Tim Minor

Title: GIS / Remote Sensing Scientist
Affiliation: Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences
Location: DRI Reno
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone: 775.673.7477

Professional Interests

Collecting spectra of vegetation in Paradise Valley, NV

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 Areas of Interest and Expertise

• Hyperspectral and multispectral remote sensing
• Geographic Information Systems
• Watershed modeling
• Groundwater modeling
• Arid ecosystems monitoring and assessment
• Mineral exploration

Recent Research Projects

• Application of METRIC Approach to Develop Evapotranspiration Estimates for Land Use/Land Cover Classes in Northwest Nevada/Northeast California
• Nevada Water Resources Data, Modeling, and Visualization (DMV) Center Development
• Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Potential Water Right Acquisitions in the Walker River Basin using a Decision Support Tool
• Integrated Forecasting of Desert Terrain Conditions for Military Operations
• Development of Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques for Invasive Species Detection and Mapping in Northern Nevada
• A GIS Method of Extrapolating Groundwater Recharge Estimates Using Integrated Geospatial Data Sets in Southern Nevada
• A Method for Direct Measurement of Impervious Cover Using Remote Sensing and Spatial Modeling Techniques: A Case Study in the Lake Tahoe Basin
• Rangeland Evaluation in Fresno County, California based on Livestock Carrying Capacity Modeling using GIS