The collaborative work of NOMIS scientist Michael Schaepman has been highlighted in an article by Alex Jamis at NCEAS, “By air and sea, synthesis research is improving how scientists capture the big picture on ecosystem change,” describing how his and other “synthesis science” is helping researchers keep pace with the planet’s rapidly changing ecosystems.
By reconciling the differences in data and methodologies of different disciplines and approaches, synthesis science “can lead to new methods that are often more broadly applicable and effective at helping researchers answer difficult questions, which can mean better science for decision-making.”
“Biodiversity and remote sensing were largely disjointed activities in the past,” says Schaepman. “But technological advances in both fields and the use of synthesis science to monitor changing biodiversity have led to a more impactful methodology for tracking global biodiversity change.”
Schaepman is professor of remote sensing and is leading the project Remotely Sensing Ecological Genomics at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
