缅北禁地

Area of Expertise

Environmental remote sensing

Background

Rachel joined 缅北禁地 in 2011 as a Lecturer in Remote Sensing and now works within the Modelling, Evidence and Policy group in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Her research interests lie in the application of remote sensing techniques, including ground-based and drone mounted sensors, to ecology and environmental monitoring, with a particular focus on the measurement and monitoring of vegetation structure, dynamics and health. Rachel teaches remote sensing at undergraduate and MSc level and is Degree Programme Director for the BSc Environmental Science and Earth Science degrees.

Qualifications 

PhD, Remote Sensing for Continuous Cover Forestry, University of Edinburgh, 2009.

BSc (Hons.) Ecology, University of East Anglia, 2003. 

Roles and responsibilities

Degree Programme Director - BSc Environmental Science, Earth Science (2024- present)

CEG representative on the SAgE Athena SWAN steering group (2013 - 2017).

Chair of School of CEG Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team (2013 - 2017).

Deputy Chair of Geomatics Board of Examiners (2013 - 2019).

Previous Positions

 2010 - 2011, Research Fellow, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, UK. Multispectral, full-waveform terrestrial LiDAR for improved vegetation characterization.

2009 - 2010, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Sept 2006 - Dec 2006, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Fellow (sponsored by British Ecological Society). POST, UK Parliament.

Memberships

Terrestrial laser scanning international interest group (http://tlsiig.bu.edu/).

Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (member).

British Ecological Society (member). 

Google scholar:

SCOPUS:

Current Work

My research is focussed on the use of remote sensing technology (ground-based, airborne and satellite) in measuring and monitoring vegetation structure and dynamics, especially in forested and agricultural environments. I have particular interests in the estimation of forest and crop health, including vegetation stress and disease detection. Active projects include the use of novel dual-wavelength laser scanner technologies in measuring leaf and canopy physiological parameters such as water content; characterising vegetation structure and composition in the agricultural environment; development of ground-based and remote sensor networks for tree health monitoring; and monitoring of agricultural / horticultural crop health for precision farming applications. I have particular interests in the calibration and validation of low-cost and novel sensors for unmanned aerial vehicle platforms and the application of UAV imaging in ecology, agriculture and forestry. I also have ongoing interests in the use of satellite imagery for long-term mapping and monitoring of vegetation change at regional extents, as a result of human and natural disturbances.

Past work has included the fusion of Landsat and MODIS imagery for generating a high temporal and spatial resolution disturbance sequence over a grizzly bear habitat area in western Canada, the use of a physiological forest growth model (3-PG) for predicting forest volume and growth changes under current and future climatic conditions, and mapping of forest canopy gaps and quantifying spatial aspects of forest structure from airborne LiDAR and hyperspectral data (in collaboration with the UK Forestry Commission). 

Main expertise

• Terrestrial and airborne LiDAR for vegetation applications.
• Unmanned aerial vehicles and low-cost sensors for quantitative remote sensing.
• Multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing from airborne and satellite platforms.
• Characterising and quantifying vegetation structure, dynamics and health. 

Other expertise

• Vegetation ecology and forest management.
• Agricultural applications
• Multi-temporal remote sensing. 

Postgraduate Supervision

• Mohammed Al Safran (PhD, completed, 2015). Distribution and ecology of Acacia in Qatar. [co-supervsior].
• Elias Berra (PhD, completed, 2018). UAVs for forest phenology monitoring. Science Without Borders funded. [primary supervisor].
• Magdalena Smigaj (PhD, completed, 2018). Remote sensing for UK forest health monitoring. NERC funded. [primary supervisor].
• Annock Chiwona (PhD, completed, 2020). Extending the reach of crushed rock fertilisers to Africa. [co-supervisor].
• Surassawadee Phoompanich (PhD, completed, 2020). Improvement of risk assessment framework by applying remote sensing technology for inclusive disaster risk reduction in Thailand. [co-supervisor].
• Ahmed Elsherif (PhD, completed, 2020). Estimation of vegetation canopy moisture content as an indicator of plant health using dual-wavelength laser scanning. [primary supervisor].
• Aleksandra Zaforemska (MPhil, completed 2021). Individual tree delineation from lidar point clouds. [co-supervisor].
• Khunsa Fatima (PhD, completed 2024). Integrated sensing technologies for rapid tree health assessment. IAFRI and NUORS PhD studentship in collaboration with Fera Science Ltd. [primary supervisor].
• Eylem Elmer (PhD, completed 2024). Developing a suite of cost-effective remote sensing methods for habitat monitoring of Zostera sp. in Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve (NNR), Northumberland. [co-supervisor].
• Natasha Mannion (PhD, started 2020). Biodiversity responses to infrastructure expansion in the Heart of Borneo, Brunei Darussalam. NERC IAPETUS funded [primary supervisor].
• Nicholas Allen (PhD, started 2020). Hedgerow and field margin monitoring technologies: value and acceptability for agri-environment payments. IAFRI funded in collaboration with Fera Science Ltd. [primary supervisor].
• Aleksandra Zaforemska (PhD, started 2020). Understanding tree stability through IoT tilt monitoring and terrestrial photogrammetry. EPSRC Geospatial Systems CDT funded [co-supervisor].
• Kate Halstead (PhD, started 2021). Reducing the impact of climate change and other environmental stresses on native UK oak tree health: A study of wind storms. NERC One Planet DTP and Action Oak Partnership funded [primary supervisor].
• Broghan Erland (PhD, started 2022). The biodiversity and carbon benefits of wood pasture vs agro-forestry. IAFRI funded in collaboration with Fera Science Ltd . [primary supervisor].
• Miles Aubrey (MPhil, completed 2023). Very high-resolution satellite remote sensing to monitor ash dieback. [primary supervisor].
• Quddus Busari (PhD, started 2023). Scaling up tree health monitoring systems to landscapes. IAFRI funded, based at Fera Science Ltd. [co-supervisor].
• Caitlin Cook (PhD, started 2023). Astro-turfing the city: quantifying the impact of artificial lawns on the structure and function of urban ecosystems. NERC One planet DTP and Royal Horticultural Society, Based at Northumbria University. [co-supervisor].
• Alana Thornton (PhD, started 2023). ‘Where the wild things go’ – Finding and creating refugia from climate change in Northern Britain. NERC One Planet DTP, Based at Northumbria University. [ co-supervisor].

Research Roles / Esteem Indicators

Member of NERC Peer Review College, 2020 - present.

Associate Editor, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 2017 - 2021.

NERC Airborne Research Facility Steering Committee member, 2016 - 2018.

EUFAR User Group Selection Panel member 2013 - 2017.

Guest Editor (2018) of special issue in Interface Focus, 8 (2), The Terrestrial Laser Scanning Revolution in Forest Ecology.

Book review editor, International Journal of Remote Sensing 2011-2014.

Journal reviewer for > 15 international journals including Remote Sensing of Environment, International Journal of Remote Sensing, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Journal of Applied Ecology, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Sensors, Progress in Physical Geography.

Member of RSPSoc Awards and Professional Standards Committee 2011-2018.

Invited lecturer: Intensive PhD course - Analysing and Modelling Spatial Forest Structure, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, 08/10/12 - 12/10/12; CLIMO COST Action Summer School - Multiscale monitoring tools for a smart management of mountain forests, San Michele all’Adige, 01/07/19 – 03/07/19; COST Action 3DForEcoTech summer school on close-range measurements for forests, Helsinki, Finland, July 2022.

Invited Keynote speaker: Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Annual Conference, Nottingham, UK, 2023.

Student representative, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Council, 2005-7. 

Invited guest lecturer: University of Salford, 2010; University of Edinburgh, 2008 and 2009.

Funding received

IMAGO - Imagery Data Service - Smart Data Research UK. Co-I. 2024-2029. ESRC

Delivering sustainability through space technologies: Sustainable living through effective monitoring and management of our natural capital assets for social, environmental and economic benefit. Co-I. Jan - Mar. 2023. UKSA Space Cluster Development.

Changes in established woodlands and the impact on achieving net-zero. 缅北禁地 PI. 2021-2022. STFC (with RAL Space (lead) and Fera Science Ltd).

Remote sensing for decision making in Smart Farm. 缅北禁地 PI. 2021-2023. Innovate UK (led by Precision Decisions / Map of Ag).

Sentinel Treescapes for Biosecurity and Risk Management - Multiple Threats. 缅北禁地 PI. 2020-2022. NERC Constructing a Digital Environment Demonstrator Project.

REmote sensing and Decision support for Apple tree Precision management, Production and globaL tracEability (RED-APPLE). Co-I. 2019 - 2022. BBSRC-Innovate UK.

PAPPADAAM (Pluri-scalar Approaches for co-Production of Pan-Asian Drought Assessment and Adaptive resource Management). Co-I. Dec. 2017 - May 2019. Royal Society GCRF.

Earth observation for the improved management of tree health in urban and periurban settings. Jul 2017 - Jun 2019. Co-I. STFC CLASP Energy and Environment award.

DRIER-China: Drought Resilience in Ecosystem services and Rural communities in China. PI. 2016-2017. NERC GCRF Building Resilience award.

PAFiC: Precision Agriculture for Family Farms in China. 2016-2019. Co-I. STFC-NSFC Newton Fund Agri-tech Joint Programme award.

Non-invasive biomass estimation in coppice plantations (SRC). Sep. 2014 - Apr. 2015. Co-I. EPSRC IAA award.

Thermal imaging from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for UK forest health monitoring. Dec 2013 - Nov 2014. PI. Royal Society Research Grant.

Dual-wavelength laser scanning for forest health monitoring. Sep 2012 - Nov 2013. PI. NERC New Investigators Grant NE/K000071/1.

Full-waveform multispectral lidar to measure vegetation structure and dynamics. April-Dec 2011. Researcher Co-Investigator, NERC Small Project Grant, NE/I01702X/1. 

I am Degree Programme Director for the BSc Environmental Science and BSc Earth Science programmes.

Current teaching

• NES8312 GIS and Remote Sensing (MSc module)
• NES2399 Project Preparation (GIS workshops)
• Dissertation projects within NES3200 (Earth and Environmental Science), NES3505 (Biology), NES8005 (MRes Ecology)

Previous Undergraduate teaching

• CEG1706 Principles of Remote Sensing (100% and module leader, until 2023)
• CEG1711 Tutorial Study Skills for Geomatics (Contributor)
• CEG2709 Applied Remote Sensing and Image Processing (100% and module leader, until 2022)
• CEG3799 Individual Research Project (supervisor)
• NES8002 MSc Research Dissertation project (supervisor)

Student project supervision

I supervise undergraduate BSc and postgraduate MSc projects on the application of remote sensing and ground-based sensing technologies to environmental monitoring, with a particular focus on characterising crop and tree health and monitoring vegetation structure, composition and changes over time. Recent past projects have examined a range of applications from use of drones to characterise erosion in peat bogs and hedgerow structure in agricultural environments to monitoring crop health and detecting deforestation and land cover change from satellite sensors. Where possible I encourage students to work with external partners on areas of real-world application.

• Articles

  • Elsherif A, Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Gastellu-Etchegorry J-P, Shenkin A. Deriving Vegetation Indices for 3D Canopy Chlorophyll Content Mapping Using Radiative Transfer Modelling. Forests 2025, 15(11), 1878.
  • Halstead K, Gaulton R, Sanderson R, Suggitt A, Quine C. . Forest Ecology and Management 2024, 562, 121942.
  • Zhang C, Song C, Zaforemska A, Zhang J, Gaulton R, Dai W, Xiao W. . International Journal of Digital Earth 2024, 17(1), 2356124.
  • Elma E, Gaulton R, Chudley TR, Scott CL, East HK, Westoby H, Fitzsimmons C. . Aquatic Conservation: Marine andFreshwater Ecosystems 2024, 34(8), e4230.
  • Elsherif A, Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Gastellu-Etchegorry J-P, Shenkin A. . Forests 2024, 15(11), 1878.
  • Xu S, Xu X, Blacker C, Gaulton R, Zhu Q, Yang M, Yang G, Zhang J, Yang Y, Yang M, Xue H, Yang X, Chen L. . Remote Sensing 2023, 15(3), 854.
  • Mannion NLM, Charles JK, Gaulton R, Wong Sia How J, Khalid S, Pfeifer M, Slik JWF. . Mammalia 2023, 87(6), 587-590.
  • Li Z, Zhao Y, Taylor J, Gaulton R, Jin X, Song X, Li Z, Meng Y, Chen P, Feng H, Wang C, Guo W, Xu X, Chen L, Yang G. . Remote Sensing of Environment 2022, 273, 112967.
  • Berra EF, Gaulton R. . Forest Ecology and Management 2021, 480, 118663.
  • Le Provost G, Thiele J, Westphal C, Penone C, Allan E, Neyret M, van der Plas F, Ayasse M, Bardgett RD, Birkhofer K, Boch S, Bonkowski M, Buscot F, Feldhaar H, Gaulton R, Goldmann K, Gossner M, Klaus VH, Kleinebecker T, Krauss J, Renner S, Scherreiks P, Sikorski J, Baulechner D, Bluthgen N, Bolliger R, Borschig C, Busch V, Chiste M, Fiore-Donno AM, Fischer M, Arndt H, Hoelzel N, John K, Jung K, Lange M, Marzini C, Overmann J, Pasalic E, Perovic DJ, Prati D, Schafer D, Schoning I, Schrumpf M, Sonnemann I, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tschapka M, Turke M, Vogt J, Wehner K, Weiner C, Weisser W, Wells K, Werner M, Wolters V, Wubet T, Wurst S, Zaitsev AS, Manning P. . Nature Communications 2021, 12, 3918.
  • Smigaj M, Gaulton R. . Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 2021, 7(3), 521-533.
  • Pommerening A, Gaulton R, Magdon P, Myllymaki M. . International Journal of Remote Sensing 2021, 42(18), 6837-6865.
  • Calders K, Adams J, Armston J, Bartholomeus H, Bauwens S, Bentley LP, Chave J, Danson FM, Demol M, Disney M, Gaulton R, Moorthy SMK, Levick SR, Saarinen N, Schaaf C, Stovall A, Terryn L, Wilkes P, Verbeeck H. . Remote Sensing of Environment 2020, 251, 112102.
  • Tang L, Macdonald N, Sangster H, Chiverrell R, Gaulton R. . Climate of the Past 2020, 16, 1917–1935.
  • Chiwona AG, Cortes JA, Gaulton RG, Manning DAC. . Journal of African Earth Sciences 2020, 164, 103769.
  • Elsherif A, Gaulton R, Mills JP. . ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 2020, V-3-2020, 215-220.
  • Elsherif A, Gaulton R, Shenkin A, Malhi Y, Mills J. . Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 2019, 276-277, 107627.
  • Xiao W, Zaforemska A, Smigaj M, Wang Y, Gaulton R. . Remote Sensing 2019, 11(11), 1263.
  • Yang H, Yang G, Gaulton R, Zhao C, Li Z, Taylor J, Wicks D, Minchella A, Chen E, Yang X. . Precision Agriculture 2019, 20(3), 630-648.
  • Elsherif A, Gaulton R, Mills J. . Remote Sensing 2019, 11(19), 2311.
  • Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Suarez JC, Barr SL. . Forest Ecology and Management 2019, 434, 213-223.
  • Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Suarez JC, Barr SL. . Forest Ecology and Management 2019, 433, 699-708.
  • Berra EF, Gaulton R, Barr SL. . Remote Sensing of Environment 2019, 223, 229-242.
  • Danson FM, Disney M, Gaulton R, Schaaf C, Strahler A. . Interface Focus 2018, 8, 20180001.
  • Akerblom M, Raumonen P, Casella E, Disney M, Danson FM, Gaulton R, Schofield LA, Kaasalainen M. . Interface Focus 2018, 8, 20170045.
  • Elsherif A, Gaulton R, Mills J. . Interface Focus 2018, 8, 20170041.
  • Clark B, Jones G, Kendall H, Taylor J, Cao Y, Li W, Zhao C, Chen J, Yang G, Chen L, Li Z, Gaulton R, Frewer L. . Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering 2018, 5(4), 485-498.
  • Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Suarez JC, Barr SL. . Remote Sensing 2017, 9(9), 957.
  • Berra EF, Gaulton R, Barr S. . IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 2017, 55(9), 4878-4886.
  • Hancock S, Gaulton R, Danson FM. . IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 2017, 55(6), 3084-3090.
  • Schofield LA, Danson FM, Entwistle NS, Gaulton R, Hancock S. . Remote Sensing Letters 2016, 7(4), 299-308.
  • Hancock S, Armston J, Li Z, Gaulton R, Lewis P, Disney M, Danson FM, Strahler A, Schaaf C, Anderson K, Gaston KJ. . Remote Sensing of Environment 2015, 164, 208-224.
  • Bonnet S, Gaulton R, Lehaire F, Lejeune P. . Remote Sensing 2015, 7(9), 11267-11294.
  • Danson FM, Gaulton R, Armitage RP, Disney M, Gunawan O, Lewis P, Pearson G, Ramirez AF. . Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 2014, 198-199, 7-14.
  • Gaulton R, Danson FM, Ramirez FA, Gunawan O. . Remote Sensing of Environment 2013, 132, 32-39.
  • Coops NC, Gaulton R, Waring RH. . Applied Vegetation Science 2011, 14(2), 268-276.
  • Gaulton R, Hilker T, Wulder MA, Coops NC, Stenhouse G. . Forest Ecology and Management 2011, 261(4), 865-877.
  • Hilker T, Coops NC, Gaulton R, Wulder MA, Cranston J, Stenhouse G. . Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 2011, 5, 053568.
  • Gaulton R, Malthus TJ. . International Journal of Remote Sensing 2010, 31(5), 1193-1211.

• Book Chapters

  • Torresan C, Luyssaert S, Filippa G, Imangholiloo M, Gaulton R. . In: Tognetti, R; Smith, M; Panzacchi, P, ed. Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions. Cham: Springer, 2022, pp.399-433.
  • Graham L, Broughton RK, Gerard F, Gaulton R. . In: Dover, J.W, ed. The Ecology of Hedgerows and Field Margins. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019, pp.72-89.
  • Brown ND, Nelson TA, Wulder MA, Coops NC, Hilker T, Bater C, Gaulton R, Stenhouse G. . In: Ban Y, ed. Multitemporal Remote Sensing: Methods and Applications. Springer International Publishing, 2016, pp.341-356.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Elsherif A, Gaulton R, Mills JP, El Din ES. . In: ISPRS Geospatial Week 2023. 2023, Cairo: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
  • Zaforemska A, Gaulton R, Mills J, Xiao W. . In: SPRS Geospatial Week 2023. 2023, Cairo: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
  • Elsherif A, Gaulton R, Mills JP. . In: ISPRS Geospatial Week 2019. 2019, Enschede, The Netherlands: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
  • Zaforemska A, Xiao W, Gaulton R. . In: ISPRS Geospatial Week 2019. 2019, Enschede, The Netherlands: Copernicus GmbH.
  • Phoompanich S, Barr S, Gaulton R. . In: International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences - ISPRS Archives. 2019, Prague, Czech Republic: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
  • Berra EF, Gaulton R, Barr S. . In: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). 2016, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
  • Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Barr SL, Suarez JC. . In: Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXII. 2016, Edinburgh: SPIE.
  • Smigaj M, Gaulton R, Barr SL, Suarez JC. . In: ISPRS Geospatial Week 2015. 2015, La Grande Motte, France: Copernicus GmbH.
  • Berra E, Gibson-Poole S, MacArthur A, Gaulton R, Hamilton A. . In: International Conference on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Geomatics. 2015, Toronto, Canada: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
  • Gaulton R, Danson FM, Pearson G, Lewis PE, Disney M. . In: RSPSoc. 2010, Cork, Ireland.
  • Danson FM, Gaulton R, Pearson G, Lewis PE, Disney M. . In: ForestSat. 2010, Lugo, Spain: Laboratorio do Territorio, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
  • Gaulton R, Hilker T, Wulder MA, Coops NC, Stenhouse G. . In: ForestSat. 2010, Lugo, Spain: Laboratorio do Territorio, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
  • Gaulton R, Malthus TJ. . In: SilviLaser 2008. 2008, Edinburgh, UK: Forestry Commission.
  • Gaulton R, Malthus TJ. . In: ForestSat. 2007, Montpellier, France.

• Reviews

  • Li Z, Taylor J, Frewer L, Zhao C, Yang G, Li Z, Liu Z, Gaulton R, Wicks D, Mortimer H, Cheng X, Yu C, Sun Z. . Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering 2019, 6(2), 116-136.
  • Graham L, Gaulton R, Gerard F, Staley JT. . Biological Conservation 2018, 220, 122-131.