Timothy B. Minor

GIS / Remote Sensing Scientist

Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences

Email: Tim.Minor@dri.edu

Mr. Minor is a member of the Asics Aggie Running Club.

Education

Professional Interests

Mr. Minor is a geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing scientist, with backgrounds in geology, biology, computer cartography, image processing, and GIS. His current research interests include the design and analysis of GIS databases to monitor and assess geologic, hydrologic, and ecosystem processes. He conducts image processing research using satellite based remotely sensed data (ASTER, IKONOS, QuickBird, SPOT, LANDSAT, AVHRR, MODIS), as well as airborne based hyperspectral instruments (MASTER, ProSpecTIR, HST, AVIRIS, Probe 1, TIMS) and LIDAR. His specific remote sensing interests include the analysis of arid vegetation regimes, invasive species, surface disturbance analysis, impervious cover, and feature extraction using spectral and contextural classification algorithms.

Mr. Minor has been involved in numerous top-down exploration and modeling efforts which integrate GIS and remote sensing to examine groundwater resources, model recharge/runoff parameters in arid environments, assess mountain watershed water quality, monitor invasive species, map impervious cover, forecast desert terrain parameters, and analyze erosional and sediment transport processes. He is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the Institute's growing image processing and GIS software requirements, and provides technical support for DRI's GIS software users. Mr. Minor teaches introductory and advanced courses in GIS applications and image processing methods.

Research

Selected Publications

Minor, T.B., Russell, C.E., and Mizell, S.A., 2007.

Development of a GIS-based model for extrapolating mesoscale groundwater recharge estimates using integrated geospatial data sets. Hydrogeology Journal, 15: 183-195.

Minor, T.B., and Cablk, M.E., 2004:

Estimation of Hard Impervious Cover in the Lake Tahoe Basin Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Data Integration. Journal of the Nevada Water Resources Association, Vol. 1, No. 1, 58-75.

Cablk, M. E. and T. Minor, 2003:

Detecting and discriminating impervious cover with high-resolution IKONOS data using principal component analysis and morphological operators. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 24(23): 4627-4645.

Adams, K. D., and T. B. Minor, 2002:

Historic shoreline change at Lake Tahoe from 1938 to 1998 and it's impact on sediment and nutrient loading. Journal of Coastal Research 18(4):637-651.

Forney, W., Richards, L., Adams, K.D., Minor, T.B., Rowe, T.G., Smith, J.L., and Raumann, C.G., 2001:

Land Use Change and Effects on Water Quality and Ecosystem Health in the Lake Tahoe Basin, Nevada and California. U.S.G.S. Open File Report 01-418.

McGraw, D., McKay, A., Duan, G., Bullard, T.F., Minor, T.B., and Kuchnicki, J., 2001:

Water Quality Assessment and Modeling of the California Portion of the Truckee River Basin. Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Publication No. 41170.

McGwire, K., Minor, T.B., and Fenstermaker, L., 2000:

Hyperspectral Mixture Modeling for Quantifying Sparse Vegetation Cover in Arid Environments. Remote Sensing of Environment 72(3):360-374.

Minor, T.B., Lancaster, J., Wade, T.G., Wickham, J., Whitford, W., and Jones, K.B, 1999:

Evaluating Change in Rangeland Condition Using Multitemporal AVHRR Data and Geographic Information System Analysis. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 59(2): 123-248.

Taylor, K.C., Minor, T.B., Chesley, M.M., and Matanawi, K. 1999:

Cost Effectiveness of Well Site Selection Methods in a Fractured Aquifer. Groundwater 37(2): 271-274.

Sander, P., T.B. Minor, and M.M. Chesley. 1997:

Ground-Water Exploration Based on Lineament Analysis and Reproducibility Tests. Groundwater, 35(5):888-894.

Sander, P., Chesley, M.M., and T.B. Minor, 1996:

Groundwater Assessment Using Remote Sensing and GIS in a Rural Groundwater Project in Ghana: Lessons Learned. Hydrogeology Journal 4(3): 40-49.

Minor, T.B., J.A. Carter, M.M. Chesley, R.B. Knowles, and P. Gustafsson, 1994:

The Use of GIS and Remote Sensing in Groundwater Exploration for Developing Countries. Proceedings of the Tenth Thematic Conference on Geologic Remote Sensing, Vol. 1, May 1994.

Minor, T.B., J.A. Carter, M.M. Chesley, and R.B. Knowles, 1994:

An Integrated Approach to Groundwater Exploration in Developing Countries. 1994 ASPRS/ACSM Annual Convention Technical Papers, Vol. 1, April 1994.

Mouat, D.A., J.M. Lancaster, T.B. Minor, and T.G. Wade, 1993:

The Use of GIS in the Development of a Desertification Susceptibility Index: A Hypothetical Assessment. Proceedings of the Thirteenth ESRI User Conference, Vol. 1, May 1993.

Mouat, D.A., Lancaster, J.M., Minor, T.B., Wade, T.G., and W.G. Kepner, 1993:

A Desertification Susceptibility Index: Use of GIS to Assess Potential Desertification. Proceedings of Symposium on Vegetation Management of Hot Desert Rangeland Ecosystems, pp. 44-52, Phoenix, AZ, July 28-30, 1993.

Minor, T.B., D.A. Mouat, and J. Myers, 1988:

Geobotanical Determination of Aggregate Source Material Using Airborne Thematic Mapper Imagery. Proceedings of the Sixth Thematic Conference on Remote Sensing for Exploration Geology, Vol. 1, May 1988.