Statistics Department

Topic:

Forestry Data Science

Abstract:

 Data science seems to be infiltrating nearly every field and forest inventory is no exception.  In this talk we will look at forestry data science from two angles.  First I will talk about predictive modeling in survey estimation and will present my methodological contributions.  Then, we will shift gears a bit and see why this is a great area of research not just for me but also for my undergraduate students.  Peeking into a few projects I have supervised, we will see that the statistical questions associated with forest inventory are many and come in a variety of forms. How do we collapse an important vegetation variable into a useful set of categories? How can the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program improve their estimation procedures with big data? What software do forest inventory practitioners need to more easily employ modern estimation techniques?  Come hear more about forestry data science and where I think it is headed.

For more information about Kelly McConville, click here.