Geographic Education
• American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• Association of American Geographers (AAG)
• National Council for Geographic Education
• Gamma Theta Upsilon (Honor Society of Geography)

JOURNAL EDITORSHIP AND PAPER REVIEWER:

Guest Editor: Geocarto International Journal: UAS for Remote Sensing Special Issue (2011);

Guest Editor: IEEE-Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing issue on UASs for Remote Sensing (2009);

• Geocarto International, Editorial Committee.
• IEEE IGARSS Journal Reviewer
• IEEE-Pervasive Computing Journal, Paper Reviewer
• Journal of Field Robotics, Paper Reviewer
• Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, paper reviewer.
• International Journal of Remote Sensing, paper reviewer
• Remote Sensing of Environment, paper reviewer
• Remote Sensing
• NASA ESD Proposal Review Panel (multiple times)
• NASA Small Business Innovative Research Program (SBIR): Science Reviewer
• USDA-FS Small Business Innovative Research Program (SBIR): Science Reviewer
• American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) Proposal Review Panel