Citizen Science GIS drone training with Lain Graham, senior research mentor at the Belize site, and Ted McKoy, Hopkins Village Council Chairman (Photo Credit: Citizen Science GIS)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cLocal knowledge should go hand-in-hand with technology and social science research. That\u2019s the key to impactful change,\u201d says Graham.<\/p>\n
The result is a rich, comprehensive picture of areas historically prone to flooding and guidance toward points where new threats could emerge. This allows community members and local officials to make informed and targeted decisions, like where to place drainage culverts or plant mangroves to guard against flooding and erosion.<\/p>\n
While community-based research and GIS provide a window into the future for Belize, it can also point to the past. Graham\u2019s master\u2019s research at Georgia State University led her to an antebellum, African-American cemetery called Avondale Burial Place. While the area contained some grave markers, it was believed there were many more people buried in unknown locations. Finding them without unnecessary, destructive digging required high-tech solutions like ground-penetrating radar, imagery analysis and photogrammetry. These assisted archaeologists in the targeted identification, excavation and detailed documentation of burials at the site. The last step was using DNA analysis, mapping and genealogical research to connect the deceased with living descendants, many of whom had migrated north after the Civil War.<\/p>\nLain Graham presenting at Esri\u2019s 2019 Federal GIS Conference (FedGIS). (Photo courtesy of Esri).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nToday, Graham pursues a similar line of work as a solution engineer on the National Government Civilian and Sciences team at Esri, one of the world\u2019s leading GIS companies. In this position she leverages her GIS and social science research experience to drive solutions for national government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Census and federally recognized Native American tribes.<\/p>\n
Like her past projects, Graham goes beyond the technology and collaborates with people to fully understand and address their needs. Some of her work includes using GIS and drones for environmental monitoring and opening access to emergency services on Native American reservations.<\/p>\n
\u201cUCF is a global university and we\u2019re working with people to address real-world problems. That\u2019s our goal and our vision: to be a mechanism for change and to drive collaborative solutions,\u201d Graham says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Drones have evolved over the years from novelty to a sophisticated tool deployed in the wake of natural disasters. Now researchers have unlocked its use as a time machine. The work is happening in the coastal communities of Belize,\u00a0including Hopkins Village,\u00a0where rising sea levels are threatening homes and livelihoods. Lain Graham, a sociology Ph.D. candidate at UCF and a solution…","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":95221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[23,24],"tags":[982,4336],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-95227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-science-technology","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-sociology"],"yoast_head":"\n
Researchers Recruit Drones To Map Past, Determine Future | University of Central Florida News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Drones have evolved over the years from novelty to a sophisticated tool deployed in the wake of natural disasters. Now researchers have unlocked its use\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/drones-map-future-and-past\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Researchers Recruit Drones To Map Past, Determine Future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Drones have evolved over the years from novelty to a sophisticated tool deployed in the wake of natural disasters. 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