This is Round One of our special “Squared Circle” episodes, where a group of guests gets together to wrestle with a particular topic. For this episode, we're joined by Dr. Aaron Maxwell from West Virginia University, Dr. Bruce Millett from South Dakota State University, Dr. Dana Peterson from the University of Kansas, and Dr. Doug Ramsey from Utah State University, and we’re discussing all things Landsat Next. We talk about what everyone is most looking forward to with the upcoming launch of Landsat Next, how its new and improved capabilities over the previous Landsat satellites will impact data collection, research, and analysis, and the potential challenges of the new system and data. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Dana Peterson from the University of Kansas joins us to talk about the Yellow Pages of class descriptions, the Kansas Biological Survey, archiving Landsat imagery from 9-Track Tapes, spectroradiometers, watersheds and green-up, field work on the Rio Grande, the Sentinel GreenReport that leverages Sentinel-2 imagery for vegetation monitoring over time, eastern red cedar woody encroachment, and mapping and collecting data for invasive species analysis. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Kevin Czajkowski from the University of Toledo joins us to talk about snow days, a heat wave summer, an internship with the National Weather Service, space plasma physics, the revelation of getting paid to go to graduate school, the ups and downs of academic job applications, the perils of looking like a geographer, receiving the NASA New Investigator grant, soil moisture sampling and the SMAP project, taking your son with you for fieldwork, having sensors eaten by cows, GLOBE Mission Earth, Kevin’s work philosophy, the early days of OhioView, air quality satellites and analysis, and much more. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Amy Logan from Iowa State University joins us to talk about her borrowing a car in her college days in order to intern at the Northeast Iowa Resource and Conservation Development office, a big orange GPS backpack for mapping, community and regional planning, using ArcPad for tree mapping, OpenStreetMap, Iowa As Art, analyzing patterns in nature, Amy being the recipient of the NCGE’s 2024 Outstanding Support for Geography Education Award, involving art teachers with remote sensing imagery, and lesson plans for K-12 teachers. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Bruce Millett from South Dakota State University joins us to talk about Bruce’s service in the US Navy as a weather observer and remote sensing, working on a SMQ-10 for satellite tracking, DIME files, Selective Availability and GPS accuracy, moving from the coast to South Dakota, wetlands simulation modeling, the impact and collaboration of the AmericaView network, workforce development, precision agriculture with UAS, and remote sensing analysis for surface water change. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Bobbi Lenczowski, formerly of the National Geospatial-lntelligence Agency (NGA), joins us for a discussion of the highlights of her all-star career with her time at the Defense Mapping Agency, gathering early map data and the progression of geospatial technology, data classification and data management techniques, development of the first digital global digital map made from scanning paper maps, Bobbi’s time as Executive Director of AmericaView, her service with ASPRS, as well as her involvement with multiple geospatial initiatives in the St. Louis area, including NGA, GeoFutures, and drone training for high school students. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Donna Delparte from Idaho State University joins us to talk about the circuitous route that took her from Regina, Canada through many different locales to finally end up in Pocatello, Idaho. We also talk about hazard mapping for back country skiing, underwater GIS and remote sensing, using drones for precision agriculture for detecting Potato virus Y, using drone-based lidar for mapping slope susceptibility related to landslides, workshops at the Craters of the Moon, and monitoring golden eagle nesting activity. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com

Tracy DeLiberty from the University of Delaware joins us to talk about remote sensing of deserts and arid lands, the good old days of X-terms and command-line GIS, teaching high school students with remotely sensed imagery, analyzing irrigation across Delaware, studying sea ice thickness at the north and south poles and much more. Show notes are available at: https://americaview.substack.com