Applied Remote Sensing for Mining and Reclamation – Platforms, Sensors, and Analytics

Speaker: Ms. Carrie Middleton, Remote Sensing Scientist, OSMRE Western Region GIS Branch

About the Talk:
Remote Sensing (RS) Earth observations as an inspection and landscape characterization tool has experienced rapid demand, due the COVID-19 pandemic impacting in-person inspections. In this talk learn about RS and how it is applied at the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) for monitoring active, inactive, and abandoned mine lands in the USA. The platforms, sensors, and analytics used by the OSMRE Western Region are presented. Specific case examples are given for active mines and for reclamation areas, where commercial and public-sector RS capabilities are used. Public resources for exploring remote sensing in more detail will be highlighted. Attendees will learn how to do an animation of a series of ESA Copernicus Sentinel 2 images for their own area of interest using the web application, EOBrowser.

About the Speaker:
Ms. Carrie Middleton is a remote sensing scientist for the OSMRE Western Region GIS Branch since 2016. Ms. Middleton uses spaceborne, airborne, unmanned aerial systems, and terrestrial/ground-based observations to monitor active, inactive, and abandoned mine lands in the United States. She was a credentialed enforcement official for the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics, and Training for 19 years. She help developed Interpol’s Pollution Crimes Investigations Manual chapters related to mapping and evidence collection. For more than 20 years, she developed and led outreach activities to provide hands-on science experiences for disadvantaged communities. She has a MS in Applied Chemistry from the Colorado School of Mines.

For any additional questions about the CSM Mining Seminar contact mining@mines.edu