Professor Mathias (Mat) Disney

I am Professor of Remote Sensing in the Department of Geography and member of the Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Group. I am also a member of the NERC National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO).

My background was a BSc in physics, followed by our very own UCL MSc in remote sensing. I then studied radiative transfer modelling of crop canopies for my PhD, using detailed 3D models to explore the information content of moderate resolution satellite data, to test simpler models and validate new (at the time!) satellite albedo products based on these simpler approaches. This led to work with NASA colleagues on the MODIS BRDF/albedo product, amongst other things.

My research interests lie in using new observations of terrestrial ecosystems, particularly trees and forests, across scales from individual leaves to global. My aim is to better understand the interactions between vegetation, climate and people, by quantifying the relationships between tree form and function. I do this by combining traditional field measurements with cutting-edge new technologies including in particular ground-based terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and satellite Earth Observation (EO). The approaches I have helped develop are now being used to underpin new space-based global forest measurements by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), among other international organisations e.g. for calibration and validation of the forthcoming NASA GEDI (2018) and ESA BIOMASS (2021) missions. I have led field campaigns across the tropics as well as in the US and Europe.

I have pioneered the use of new highly-accurate TLS measurement and models to provide unique 3D measurements of forest structure and biomass. These measurements are proving to be of critical importance in reducing uncertainty in estimates of tropical forest C stocks from ground and space. My new approach to ‘weighing’ trees with lasers by calculating their 3D shape and volume very precisely, is providing new insights into current tropical forest C stocks. I have collaborated widely with partners across the tropics to characterise forest AGB, for example in the new AmazonFACE CO2 enrichment experiment set up near Manaus and funded by (among others) INPA, CNPq and Brasil Governo Federal (http://amazonface.org/program). Under various funding from NERC, the EC and others I am generating new samples of tree volume (and mass) with which to test existing methods and develop improved relationships with much lower uncertainty. This is particularly importance for the UN programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) in terms of valuation of avoided deforestation C in tropical forests.

My work on characterising forest structure is also providing new ways to test fundamental hypotheses relating tree and forest structure to function: what controls tree size and shape? How do size and form reflect the various contributions of metabolic, environmental and evolutionary constraints? What are the implications for responses to disturbance and change? These questions are almost impossible to answer for large, hyper-diverse trees and forests; accurate measurements of tree structure of the sort I have developed are providing new insights and empirical tests of these hypotheses, which have been sorely lacking so far. This work has led to a wide range of publications, outreach activities, and funding to lead field campaigns, develop methods, organise and participate in international workshops and research networks around the broad themes of new forest measurements. I was co-recipient of funding from the Royal Society to hold a special meeting on the Terrestrial Laser Scanning revolution in forest ecology (Feb 2017) and guest editor of and contributor to the subsequent special issue of the Royal Society: Interface Focus special issue (as well as providing the cover image). I have collaborated widely including with groups in the UK, Europe, the US, Australia, Ghana, Gabon, Brazil, Peru, Malaysia and elsewhere. As part of my outreach and impact activities in the area of public understanding, my work has featured in various recent high profiles documentaries for the BBC, and in the wider press. I maintain a blog around my work which has led to new public outreach activities, including in schools, with local government community organisations, charities, artists and museums e.g. Trees for Cities, Friends of the Earth, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum etc.

You can find out more about what I do, and some of the exciting places we've been working, on my lidar research blog here. I collaborate widely; I'm a firm believer that sharing data & ideas etc. means we all move forward faster. Perhaps more importantly, working with other people opens my eyes to new ways of doing things and generates potential new areas of research. That's got to be a good thing!

Citation information

My Google scholar profile is here.

CEOS Biomass cal/val protocol. 2021:

Duncanson, L., Armston, J., Disney, M. I. et al. (2021) Aboveground Woody Biomass Product Validation Good Practices Protocol. Version    1.0. In L. Duncanson, M. Disney, J. Armston, J. Nickeson, D. Minor, and F. Camacho (Eds.), Good Practices for Satellite Derived Land Product Validation, (p. 236): Land Product Validation Subgroup (WGCV/CEOS),  doi:10.5067/doc/ceoswgcv/lpv/agb.001, https://lpvs.gsfc.nasa.gov/PDF/CEOS_WGCV_LPV_Biomass_Protocol_2021_V1.0.pdf

Peer-reviewed publications:

2023

Tavares, J. V., Oliveira, R. S., Mencuccini, M. et al. incl. Disney, M. I. (2023) Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests, Nature, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05971-3.

Krause, P., Forbes, B., Barajas-Ritchie, A., Clark, M., Disney, M. I., Wilkes, P. and Bentley, L. P. (2023) Using terrestrial laser scanning to evaluate non-destructive aboveground biomass allometries in diverse Northern California forests, Frontiers in Forests and Remote Sensing, https://doi.org/10.3389/frsen.2023.1132208.

Tebaldini, S., Mariotti d’Alessandro, M., Ulander, L., Bennet, P., Gustavsson, A., Coccia, A., Macedo. K., Disney, M. I., Wilkes, P., Spors, J., Schumacher, N., Hanuš, J., Novotny, J., Brede, B., Bartholomeus, H., Lau, A., van der Zee, J., Herold, M., Schuettemeyer, D. and Scipal, K. (2023) TomoSense: a unique 3D dataset over temperate forest combining multi-frequency mono- and bi-static tomographic SAR with terrestrial, UAV and airborne lidar, and in-situ forest census, Remote Sensing of Environment, 290, 113532, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113532.

2022

Calders, K., Verbeeck, H., Burt, A., Origo, N., Nightingale, J., Malhi, Y., Wilkes, P., Raumonen, P., Bunce, R. G. and Disney, M. I. (2022) Laser scanning reveals significant underestimation of biomass carbon in temperate forest, Ecological Solutions and Evidence, https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12197. And accompanying blog piece: https://appliedecologistsblog.com/2022/12/20/research-stories-how-to-almost-double-woodland-carbon-overnight/

Terryn, L. Calders, K., Åkerblom, M., Bartholomeus, H., Disney, M. I., Levick, S., Origo, N., Raumonen, P. and Verbeeck, H. (2022) Analysing individual 3D tree structure using the R package ITSMe, Methods in Ecol. and Evol., https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14026.

Labrière, N., Davies, S, Disney, M. I., Duncanson, L., Herold, M., Lewis, S., Phillips, O., Quegan, S., Saatchi, S., Schepaschenko, D., Scipal, K., Sist, P. and Chave, J. (2022) Toward a forest biomass reference measurement system for remote sensing applications, Global Change Biology, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16497.

Aquino, C.; Mitchard, E.; McNicol, I.; Carstairs, H.; Burt, A.; Puma V., Besit L.; Mayta, S.; Disney, M. I. (2022) Reliably Mapping Low-intensity Forest Disturbance Using Satellite Radar Data, Front. For. Glob. Change, doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2022.1018762.

Carstairs, H. Mitchard, E. T. A., McNicol, I., Aquino, C., Chezeaux, E., Obiang Ebanega, M., Modinga Dikongo, A. and Disney, M. I. (2022) Sentinel-1 Shadows Used to Quantify Canopy Loss from Selective Logging in Gabon, accepted.

Liu, C., Calders, K., Menuier, F., Gastellu-Etchegorry, J. -P., Nightingale, J., Disney, M. I., Woodgate, W., Origo, N. and Verbeeck, H. (2022) Implications of 3D forest stand reconstruction methods for radiative transfer modelling, JGR Atmospheres, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD036175.

Thaiane R. Sousa, Juliana Schietti, Igor O. Ribeiro, Thaise Emílio, Rafael Herrera Fernández, Hans ter Steege, Carolina V. Castilho, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Timothy Baker, Aline Pontes-Lopes, Camila V. J. Silva, Juliana M. Silveira, Géraldine Derroire, Wendeson Castro, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Ademir Ruschel, Adriana Prieto, Adriano José Nogueira Lima, Agustín Rudas, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Ana Andrade, Anand Roopsind, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Anthony Di Fiore, Armando Torres-Lezama, Aurélie Dourdain, Beatriz Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon, Benoit Burban, Bert van Ulft, Bruno Herault, Carlos Quesada, Casimiro Mendoza, Clement Stahl, Damien Bonal, David Galbraith, David Neill, Edmar A. de Oliveira, Eduardo Hase, Eliana Jimenez-Rojas, Emilio Vilanova, Eric Arets, Erika Berenguer, Esteban Alvarez-Davila, Eurídice N. Honorio Coronado, Everton Almeida, Fernanda Coelho, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Fernando Elias, Foster Brown, Frans Bongers, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Geertje van der Heijden, Gerardo A. Aymard C., Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Guido Pardo, Hirma Ramírez-Angulo, Iêda Leão do Amaral, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, James A. Comiskey, James Singh, Javier Silva Espejo, Jhon del Aguila-Pasquel, Joeri Alexander Zwerts, Joey Talbot, John Terborgh, Joice Ferreira, Jorcely G. Barroso, Jos Barlow, José Luís Camargo, Juliana Stropp, Julie Peacock, Julio Serrano, Karina Melgaço, Leandro V. Ferreira, Lilian Blanc, Lourens Poorter, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Luiz Aragão, Luzmila Arroyo, Marcos Silveira, Maria Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Mario Percy Núñez Vargas, Marisol Toledo, Mat Disney, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Michel Baisie, Michelle Kalamandeen, Nadir Pallqui Camacho, Nállarett Dávila Cardozo, Natalino Silva, Nigel Pitman, Niro Higuchi, Olaf Banki, Patricia Alvarez Loayza, Paulo M. L. A. Graça, Paulo S. Morandi, Peter J. van der Meer, Peter van der Hout, Pétrus Naisso, Plínio Barbosa Camargo, Rafael Salomão, Raquel Thomas, Rene Boot, Ricardo Keichi Umetsu, Richarlly da Costa Silva, Robyn Burnham, Roderick Zagt, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Roel Brienen, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Simon L. Lewis, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Simone Matias de Almeida Reis, Sophie Fauset, Susan Laurance, Ted Feldpausch, Terry Erwin, Timothy Killeen, Verginia Wortel, Victor Chama Moscoso, Vincent Vos, Walter Huaraca Huasco, William Laurance, Yadvinder Malhi, William E. Magnusson, Oliver L. Phillips, Flávia R. C. Costa (2022) Water-table depth modulates productivity and biomass across Amazonian forests, Global Ecol. And Biogeog., https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13531.

Meunier, F., Krishna Moorthy, S. M., Peaucelle, M., Calders, K., Terryn, L., Verbruggen, W., Liu, C., Saarinen, N., Origo, N., Nightingale, J., Disney, M. I., Malhi, Y. and Hans Verbeeck (2022) Using terrestrial laser scanning to constrain forest ecosystem structure and functions in the Ecosystem Demography model (ED2.2), Geoscience and Model Development, Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 4783–4803, https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/4783/2022/ .

Demol, M., Verbeeck, H., Gielen, B., Armston, J., Burt, A., Disney, M. I., Duncanson, L., Hackenberg, J., Kükenbrink, D., Lau, A., Ploton, P., Sewdien, A., Stovall, A., Momo Takoudjou, S., Volkova, L., Weston, C., Wortel, V., Calders, K. (2022) Estimating forest aboveground biomass with terrestrial laser scanning: current status and future directions, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.13906.

Forbes, B., Reilly, S. Clark, M., Ferrell, R., Kelly, A., Krause, P., Matley, C., O'Neil, M., Villasenor, M., Disney, M. I., Wilkes, P., and Bentley, L. P. (2022) Comparing remote sensing and field-based approaches to estimate ladder fuels and predict wildfire burn severity, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.818713.

Terryn, L., Calders, K., Bartholomeus, H, Bartolo, R., Brede, B. D’hont, B., Disney, M. I. Herold, M., Lau, A., Shenkin, A., Whiteside, T., Wilkes, P. and Verbeeck, H. (2022) Quantifying tropical forest structure through terrestrial and UAV laser scanning fusion in Australian rainforests, accepted Rem. Sens. Environ., 271, 112912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112912

Carstairs, H. Mitchard, E. T. A., McNicol, I. M., Aquino, C. Burt, A., Obiang Ebanega, M., Modinga Dikongo, A., Bues-Bello, J-L., and Disney, M. I. (2022) An Effective Method for InSAR Mapping of Tropical Forest Degradation in Hilly Areas, Remote Sensing, 14 (3), 452: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/3/452.

2021

Disney, M. I. (2021) How can we know what we don’t know? A Commentary on: Sampling forests with terrestrial laser scanning, Annals of Botany, 2021;, mcab119, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab119

Lecours, V., Disney, M., I., He, K., Pettorelli, N., Rowcliffe, J. M., Sankey, T., & Scales, K. (2021). Remote sensing and the UN Ocean Decade: high expectations, big opportunities. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.241

McNicol, I. M., Mitchard, E. T. A., Aquino, C., Burt, A., Carstairs, H., Dassi, C., Modinga Dikongo, A. and Disney, M. I. (2021). To what extent can UAV photogrammetry replicate UAV LiDAR to determine forest structure? A test in two contrasting tropical forests. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 126, e2021JG006586, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JG006586.

Wilkes, P., Shenkin, A., Disney, M. I., Malhi, Y., Bentley, L. P. and Boni Vicari, M. (2021) Terrestrial laser scanning to reconstruct branch architecture, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13709

Duncanson, L., Armston, J., Disney, M. I. et al. (2021) Aboveground Woody Biomass Product Validation Good Practices Protocol. Version    1.0. In L. Duncanson, M. Disney, J. Armston, J. Nickeson, D. Minor, and F. Camacho (Eds.), Good Practices for Satellite Derived Land Product Validation, (p. 236): Land Product Validation Subgroup (WGCV/CEOS),  doi:10.5067/doc/ceoswgcv/lpv/agb.001

Burt, A., Boni Vicari, M., da Costa, A. C. L., Coughlin, I., Meir, P., Rowland, L. and Disney, M. I. (2021) New insights into large tropical tree mass and structure from direct harvest and terrestrial lidar, Royal Soc. Open Science, 18 (2), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201458.

Draper, F.C., Costa, F.R.C., Arellano, G. et al. incl. Disney, M. I. (2021) Amazon tree dominance across forest strata.Nat Ecol Evol, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01418-y

Forestplots.net team (2021) Taking the Pulse of Earth’s Tropical Forests using Networks of Highly Distributed Plots, Biological Conservation, vol 260, p108849, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108849.

2020

Brennan^, J., Gómez-Dans, J., Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (2019) Theoretical uncertainties for global satellite-derived burned area estimates, Biogeosciences Discussions, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-115.

Ding, J. Vaglio Laurin, G., Bartholomeus, H., Disney, M. I., Herold, M., Valentini, R. and Papale, D. (2019, in press) Tree height in tropical forest as measured by different ground, proximal, and remote sensing instruments, and impacts on above ground biomass estimates, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 82, 101899, doi: 10.1016/j.jag.2019.101899.

Shenkin, A., Chandler, C., Boyd, D., Disney, M. I., Majalap, N., Nilus, R., Foody, G. Jami, U., Reynolds, G. Wilkes, P., Cutler, M., van der Heijden, G., Burslem, D., Coomes, D., Bentley, L, Jackson, T. and Malhi, Y. (2019) The world’s tallest tropical tree in three dimensions, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00032.

Jackson, T. A. Shenkin, J. Moore, A. Bunce, T. van Emmerik, B. Kane, D. Burcham, K. James, J. Selker, K. Calders, N., Origo, M. I. Disney, A. Burt, P. Wilkes, P. Raumonen, J. Gonzalez de Tanago Menaca, A. Lau, M. Herold, R. C. Goodman, T. Fourcaud, Y. Malhi (2019) An architectural understanding of natural sway frequencies in trees, Royal Society Interface, 16 (155), 20190116, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2019.0116.

Chave, J., Davies, S. Phillips, O. Lewis, S. L. Sist, P., Schepaschenko, D., Armston, J., Baker, T., Coomes, D., Disney, M. I., Duncanson, L., Hérault, B., Labrière, N., Meyer V., Réjou‐Méchain, M., Scipal, K. and Saatchi, S. (2019) Ground data are vital for Remote Sensing Missions (2019) in Surveys in Geophysics vol 71: Forest Biomass and Structure from Space, eds. K. Scipal. R. Dubyah, T. Le Toan, S. Quegan, A. Cazenave and T. Lopez, doi: 10.1007/s10712-019-09528-w

Duncanson, L., Armston, J., Disney, M. I., Réjou-Méchain, M., McRoberts, R., MacBean, N., Herold, M., Chave, J., Calders, K., Phillips, O., Williams, M., Labrière, N., Næsset, E., Schepashenko, D., Roxburgh, S., Barbier, N., Crowther, T., Meyer, V., Carter, S., Kellner, J., Nickeson, J., Falkowski, M., Whitehurst, A., Román, M. (2019, in press) The importance of global land product validation: towards a standardized protocol for aboveground biomass, in Surveys in Geophysics vol 71: Forest Biomass and Structure from Space, eds. K. Scipal. R. Dubyah, T. Le Toan, S. Quegan, A. Cazenave and T. Lopez, 40, 929, doi: 10.1007/s10712-019-09538-8.

Pereira, I., Mendonça do Nascimento, H., Boni Vicari, M., Disney, M. I., DeLucia, E. H., Domingues, T., Kruijt, B., Lapola, D., Meir, P., Norby, R. J., Ometto, J., Quesada, C. A., Rammig, A. and Hofhansl, F. (2019) Performance of laser-based electronic devices for structural analysis of Amazonian terra firme forests, Remote Sensing, 11(5), 510; doi: 10.3390/rs11050510.

Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Calders, K., Schaaf, C. and Stovall, A. (2019) Innovations in ground and airborne technologies as reference and for training and validation: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), Surveys in Geophysics vol 71: Forest Biomass and Structure from Space, eds. K. Scipal. R. Dubyah, T. Le Toan, S. Quegan, A. Cazenave and T. Lopez, doi: 10.1007/s10712-019-09527-x.

Boni Vicari, M.,Disney, M. I., Wilkes, P., Burt, A., Calders, K. and Woodgate, W. (2019) New framework for separating leaf and wood in terrestrial LiDAR point clouds, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13144.

Jackson, T., Shenkin, A., Kalyan, B., Zionts, J., Calders, K., Origo, N., Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Raumonen, P. and Malhi, Y. (2019) A new architectural perspective on wind damage in a natural forest, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change: Forest Disturbance, 1, https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2018.00013.

Jackson, T.Shenkin, A., Wellpott, A., Calders, K., Origo, N., Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Raumonen, P., Gardiner, B., Herold, M., Fourcaud, T. and Malhi, Y. (2019) Finite element analysis of trees in the wind based on terrestrial laser scanning data, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 265 (15), 137-144. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.014.

Boni Vicari, M., Pisek, J. and Disney, M. I. (2019) New estimates of leaf angle distribution from terrestrial LiDAR: comparison with measured and modelled estimates from nine broadleaf tree species, Agric. For. Meterol., 264, 322-333. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.10.021.

2018

Disney, M. I. (2018) Terrestrial LiDAR: a 3D revolution in how we look at trees, New Phytologist, doi.org/10.1111/nph.15517.

Santos, M. J., Disney, M. I., Chave, J. (2018) Detecting human presence and its influence on Meso-American tropical forests with remote sensing, Remote Sensing, 10 (10), doi: doi: 10.3390/rs10101593.

Chernetskiy, M., Gobron, N., Gomez-Dans, J., Morgan, O., P. Lewis, C. Schmullius and Disney, M. I. (2018) Simulating arbitrary hyperspectral bandsets from multispectral observations via a generic Earth Observation-Land Data Assimilation System (EO-LDAS), Advances in Space Research, Volume 62, Issue 7, 1, 1654-1674, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2018.07.015

Wilkes, P., Disney, M. I., Boni Vicari, M., Calders, K. and Burt, A. (2018) Estimating urban Above Ground Biomass with multi-scale LiDAR, Carbon Balance & Management, doi: 10.1186/s13021-018-0098-0.

Calders, K., Origo, N., Burt, A., Disney, M. I., Nightingale, J., Raumonen, P., Åkerblom, M., Malhi, Y. and Lewis, P. (2018) Realistic Forest Stand Reconstruction from Terrestrial LiDAR for Radiative Transfer Modelling, Remote Sensing, 10(6), doi: 10.3390/rs10060933.

MacBean, N., Maignan, F., Bacour, C. Lewis, P., Peylin, P., Guanter, L., Köhler, P., Gomez-Dans, J., and Disney, M. I. (2018) Strong constraint on modelled global carbon uptake using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence data, Scientific Reports, 8, Article number: 1973, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20024-w.

volu8, Article number: 1973(2018):10.1038/s41598-018-20024-w

Calders, K., Origo, N., Disney, M. I., Nightingale, J., Woodgate, W., Armston, J. and Lewis, P. (2018) Variability and bias in active 3D and passive 2D ground-based measurements of effective plant and wood area index, Agric. And Forest Meteorol., Volume 252, 231–240, doi: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.01.029.

Malhi, Y., Bentley, L. P., Jackson, T., Lau, A., Shenkin, A., Herold, M., Calders, K., Bartholomeus, H. and Disney, M. I. (2018) Understanding the ecology of tree structure and tree communities through terrestrial laser scanning, Royal Society Interface Focus, special Issue on Royal Society meeting ‘The terrestrial laser scanning revolution in forest ecology’, doi: 10.1098/rsfs.2017.0052.

Disney, M. I., Boni Vicari, M., Calders, K., Burt, A., Lewis, S., Raumonen, P. and Wilkes, P. (2018) Weighing trees with lasers: advances, challenges and opportunities, Royal Society Interface Focus, special Issue on Royal Society meeting ‘The terrestrial laser scanning revolution in forest ecology’, doi: 10.1098/rsfs.2017.0048.

Åkerblom, M., Raumonen, P., Casella, E., Disney, M. I., Danson, F. M., Gaulton, R., Schofield, L. and Kaasalainen, M. (2018) Non-intersecting leaf insertion algorithm for tree structure models, Royal Society Interface Focus, special Issue on Royal Society meeting ‘The terrestrial laser scanning revolution in forest ecology’, doi: 10.1098/rsfs.2017.0045.

2017

Meir P., Shenkin, A., Disney, M. I., Rowland, L., Malhi, Y., Herold, M. and da Costa, A. (2017) Plant Structure-Function Relationships and Woody Tissue Respiration: Upscaling to Forests from Laser-Derived Measurements. In: Tcherkez G., Ghashghaie J. (eds) Plant Respiration: Metabolic Fluxes and Carbon Balance. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration (Including Bioenergy and Related Processes), vol 43. Springer, Cham. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-68703-2_5.

Gonzalez de Tanago, J., Lau, A., Bartholomeus, H., Herold, M., Avitabile, V., Raumonen, P., Martius, C., Goodman, R. C., Manuri, S., Burt, A., Disney, M. I. andCalders, K. (2017) Estimation of above-ground biomass of large tropical trees with Terrestrial LiDAR, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12904 (open access).

Pettorelli, N., Nagendra, H., Rocchini, D., Rowcliffe, M., Williams, R., Ahumada, J., De Angelo, C., Atzberger, C., Boyd, D., Buchanan, G., Chauvenet, A., Disney, M. I., Duncan, C., Fatoyinbo, T., Fernandez, N., Haklay, M., He, K., Horning, N., Kelly, N., de Klerk, H., Liu, X., Merchant, N., Paruelo, J., Roy, H., Roy, S., Ryan, S., Sollmann, R., Swenson, J. and Wegmann, M. (2017) Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation: three years on, Remote Sens Ecol Conserv, 3, 53–56. doi:10.1002/rse2.53.

Wilkes, P., Lau, A., Disney, M. I., Calders, K., Burt, A., Gonzalez de Tanago Menaca, J., Bartholomeus, H., Brede, B. and Herold, M. (2017) Data Acquisition Considerations for Terrestrial Laser Scanning of Forest Plots, Rem. Sens. Environ., 196, 140-153, DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2017.04.030 (Open Access).

Origo, N., Calders, K., Nightingale, J. and Disney, M. I. (2017) Influence of levelling technique on the retrieval of canopy structural parameters from digital hemispherical photography, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 237-238, 143-149, DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.02.004.

Calders, K., Disney, M. I., Armston, J., Burt, A., Brede, B., Origo, N., Muir, J. and Nightingale, J. (2017) Evaluation of the Range Accuracy and the Radiometric Calibration of Multiple Terrestrial Laser Scanning Instruments for Data Interoperability, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 55(5), 2716 - 2724, DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2017.2652721.

 

2016

 

Disney, M. I. (2016) Lumps and Bumps: lightweight lidar for small-scale topography, GEO: connexion, 15 (8), 65-66 (PDF copy).

Hancock. S., Anderson, K., Disney, M. I. and Gaston, K. (2016) Measurement of fine-spatial-resolution 3D vegetation structure with airborne waveform lidar: Calibration and validation with voxelised terrestrial lidar, Remote Sensing of Environment, 188, 37-50 (open access), doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.041.

Woodgate, W., Armston, J., Disney, M. I., Suarez, L., Jones, S. D., Hill, J., Wilkes, P. and Soto-Berelov, M. (2016) Quantifying the impact of woody material on leaf area index estimation from hemispherical photography using 3D canopy simulations, Agric. Forest Meteorol., 226-227, 1-12, doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2016.05.009 (local PDF).

Disney, M. I., Muller, J.-P., Kharbouche, S., Kaminski, T., Vossbeck, M., Lewis, P. and Pinty, B. (2016) A new global fAPAR and LAI dataset derived from optimal albedo estimates: comparison with MODIS products, Remote Sensing, 8(4), 275; doi:10.3390/rs8040275 (PDF version, 26MB).

Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (2016) Efficient emulation of radiative transfer codes using Gaussian processes and application to land surface parameter inferences, Remote Sensing, 8(2), 119, DOI: 10.3390/rs8020119 (PDF version).

Cuni-Sanchez, A., White, L. J. T., Calders, K., Jeffrey, K., Abernethy, K., Burt, A., Disney, M. I. , Gomez-Dans, J., Gilpin, M. and Lewis, S. L. (2016) African savanna-forest boundary dynamics: a 20-year study, PLOS One, 11(6): e0156934. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156934.

Disney, M. I. (2016) Remote sensing of vegetation: potentials, limitations, developments and applications. In: K. Hikosaka, K., Niinemets, U. and Anten, N. P. R. (eds) Canopy Photosynthesis: From Basics to Applications. Springer Series: Advances In Photosynthesis and Respiration, Springer, Berlin, pp289-331. ISBN: 978-94-017-7290-7. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-7291-4. Pre-publication PDF version.

2015

Widlowski, J. L., Mio, C., Disney, M., Adams, J., Andredakis, I., Atzberger, C., Brennan, J., Busetto, L., Chelle, M., Ceccherini, G. and Colombo, R. (2015) The fourth phase of the radiative transfer model intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Actual canopy scenarios and conformity testing. Remote Sensing of Environment, 169, 418-437.

Hartley, I. P., T. C. Hill, T. Wade, R. J. Clement, J. B. Moncrieff, A. Prieto-Blanco, Disney, M. I., B. Huntley, M. Williams, N. J. K. Howden, P. A. Wookey, R. Baxter (2015) Quantifying landscape-level methane fluxes in subarctic Finland using a multi-scale approach, Global Change Biology, DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12975 (local PDF of accepted proof).

Hancock, S., Armston, J., Zhan Li, Gaulton, R., Lewis,P., Disney, M. I., Danson, F.M., Strahler, A., Schaaf, C., Anderson, K. and Gaston, K. J. (2015) Waveform lidar over vegetation: An evaluation of inversion methods for estimating return energy, Remote Sensing of Environment, 164, 208-224 (Open Access, and local PDF).

 

 

2014

 

 

Hackenberg, J., Morhart, C., Sheppard, J., Spiecker, H., and Disney, M. I. (2014) Highly accurate tree models derived from terrestrial laser scan data - a method description, Forests (OPEN ACCESS), Special Issue: LiDAR and Other Remote Sensing Applications in Mapping and Monitoring of Forests Structure and Biomass), 5, 1069-1105; doi:10.3390/f5051069.

Chen, X. T., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P. and Armston, J. (2014) Sensitivity of direct canopy gap fraction retrieval from airborne waveform lidar to topography and survey characteristics, Remote Sensing of Environment, 143C (2014) OPEN ACCESS, 15-25, DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2013.12.010.

2013

Widlowski, JL, Pinty, B, M Lopatka, C Atzberger, D Buzica, M Chelle, M. I. Disney, JP Gastellu-Etchegorry, M Gerboles, N Gobron, E Grau, H Huang, A Kallel, H Kobayashi, P Lewis, M Schlerf, J Stuckens, W Qin, D Xie (2013, in press) The 4th Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI-IV): Using ISO standards to evaluate model proficiency, JGR Atmospheres, 118, 6869–6890, doi:10.1002/jgrd.50497 (PDF).

Knyazikhin, Y, Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Mõttus, M, Rautiainen, M, Stenberg, P, Kaufmann, R, Marshak, A, Schull, MA, Carmona, PL, Vanderbilt, V, Davis, AB, Baret, F, Jacquemoud, S, Lyapustin, A, Yang, Y and Myneni, RB (2013) Reply to Ollinger et al. (2013): Remote sensing of leaf nitrogen and emergent ecosystem properties, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, doi:10.1073/pnas.1305930110 (PDF). See Ollinger et al. letter here.

Weissert, L. and Disney, M. I. (2013) Carbon storage in peatlands: A case study on the Isle of Man, Geoderma, 204-205, 111-119 (PDF).

Knyazikhin, Y, Lewis, P, Disney, M. I., Stenberg, P, Mõttus, M, Rautiainen, M, Kaufmann, R, Marshak, A, Schull, MA, Carmona, PL, Vanderbilt, V, Davis, AB, Baret, F, Jacquemoud, S, Lyapustin, A, Yang, Y and Myneni, RB (2013) Reply to Townsend et al.: Decoupling contributions from canopy structure and leaf optics is critical for remote sensing leaf biochemistry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1301247110, (PDF). See Townsend et al. letter here.

Calders, K., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Verbesselt, J. and Herold, M. (2013) Modelling LiDAR waveforms to solve for canopy properties, Rem. Sens. Environ., 134, 39-49, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2013.02.018 (PDF).

Armston, J., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Scarth, P., Phinn, S., Lucas, R., Bunting, P., Goodwin, N. (2013) Direct retrieval of canopy gap probability using airborne waveform lidar, Remote Sensing of Environment,134, 24-38 (PDF).

Raumonen, P, Kaasalainen, M, Åkerblom, M, Kaasalainen, S, Kaartinen, H, Vastaranta, M, Holopainen, M, Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P (2013) Comprehensive Quantitative Tree Models From Terrestrial Laser Scanner Data, Remote Sensing, 5(2), 491-520; doi:10.3390/rs5020491. See the direct link (free access) or local PDF version.

Stoy, P. C., Williams, M., Evans, J. G., Prieto-Blanco, A., Disney, M. I., Hill, T. C., Ward, H., Wade, T. J., and Street, L. (2013) Upscaling tundra CO₂ exchange from chamber to eddy covariance tower, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 45 (2), 275-284 (PDF).

2012

Knyazikhin, Y, Schull, MA, Stenberg, P, Mõttus, M, Rautiainen, M, Yang, Y, Marshak,A, Carmona, PL, Kaufmann, R, Lewis, P, Disney, M. I., Vanderbilt, V, Davis, AB, Baret, F, Jacquemoud, S, Lyapustin, A and Myneni, RB (2012) Hyperspectral remote sensing of foliar nitrogen content. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 110(3), E185-E192, doi:10.1073/pnas.1210196109 (PDF and Suppl. Information). See also commentary by Prof. Susan Ustin (local PDF here).

Hancock, S., Lewis, P., Foster, M., Disney, M. I., and Muller, J. -P. (2012) Measuring tree height over topography and understory vegetation with dual wavelength lidar: a simulation study, Agric. For. Meteorol., 161, 123-133, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.03.014 (PDF) .

Pfeifer, M. Disney, M. I., Quaife, T., and Marchant, R. (2012) Terrestrial ecosystems from space: a review of earth observation products for macroecology applications Glob. Ecol. and Biogeog., 21, 603-624, DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2011.00712.x, (PDF; Supplementary Material).

Pfeifer, M., Alemu, G., Pellikka, P., Disney, M. I., and Marchant, R. (2012) Leaf area index changes along precipitation gradients in tropical biomes of the Eastern Arc Mountains and their catchment areas Rem. Sens. Environ., 118, 103-115, 10.1016/j.rse.2011.11.009 (PDF).

2011

Hancock, S., Disney, M. I., Muller, J. -P., Lewis, P. and Foster, M., (2011) A threshold insensitive method for locating tree tops with waveform lidar, Rem. Sens. Environ., 115 (12) 3286-3297, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2011.07.012, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2011.07.012 (PDF).

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Gomez-Dans, J., Roy, D., Wooster, M. and Lajas, D. (2011) 3D radiative transfer modelling of fire impacts on a two-layer savanna system, Rem. Sens. Environ.., 115, 1866-1881, DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2011.03.010 (PDF)

De Kauwe, M.,G. Disney, M. I., Quaife, T., Lewis, P. and Williams, M. (2011) An assessment of the MODIS collection 5 Leaf Area Index product for a region of mixed coniferous forest, Rem. Sens. Environ., 115 (2), 767-780 (PDF).

2010

Disney, M. I., Kalogirou, V., Lewis, P. E., Prieto-Blanco, A., Hancock, S. and Pfeifer, M. (2010) Simulating the impact of discrete-return lidar system and survey characteristics over 2 young conifer and broadleaf forests, Remote Sensing Environment, 114, 1546-1560, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2010.02.009 (PDF).

2009

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Bouvet, M, Prieto-Blanco, A. and Hancock, S. (2009) Quantifying surface reflectivity for spaceborne lidar via two independent methods, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Rem. Sens., 47(10), 3262-3271, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2009.2019268 (PDF).

Stoy, P., Williams, M., Disney, M. I., Prieto-Blanco, A., Huntley, B., Baxter, B. and Lewis, P. (2009) Upscaling as ecological information transfer: A simple framework with application to Arctic ecosystem carbon exchange, Landscape Ecology, 24, 971-986, doi: 10.1007/s10980-009-9367-3 (PDF).

2008

Quaife, T., Lewis, P., De Kauwe, M., Williams, M., Law, B., Disney, M. I. and Bowyer, P., (2008) Assimilating Canopy Reflectance data into an Ecosystem Model with an Ensemble Kalman Filter, Rem. Sens. Environ., 112(4),1347-1364, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2007.05.020 (PDF).

Quaife, T., Quegan, S., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Lomas, L and Woodward, F. I. (2008) The impact of land cover uncertainties on estimates of biospheric carbon fluxes, Global Biogeochemical Cycles 22, GB4016, doi:10.1029/2007GB003097 (PDF).

Widlowski, J. -L., Robustelli, M., Disney, M. I., J.-P. Gastellu-Etchegorry, T. Lavergne, P. Lewis, P. R. J. North, B. Pinty, R. Thompson and M. M. Verstraete (2008) The RAMI Online Model Checker (ROMC): A web-based benchmarking facility for canopy reflectance models, accepted Rem. Sens. Environ., 112(3), 1144-1150, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2007.07.016. (PDF)

2007

Lewis, P. E. and Disney, M. I. (2007) Spectral invariants and scattering across multiple scales from within-leaf to canopy, Rem. Sens. Environ. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2006.12.015 (PDF).

Grace, J., Nichol, C., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Quaife, T. and Bowyer, P. (2007) Can we measure photosynthesis from space?, Global Change Biol., 13, 1484-1497, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01352.x (PDF).

J-L. Widlowski,M. Taberner,B. Pinty,V. Bruniquel-Pinel, Disney, M. I., R. Fernandes,4 J.-P. Gastellu-Etchegorry,5 N. Gobron,1 A. Kuusk,6 T. Lavergne,1 S. Leblanc,4 P. E. Lewis,3 E. Martin,5 M. M ottus,6 P. R. J. North,7 W. Qin,8 M. Robustelli,1 N. Rochdi,4 R. Ruiloba,2 R. Thompson,9 W. Verhoef,10 M. M. Verstraete,1 D. Xie,11 (2007) The third RAdiation transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Documenting progress in canopy reflectance models, Journal of Geophys. Research (Atmospheres), 112, D09111, doi:10.1029/2006JD007821 (PDF).

Huang, D., Knyazikhin, Y., Dickinson, R., Rautiainen, M., Stenberg, P., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Cescatti, A., Tian, Y., Verhoef, W., Martonchik, J. and Myneni, R. B. (2007) Canopy spectral invariants for remote sensing and model applications, Rem. Sens. Environ., 106, 106-122. (PDF)

 

2005/2006

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Saich, P. (2006) 3D modelling of forest canopy structure for remote sensing simulations in the optical and microwave domains, Rem. Sens. Environ., 100(1), 114-132. (doi:10.1016/j.rse.2005.10.003, PDF)

2004

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Thackrah, G., Quaife, T., Barnsley, M. J. (2004) Comparison of MODIS broadband albedo with values derived from other EO data at a range of scales and ground measurements, over an agricultural site, Int. Journ. Rem. Sens., 25(23), 5297-5317 (PDF).

Pinty, B., Widlowski, J.-L., Taberner, M., Gobron, N., Verstraete, M. M., Disney, M. I., Gascon, F., Gastellu, J.-P., Jiang, L., Kuusk, A., Lewis, P., Li, X., Ni-Meister, W., Nilson, T., North, P., Qin, W., Su, L., Tang, S., Thompson, R., Verhoef, W., Wang, H., Wang, J., Yan, G., Zang, H. (2004) Radiation Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) exercise: Results from the second phase, J. Geophys. Res., 109(D6), D06210 10.1029/2003JD004252 25 March 2004 (PDF).

2002

Schaaf, C. B., Gao, F., Strahler, A. H., Lucht, W., Li, X., Tsang, T., Strugnell, N., Xiaoyang, Z., Jin, Y., Muller, J.-P., Lewis,P., Barnsley, M. J., Hobson, P. H., Disney, M. I., Roberts, G., Dunderdale, M., Doll., C., D'Entremont, R. P., Hu, B. and Liang, S., Privette, J. L. and Roy, D. (2002) First operational BBRDF, albedo nadir reflectance products from MODIS, Rem. Sens. Environ., 83:135-148 (PDF).

2000

Barnsley, M. J., Lewis, P., O' Dwyer, S., Disney, M. I., Hobson, P., Cutter, M. and Lobb, D. (2000) The potential of the CHRIS-PROBA instrument for measurement of vegetation properties from space, Rem. Sens, Rev., 19:171-189. (PS version 26.1MB) , Tex version (43K) .

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P. and North, P. (2000) Monte Carlo methods in optical canopy reflectance modelling, Rem. Sens. Rev., 18:163-196. (PDF)

1999

Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Barnsley, M. J. and Muller, J.-P. (1999) Deriving albedo maps for HAPEX-Sahel from ASAS data using kernel-driven BRDF models, Hydrol. and Earth Sys. Sci., 3(1):1-13.

 

Books/chapters

Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Calders, K., Schaaf, C. and Stovall, A. (2019) Innovations in ground and airborne technologies as reference and for training and validation: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), Forest Properties and Carbon Cycle Studies from Earth Observation, eds. K. Scipal, A. Cazenave and T. Lopez, ISBN 978-3-030-32838-2, pp 339.

Meir P., Shenkin, A., Disney, M. I., Rowland, L., Malhi, Y., Herold, M. and da Costa, A. (2017) Plant Structure-Function Relationships and Woody Tissue Respiration: Upscaling to Forests from Laser-Derived Measurements. In: Tcherkez G., Ghashghaie J. (eds) Plant Respiration: Metabolic Fluxes and Carbon Balance. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration (Including Bioenergy and Related Processes), vol 43. Springer, Cham. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-68703-2_5.

Disney, M. I. (2016) Remote sensing of vegetation: potentials, limitations, developments and applications. In: K. Hikosaka, K., Niinemets, U. and Anten, N. P. R. (eds) Canopy Photosynthesis: From Basics to Applications.Springer Series: Advances In Photosynthesis and Respiration, Springer, Berlin, pp289-331. ISBN: 978-94-017-7290-7. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-7291-4. Pre-publication PDF version.

S. Quegan, P. Lewis, T. Quaife, G. Roberts, M. Wooster, Disney, M. I. (2008) Satellite observations in regional scale calculations of carbon exchange, The Continental-Scale Greenhouse Gas Balance of Europe, Dolman, Han; Valentini, Riccardo; Freibauer, A. (Eds.), Ecological Studies vol 203, Springer, 390p, ISBN: 978-0-387-76568-6. (PDF)

Project reports

Lewis, P. , Disney, M. I., Gomez-Dans, J. , Wooster, M., Pinty, B. and Roy, D. (2011) Radiative Transfer Modelling for the characterisation of natural burnt surfaces, ESA Final Report: AO/1-5526/07/NL/HE.

Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (2009) Estimating surface lidar reflectivity for A-SCOPE, summary for ESA A-SCOPE Mission Advisory Group, carried out in response to ESA RFQ/3-12259/07/NL/JA.

Saich, P., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., P. van Oevelen, I. Woodhouse, B. Andrieu, C. Fournier, S. Ljutovac (2004) Development of architectural vegetation growth models for remote sensing applications, ESA Final Report, Contract 14940.

Conference papers

2022

Xi Peng et al. (2022) Towards a worldwide structural economics spectrum, ForestSat 22, 29/8 – 3/9/2022, Berlin.

Chang Liu et al. (2022) Hybrid 3D-explicit/voxel forest models for simulating light regime in forest ecosystems, ForestSat 22, 29/8 – 3/9/2022, Berlin.

Wanxin Yang., Wilkes, P., Boni Vicari, M. and Disney, M. I. (2022) 3D tree structure from TLS for non-destructive biomass estimation, ForestSat 22, 29/8 – 3/9/2022, Berlin.

Disney, M. I. Cecilia Chavana-Bryant¹, Alfred Ngomanda², Amy Bennett³, Andrew Burt⁴, Benjamin Brede⁵, Dan Clewley⁶, David Burslem⁷, Declan Cooper¹, David Moffat⁶, David Coomes⁸, Edward Mitchard⁹, Geraldine Derroire¹⁰, Gregoire Vincent¹¹, Harm Bartholomeus¹², Iain McNicol⁹, Joe Cutler¹⁵, Katherine Abernethy¹³, Klaus Scipal¹⁴, Loic Makaga¹⁵, Laetitia Proux¹⁰, Martin Herold⁵, Nicolas Barbier¹¹, Noreen Majlap¹⁶, Oliver Phillips³, Phil Wilkes^1,18, Reuben Nilus¹⁶, Simon Lewis^1,3, Stephan Ntie¹⁷, Toby Jackson⁸, Vincent Medjibe¹⁷, Wanxin Yang (2022) ForestScan: developing new above ground biomass (AGB) reference measurements in tropical regions, ForestSat 22, 29/8 – 3/9/2022, Berlin.

Demol et al. (2022) A first-of-its-kind multi-scale lidar dataset for measurements of tropical tree biomass, ForestSat 22, 29/8 – 3/9/2022, Berlin.

Wilkes, P. et al. (2022) Unlocking a TLS archive with an automated tree extraction pipeline, ForestSat 22, 29/8 – 3/9/2022, Berlin.

Wilkes, P. et al. (2022) Unlocking a TLS archive with an automated tree extraction pipeline, NCEO Annual conference 6-8 Sept. 2022, National Space Park, Leicester.

Chavana-Bryant, C. et al. (2022) ForestScan: a tropical forest above ground biomass (AGB) reference system, NCEO Annual conference 6-8 Sept. 2022, National Space Park, Leicester.

Wanxin Yang., Wilkes, P., Boni Vicari, M. and Disney, M. I. (2022) 3D tree structure from TLS for non-destructive biomass estimation, NCEO Annual conference 6-8 Sept. 2022, National Space Park, Leicester.

2021

2020

Disney, M. I., Vicari, M. B., Wilkes, P., Calders, K., Burt, A. and Yang, W. (2020) New approaches to TLS information extraction from path analysis, 3D Forests, 9-10 January, 2020, Helsinki, Finland.

Verbeeck, H., Baujters, M., Jackson, T., Shenkin, A., Disney, M. I. and Calders, K. (2020) Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum, 3D Forests, 9-10 January, 2020, Helsinki, Finland.

Wilkes, P., Shenkin, A., Disney, M. I., Malhi, Y. and Bentley, L. P. (2020) Terrestrial LiDAR and photogrammetry for rapid characterisation of fine scale branch structure, 3D Forests, 9-10 January, 2020, Helsinki, Finland.

Shenkin, A., Wilkes, P., Bentley, L. P., Disney, M. I.and Malhi, Y. (2020) How are trees constructed? A first look at the major axes of tropical tree architecture, 3D Forests, 9-10 January, 2020, Helsinki, Finland.

Forbes, B., Krause, P., Wilkes, P., Ferrell, R., Reilly, S., Kozanitas, M., Ackerly, D., Micheli, L., Clark, M., Disney, M. I. and Bentley, L. P. (2020) Use of TLS for fire fuels management and carbon accounting in Northern California, 3D Forests, 9-10 January, 2020, Helsinki, Finland.

Calders, K., Newnham^, G., Boer, M., Disney, M. I., Ellsworth, D. Herold,  M., Medlyn, B., Phinn, S., Raumonen, P., Scarth, P., Wu, D. and Verbeeck, H. (2020) Quantifying forest growth in a free-air CO2 enrichment experiment using terrestrial laser scanning, 3D Forests, 9-10 January, 2020, Helsinki, Finland.

2019

Mitchard, E., McNicol I., Aquino C., Disney M. I., Burt A. (2019) Using LiDAR, TLS and Forest Inventory Data in Logging Concessions to Inform Forest Change Mapping Using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Time Series, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Vaglia Laurin, G., Ding J. , Bartholomeus H., Disney M. I. , Herold M., Papale D., Valentini R. (2019) Comparison of trees height from UAV stereo-photogrammetry, Airborne Laser Scanning and ground survey, and impacts on above ground biomass estimation in a tropical forest, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Dos Santos, M., Disney, M. I.and Chave, J. (2019) Detecting Human Presence and Influence on Neotropical Forests with Remote Sensing, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Villard, L., Heuschmidt F., Vincent G., Disney M. I., Herold M., Koleck T. (2019) Insights of Laser Scanning data for the parametrization of Forest Microwave Scattering 3D models: study cases at AfriScat and TropiScat test sites, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Wooster et al. inc Disney, M. I.(2019) Land Biosphere Essential climate variable products from Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S): Surface albedo, LAI, fAPAR, Land Cover and Fire, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Scipal, K., Coccia A., Disney M. I., Hanuš J., Novotný J., Riembauer G., Schüttemeyer D., Spors H. J., Tebaldini S., Ulander L. (2019) TOMOSense: A multifrequency bistatic and tomographic SAR campaign in support of forest applications, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Origo, N., Disney M. I., Nightingale J., Calders K. (2019) Virtual fAPAR validation using radiative transfer and a realistic 3D forest model, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Duncanson, L., Armston, J., Disney, M. I. (2019) Toward Transparent and Consistent Global Forest Biomass Product Validation: Updates from the forthcoming CEOS LPV Biomass Protocol. ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Disney, M. I. (2019) New 3D measurements and models of canopy structure, and the insights this can provide, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.

Disney, M. I. (2019) Closing statements, TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING IN FOREST ECOLOGY: Expanding the Horizon, Univ of Ghent, 6-7 May 2019.

2018

Calders, K., Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Origo, N., Nightingale, J., Malhi, Y., Wilkes, P., Raumonen, P., Verbeeck, H.  (2018) Developing new biomass allometric equations based on terrestrial laser scanning, ForestSAT 2018, College Park MD, USA, 1-5 Oct 2018.

P Wilkes*, Disney, M. I., M Boni Vicari, K Calders, A Burt, O Baines (2018) A multi-scale remote sensing approach to derive a London-wide estimate of AGB, ForestSAT 2018, College Park MD, USA, 1-5 Oct 2018.

Disney, M. I., Boni Vicari, M., Wilkes, P., Burt, A., Calders, K., Malhi, Y. et al. (2018) Quantifying tree crown filling with new TLS measurements, ForestSAT 2018, College Park MD, USA, 1-5 Oct 2018.

Duncanson et al. incl. Disney, M. I. et al. (2018) Update on the CEOS LPV Biomass Focus Area and Protocol, ESA BIOMASS Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Biomass 1^st User Workshop Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Paris, September 25-26 2018.

Disney, M. I. et al. (2018) TLS for forest biomass, ESA BIOMASS Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Biomass 1^st User Workshop Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Paris, September 25-26 2018.

Disney, M. I., Duncanson, L., Armston, J., Nickerson, J., and Roman, M. (2018) A new CEOS Working Group on Cal/Val (WGCV) Land Product Validation protocol for aboveground biomass, NCEO Annual Conference, Univ. of Birmingham, Sept 4-7 2018.

Wilkes, P., Disney, M. I., Boni Vicari, M., Calders, K., Burt., Quegan, S. (2018) Characterising the vertical distribution of tree volume: implications for EO biomass, NCEO Annual Conference, Univ. of Birmingham, Sept 4-7 2018.

Baines, O., Wilkes, P., Disney, M. I., Boni Vicari, M., Calders, K., Burt. (2018) A multi-scale remote sensing approach to derive a London-wide estimate of AGB, NCEO Annual Conference, Univ. of Birmingham, Sept 4-7 2018.

Adams, J. et al. incl. Disney, M. I. (2018) Model-based quality assurance of validation protocols for land products: FAPAR and LAI, ESA LPV meeting, 27 Feb – 1^st March 2018, Frascati, Italy.

Origo, N. et al. incl. Disney, M. I. (2018) Using a terrestrial laser scanning derived 3D forest model for facilitating in situ - satellite fAPAR validation, ESA LPV meeting, 27 Feb – 1^st March 2018, Frascati, Italy.

Armston, J., Nickeson, J., Duncanson, L., Disney, M. I., Camacho, F. and Roman, M. (2018) Overview and Status of the CEOS Land Product Validation Subgroup, Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 20, EGU2018-13297-1, 2018 EGU General Assembly 2018.

2017

Disney, M. I. (2017) Weighing trees with lasers: TLS for biomass from tropical forests to city churchyards, Keynote address to Silvilaser, Blacksburg, Virginia Oct 10-12 2017.

Strahler, A., Atkins, J., Béland, M., Burt, A., Crawford, D., Danson, M., Disney, M. I., Elsharif, A., Gaulton, R., Gough, C., Jovanovic, T., Schaaf, C. and Stovall, A. (2017) Early scanner data and structure retrievals from TLS calibrated by destructive sampling at Harvard Forest, Silvilaser, Blacksburg, Virginia Oct 10-12 2017.

Calders, K., Burt, A., Origo, N., Disney, M. I., Nightingale, J., Raumonen, P., Åkerblom, M. and Lewis, P. (2017) Virtual forests: realistic forest stand reconstruction from terrestrial lidar, Silvilaser, Blacksburg, Virginia Oct 10-12 2017.

Wilkes, P., Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Calders, K. and Boni Vicari, M. (2017) New methods to scale estimates of urban tree biomass, Silvilaser, Blacksburg, Virginia Oct 10-12 2017.

Hancock. S., Armston, J., Tang, H., Duncanson, L., Hofton, M. Bryan Blair, J., Disney, M. I., Marselis, S., Kellner, J. R., Fatoyinbo, L. and Dubayah, R. (2017) Bridging the gap between spaceborne, airborne and terrestrial lidar: The GEDI simulator, Silvilaser, Blacksburg, Virginia Oct 10-12 2017.

Origo, N., Nightingale, J., Sanchez-Azofeifa, A., Musilek, P., Disney, M. I. and Calders, K. (2017) Towards traceable validation of fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) products derived from Earth Observation, RSPSoc Annual Conference, Imperial College London, Sep. 5-8 2017.

Disney, M. I., Wilkes, P., Calders, K., Burt, A. and Boni Vicari, M. (2017) How can we improve estimates of tropical forest biomass? NCEO Annual Conference, 28-30 June 2017, Bath.

Wilkes, P., Disney, M. I., Calders, K., Boni Vicari, M. and Burt, A. (2017) Estimating the Urban Carbon Sink: a case study in Camden, NCEO Annual Conference, 28-30 June 2017, Bath.

2016

Calders, K., Burt, A., Origo, N., Disney, M. I., Nightingale, J., Raumonen, P. and Lewis, P. (2016) Large area virtual forests from terrestrial laser scanning data, IGARSS2016, Beijing, China, 10-15 July 2016.

Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P., Pounder, N., Timmermans, J., Disney, M. I., Chernetskiy, M. Waldner, F. Demarez, V., Battude, M. and Kussul, N. (2016) Data Assimilation Techniques to Monitor Agricultural Areas, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Gomez-Dans J., Lewis, P., Roy, D., Brennan, J., Huang, H. and Disney, M. I. (2016) A Simple Spectral Model of Fire Impacts, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Mahecha, M., Flach, M., Reichstein, M., Babst, F., Bodesheim, P., Conway, E., Denzler, J., Disney, M. I., Erb, K., Frank, David, Frank, Dorothea, Herold, M., Jung, M., Kattge, J., Laurin, G., Papale, D., Perez, R., Reiche, J., Rodner, E., Sandel, B., Schmullius, C. and Urban, M. (2016) Detecting Changes in Essential Ecosystem and Biodiversity Properties: The H2020 project BACI, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Kaminski, T., Pinty, B., Voßbeck, M., Gobron, N., Govaets, Y., Muller, J.-P., Kharbouche, S., Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (2016) New Land Surface Products from the JRC-TIP applied to Surface Albedo Products, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Origo, N., Nightingale, J., Calders, K., Sánchez-Azofeifa, A. and Disney, M. I. (2016) Using a Wireless Sensor Network and a Virtual Forest Stand to Validate Satellite-derived fAPAR, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Calders, K. Burt, A., Origo, N., Disney, M. I., Nightingale, J., Raumonen, P., Lewis, P. and Brennan, J. (2016) Constructing a large area virtual validation forest stand from terrestrial LiDAR, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Calders, K., Raumonen, P., Herold, M., Lewis, P., Lewis, S., Boni Vicari, M., Rowland, L., Meir, P. and Mitchard, E. (2016) 3D measurements of tropical forest structure for biomass, morphology and calibration and validation of satellite observations, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Gomez-Dans, J., Chernetskiy, M., Urban, M., Schmullius, C. and Mahecha, M. (2016) Merging EO data across domains for terrestrial biodiversity change indicators, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

Disney, M. I., van Leeuwen, M., Lewis, P., Gomez-Dans, J., Smallman, L., Williams, M., Quaife, T. and López-Saldaña, G. (2016) Combining Earth Observation, field data and models to upscale biogenic greenhouse gas emissions over agricultural landscapes, ESA Living Planet, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 May 2016.

van Leeuwen, M., Disney, M. I. et al. (2016) Assimilating Earth observation data across the UK for estimating greenhouse gas budgets, EGU, 17-22 April 2016, Vienna, Austria.

Lanconelli, C. et al., including Adams, J. and Disney, M. I. (2016) Traceable quality assurance for independent reference data used in the validation of satellite ECV estimates, EGU, 17-22 April 2016, Vienna, Austria.

2015

MacBean, N., F. Maignan, P. Lewis, C. Bacour, P. Peylin, L. Guanter, P. Köhler, J. Gomez-Dans, Disney, M. I., F. Chevallier (2015) Constraining GPP with Fluorescence: A Model-Data Fusion Approach for Constraining Modeled GPP at Global Scales Using GOME-2 Solar-Induced Fluorescence data, AGU San Francisco, Dec 2015.

Armston, J., Scarth, P., Lucas, R., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I. and Phinn, S. (2015) Validation of continental scale vertical plant profile mapping using waveform lidar airborne laserscanning, Silvilaser 2015, Sept 28-Oct 2 2015, La Grande Motte, France.

Calders, K., Disney, M. I., Nightingale, J., Origo, N., Barker, A., Raumonen, P., Lewis, P., and Fox, N. (2015) Traceability of essential climate variables through forest stand reconstruction with terrestrial laser scanning, Silvilaser 2015, Sept 28-Oct 2 2015, La Grande Motte, France.

 

2014

Disney, M. I. (2014) New 3D measurements of forest biomass and structure, NCEO-CEOI Joint Science Conference, University of Sheffield, 24-27 June, Sheffield.

Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P., Quaife, T, Lines, E. and Disney, M. I. (2014) Data Assimilation for land surface studies in the Sentinel era: how can we deliver? NCEO-CEOI Joint Science Conference, University of Sheffield, 24-27 June, Sheffield.

Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Calders, K., Raumonen, P., Gonzalez de Tanago, J., Cuni Sanchez, A., Herold, M., Armston, J., Lewis, S., Lines, S. and Lewis, P. (2014) New applications of 3D measurements and modelling to quantifying forest structure and biomass, Global Vegetation Modelling and Measurement (GV2M) meeting, Avignon, France, 3-7 Feb 2014.

Calders, K., Newnham, G., Herold, M., Murphy, S., Raumonen, P., Culvenor, D., Burt, A., Avitabile, V., Amston, J. and Disney, M. I. (2014) Non-destructive Estimations of above-ground biomass using terrestrial lidar, Global Vegetation Modelling and Measurement (GV2M) meeting, Avignon, France, 3-7 Feb 2014.

 

2013

 

Jimenez, C. et al. including Disney, M. I. (2013) Earth observation WAter Cycle Multi-mission Observation Strategy – EvapoTranspiration (WACMOS-ET): advancing in the production of evapotranspiration from satellite observations, EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference, 16-20 Sept. 2013.

Jimenez, C. et al. including Disney, M. I. (2013) Earth observation WAter Cycle Multi-mission Observation Strategy – EvapoTranspiration (WACMOS-ET): advancing in the production of evapotranspiration from satellite observations, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Edinburgh 9-13 Sept. 2013.

Lewis, P., Gomez-Dans, J. and Disney, M. I. (2013) A Vision for a Land Observation System, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Edinburgh 9-13 Sept. 2013.

Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P., Quaife, T., Wooster, M., Roy, D. and Disney, M. I. (2013) Edge-Preserving Data Assimilation for Fire Monitoring using Moderate Resolution Optical Data, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Edinburgh 9-13 Sept. 2013.

Woodgate, W., Armston, J., Disney, M. I., Jones, S., Suarez, L.,Hill, M., Wilkes, P., Soto-Berelov, M., Haywood, A. and Mellor, A. (2013) The impact of sensor characteristics for obtaining accurate ground-

based measurements of LAI, in proc. IGARSS2013, Melbourne, Australia, Jul 21-26 2013.

Disney, M. I., Burt, A., Raumonen, P., Armston, J., Calders, K. and Lewis, P. (2013) Rapid characterisation of forest structure using TLS and 3D modelling, in proc. IGARSS2013, Melbourne, Australia, Jul 21-26 2013.

 

Casella, E., Disney, M. I., McKay, H. (2013) tLiDAR methodologies can overcome limitations in estimating forest canopy LAI from conventional hemispherical photograph analyses, FSPM2013, Saariselkä, Finland, 9-14 June, 2013.
Knyazikhin, Y., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I. et al. (2013) Monitoring canopy structure and leaf biochemistry using multiangle and hyperspectral data, NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team meeting, Scripps Seaside Forum, La Jolla, California, USA, April 30-May 2 2013..
Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Roy, D. and Wooster, M. (2013) Edge-preserving data assimilation and a spectral change interpretation model for fire monitoring using optical DA, EGU Vienna, 7-12 April 2013.

 

 

Schaepman, M. E., Morsdorf, F., Leiterer, R., Pfeifer, N., Hollaus, M., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Gastellu-Etchegorry, J.-P., Brazile, J. and Koetz, B. (2012) Novel reference site approach to prototyping, calibrating, and validating Earth observation data and products, AGU San Francisco, USA, 3-7 Dec 2012.

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P. and Raumonen, P. (2012) Testing a new vegetation structure retrieval algorithm from terrestrial lidar scanner data using 3D models, Silvilaser 2012, 16-19 September, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Armston, J., Disney, M. I., Scarth, P., Lucas, R., Phinn, S., Lewis, P. and Goodwin, N. (2012, submitted) Simulating the impact of changing airborne lidar sensor and survey properties on estimation of vegetation structure parameters, Silvilaser 2012, 16-19 September, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Morsdorf, F., Leiterer, R., Schaepman, M., Pfeifer, N., Hollaus, M., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Gastellu-Etchegorry, J.-P., Brazile, J. and Koetz, B. (2012) 3D-Vegetation Laboratory: A scientific support tool for accuracy assessment and prototyping of EO data and products, ForestSAT 2012, 11-14 September, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, US.

Calders, K., P. Lewis, M. I. Disney, J. Verbesselt, M. Herold (2012) Effects of clumping on waveform lidar in modelled forest canopies, IEEE IGARSS 2012, 22-27 July 2012, Munich, Germany.

Casella, E., J. Morrison, M. I. Disney, M. Danson, H. McKay (2012) Estimating forest canopy structure from tLIDAR measurements: a case study with a 670nm laser, Lidarnet workshop, Univ. of Leicester, 2-3 April 2012.

2011

Armston, J., Disney, M. I.,Lewis, P., Scarth, P., Bunting, P., Lucas, R., Phinn, S., Goodwin, N. (2011) Comparison of Discrete Return and Waveform Airborne Lidar Derived Estimates of Fractional Cover in an Australian Savanna, SilviLaser 2011, Oct 16-20 2011, Hobart, Tasmania.

Hill MJ, Hanan NP, Hoffmann W, Scholes R, Prince S, Ferwerda J, Lucas RM, Baker I, Arneth A, Higgins SI, Barrett DJ, Disney MI, Hutley L (2011) Remote sensing and modeling of savannas: The state of the dis-union, in proc. 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment - The GEOSS Era: Towards Operational Environmental Monitoring, 10-15 April 2011, Sydney, Australia.

HARTLEY, I. P, HILL, T. C., WADE, T., CLEMENT, R. J., MONCRIEFF, J. B., PRIETO-BLANCO, A., DISNEY, M. I., HUNTLY, B., WOOKEY, P. A., BAXTER, R. (2011) Landscape-level methane fluxes in arctic Finland: sources, sinks and environmental control, BES Annual Meeting 2011, 12 - 14 September, University of Sheffield, UK.

2010

Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Watt, J. (2010) A probabilistic framework for inverting reflectance data using the PROSPECT model, Forestsat’2010, Lugo, Spain, 7-10 September, 2010.

Gomez-Dans, J., Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Wooster, M., Roy, D. (2010) A novel approach to fire detection and characterisation using optical remote sensing, Forestsat’2010, Lugo, Spain, 7-10 September, 2010.

Pfeifer, M. Marchant, R., Disney, M. I. et al (2010) Carbon Mapping in the Eastern Arc Mountains Biodiversity Hotspot - from Ground to Space", in proc. ESA Living Planet Symposium, 27 June - 2 July, Bergen, Norway.

Lewis, P. E. and Disney, M. I. (2010) On canopy spectral invariants and hyperspectral ray tracing, 2nd Workshop on Hyperspectral Image Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS), 14-16 June, Reykjavik, Iceland. (PDF)

MacBean, N. Disney, M. I., P. Lewis, and P. Ineson (2010) Using satellite observations to improve model estimates of CO2 and CH4 from peatlands, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Bergen, Norway, 28 June - 2nd July 2010.

MacBean, N. Disney, M. I., P. Lewis, and P. Ineson (2010) Using satellite observations to improve model estimates of CO2 and CH4 flux: a Metropolis Hastings Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach, EGU meeting, Vienna, Austria, 3-7 May 2010.

Disney, M. I., A. Prieto-Blanco, P. Lewis, M. Williams, P. Stoy, T. Hill, R. Poyatos, R. Baxter, B. Huntley, T. Wade, J. Moncrieff (2010) Deriving above-ground biomass of mountain birch across Fennoscandian regions from remotely sensed data, IPY Oslo Science Conference 8-12 June, Oslo, Norway.

Stoy, P. C., Williams, M., Hill, T., Evans, J., Prieto-Blanco, A., Disney, M. I., Fletcher, B., Poyatos, R., Wade, T., Street, L. and Moncrieff, J., (2010) Multi-scale functional convergence of tundra vegetation simplifies carbon flux modeling, IPY Oslo Science Conference 8-12 June, Oslo, Norway.

Gaulton, R., F. M. Danson, G. Pearson, P. E. Lewis and M. I. Disney (2010) The Salford Advanced Laser Canopy Analyser (SALCA): A multispectral full waveform LiDAR for improved vegetation characterisation, in Proc. Rem. Sens. and Photog. Soc. Conference, Burlington House, London, 5th May 2010.

 

Williams, M., Stoy, P. C., Baxter, R., Phoenix, G, Hill, T., Moncrieff, J., Sloan, V., Evans, J., Harding, R., Fletcher, B., Poyatos, R., Hartley, I., Street, L., Wade, T., Subke, J., Disney, M. I., Prieto-Blanco, A. and Wookey, P. (2010) The carbon cycle of Arctic Fennoscandia: Assimilating multi-scale observations into ecological models, Ecol. Soc. America, Aug 1-6 2010, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

2009

Atherton, J. Hill, T. Wade, T., Moncrieff, J., Williams, M., Disney, M. I., Prieto-Blanco, A., Clement, R. and Nichol, C. (2009) Airborne remote sensing of photosynthetic light use efficiency and carbon uptake along an arctic transect in Finland, AGU Fall meeting, 14-18 December 2009, San Francisco, California, USA.
Hill, T. C.; Stoy, P. C.; Baxter, R.; Clement, R.; Disney, M. I.; Evans, J.; Fletcher, B.; Gornall, J.; Harding, R.; Hartley, I. P.; Ineson, P.; Moncrieff, J.; Phoenix, G.; Sloan, V.; Poyatos, R.; Prieto-Blanco, A.; Subke, J.; Street, L.; Wade, T. J.; Wayolle, A.; Wookey, P.; Williams, M. D. (2009) The Sub-Arctic Carbon Cycle: Assimilating Multi-Scale Chamber, Tower and Aircraft Flux Observations into Ecological Models, AGU Fall meeting, 14-18 December 2009, San Francisco, California, USA.
Williams, M., Stoy, P., Disney, M. I., Evans, J., Fletcher, B., Gornall, J., Harding, R., Hartley, I., Hill, T., Ineson, P., Moncrieff, J., Phoenix, G., Pope, V., Poyatos, R., Prieto-Blanxo, A., Subke, J., Street, L., Wade, T., Wayolle, A. and Wookey, P. (2009) The carbon cycle of Fennoscandia: assimilating multi-scale observations into ecosystem models, in proc. ICDC8 International Carbon Dioxide Conference, Jena, 13-19 Sept, 2009.
Prieto-Blanco, A., Disney, M. I. , Lewis, P., Gómez-Dans, J and Ganguly, S. (2009) Satellite Monitoring of Disturbances in Arctic Ecosystems, in proc. IGARSS09, Cape Town, SA, 12-17 July 2009.
Lewis, P., Quaife, T., Gómez-Dans, J., Disney, M. I., Wooster, M., Roy, D. and Pinty, B. (2009) Modelling the impact of wildfire on spectral reflectance, in proc. IGARSS09, Cape Town, SA, 12-17 July 2009.

2008

Prieto-Blanco, A., Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (2008) Satellite Monitoring of Disturbances in Arctic Ecosystems, EOS Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract U13B-0051.
S. Hancock, P. Lewis, Disney, M. I., M. Foster, J.-P. Muller (2008) Assessing the accuracy of forest height estimation with long pulse waveform lidar through Monte-Carlo ray tracing, in proc. Silvilaser08, 17-19 September, Edinburgh, 2008
Disney, M. I., Lewis, P. and Bouvet, M. (2008) Quantifying surface reflectivity for spaceborne lidar missions, in proc. IGARSS'08, 5-11 July, Boston, USA, 2008.
M. De Kauwe, T. Quaife, P. Lewis, Disney, M. I. and M. Williams(2008) Estimating the spatial exchange of carbon through the assimilation of Earth Observation (EO) derived products using an Ensemble Kalman Filter, in proc. IGARSS'08, 5-11 July, Boston, USA, 2008.
S. Hancock, Disney, M. I., P. Lewis, J.-P. Muller (2008) Exploring the measurement of forests with full waveform lidar through Monte-Carlo ray tracing, in proc. IGARSS'08, 5-11 July, Boston, USA, 2008.
N. Macbean, Disney, M. I., Lewis, P. and P. Ineson (2008) Using remote sensing data to quantify changes in vegetation over peatland areas, in proc. IGARSS'08, 5-11 July, Boston, USA, 2008.

2007

Quaife, T,. Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., DeKauwe, M., Williams, M. and Law, B. (2007) Assimilating reflectance data into an ecosystem model to improve estimates of terrestrial carbon fluxes, in pro. IGARSS07, Barcelona, Spain, 23-27 July 2007.

Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (2007) Spectral invariant behaviour of a complex 3D forest canopy, in proc. 10th ISPMSRS meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 12-14 March 2007.

Pfeifer, M., Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (2007) Simulating gap fraction of complex forest scenes, in proc. 10th ISPMSRS meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 12-14 March 2007.

Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (2007) Modelling Canopy reflectance with spectral invariants, in proc. 10th ISPMSRS meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 12-14 March 2007.

Hancock, S., Lewis, P., Muller, J. P and Disney, M. I. (2007) Using Monte Carlo ray tracing to investigate the measurement of forest parameters with the Echidna laser scanner, in proc. 10th ISPMSRS meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 12-14 March 2007.

2006

Hancock, S., Disney, M. I., Lewis, P. and Muller, J.-P. (2006) Using lidar to characterise tree canopies, in proc. of IWMMM-4, 20-24th March 2006, Sydney, Australia.

2005

Quaife, T., Lomas, M., Picard, G., Disney, M. I., Woodward, F. I., Quegan, S. and Lewis, P. (2005) Using SPOT-VEGETATION data for dynamic vegetation modelling within the Centre for Terresrial Carbon Dynamics (CTCD), in proc. Int. VEGETATION User Conference, XXX, XXXX, Vol 5., pp247-254.

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Quaife, T. and Nichol, C. (2005) A spectral invariant approach to modelling canopy and leaf scattering, in proc. of ISPMSRS05, Beijing, China, October 17-19 2005, ISSN 1682-1750, 318-320.

Lewis, P., Hillier, J., Watt, J., Andrieu, B., Fournier, C., Saich, P. and Disney, M. I. (2005) 3D dynamic vegetation modelling of wheat for remote sensing simulations and inversion, in proc. of ISPMSRS05, Beijing, China, October 17-19 2005, ISSN 1682-1750, 144-146.

Quaife, T., Lewis, P., Williams, M., Disney, M. I. and DeKauwe, M. (2005) Assimilating Earth Observation data into a vegetation model using an Ensmble Kalman Filter, in proc. of ISPMSRS05, Beijing, China, October 17-19 2005, ISSN 1682-1750, 386-389.

Lewis, P., Disney, M. I., Quaife, T., Nichol, C. and Rebelo, L. (2005) CTCD CHRIS-PROBA activities: biophysical parameter retrieval from CHRIS-PROBAD data over Harwood Forest, Northumberland, UK. In proc. 3rd ESA CHRIS/Proba Workshop, 21-23 MArch 2005, ESRIN, Frascati, Italy (ESA SP-593, June 2005) ( PDF 676K)

2004

M. Disney and S. Lafont (2004) Comparison of MODIS VCF product with detailed ground-based inventory (PPT file), MODIS Vegetation Workshop, 17-19 August 2004, Univ. Montana, USA.

M. Disney, M. Williams and P. Lewis (2004) The potential for assimilation of EO-measured radiance in terrestrial carbon studies: simulation of the canopy radiation regime, NERC EO conference, Plymouth, June 30 - July 1, 2004.

M. Disney, P. Lewis and P. Saich (2004) 3D modelling of forest canopy structure for remote sensing simulation and parameter estimation, in proc. 4th International Workshop on Functional-Structural Plant Models, CIRAD, Montpellier, June 7-11, 2004, p 282.

P.Lewis, P.Saich, M. Disney, B. Andrieu, C. Fournier, T. Macklin and J. Bodley (2004) Calibration of an L-system model of winter wheat for remote sensing modelling and inversion, in proc. 4th International Workshop on Functional-Structural Plant Models, CIRAD, Montpellier, June 7-11, 2004, pp 257-261.

S. Lafont and M. Disney (2004) Evaluation of the MODIS continuous tree cover map over the UK, NERC EO conference, Plymouth, June 30 - July 1, 2004.

S. Lafont and M. Disney (2004) Comparison of a remote-sensed forest map with ground-based inventory, UK Carbon meeting, Sheffield 6-8 January.

2003

P. Lewis, G. Thackrah, T. Quaife, M. Disney, P. Saich and M. Barnsley, (1993) The development of robust algorthms for retrieving biophysical parameters from multiangle hyperspectral image data, Spaceborne Hyperspectral Imaging Workshop, Cannes, December 8-9 2003.

P. Lewis, Barnsley, M., Quaife, T., Thackrah, G., Disney, M. and Saich, P. (2003) Biophysical parameters from CHRIS/PROBA, in proc. SPECTRA Workshop, ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk, Netherlands, Oct. 28-30.

, P. Saich, and P. Lewis Modelling the radiometric response of a dynamic, 3D structural model of Scots Pine in the optical and microwave domains, IGARSS'03 Toulouse, July 21-25, 2003. (PDF 273k)

P. Lewis, P. Saich and M. Disney, B. Andrieu, C. Fournier, S. Ljutovac, Modelling the radiometric response of a dynamic, 3D structural model of wheat in the optical and microwave domains", IGARSS'03 Toulouse, July 21-25, 2003. (PDF 357k)

P. Saich, P. Lewis and M. Disney Biophysical parameter retrieval from forest and crop canopies in the optical and microwave domains using 3D models of canopy structure, IGARSS'03 Toulouse, July 21-25, 2003. (PDF 196k)

T. Quaife, P. Lewis, M. Disney, M. Lomas, Intercomparison of phenological measures derived from medium and coarse resolution earth observation and implications for assimilation into vegetation growth models, IGARSS'03 Toulouse, July 21-25, 2003. (PS 1.63MB)

2002

M. Disney, P. Lewis, G. Thackrah, L. Rebelo, G. Roberts, M. Barnsley, T. Quaife, J. Shaw and P. Hobson (2002) MODIS MOD43 Validation: core sites: Barton Bendish (BB), Norfolk, UK. MODIS validation workshop, Dept. Geography Boston University, October 2002.

G. Roberts, P. Lewis, L. Rebelo, M. Disney, G. Thackrah, M. Barnsley, T. Quaife, J.-P. Muller (2002) MODIS MOD43 Validation: core sites: Mongu/Skukuza, Zambia. MODIS validation workshop, Dept. Geography Boston University, October 2002.

2001

Schaaf, C. B., F. Gao, A. H. Strahler, W. Lucht, X. Li, X. Zhang, Y. Jin, E. Tsvetsinskaya, J.-P. Muller, P. Lewis, M. Barnsley, G. Roberts, M. Disney, C. Doll, S. Liang, D. Roy, and Jeff Privette, Land Surface Albedo, Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance, and BRDF Product from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Proceedings, 11th Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, AMS, Madison, WI, 15-18 October, 2001.

P. Saich, P. Lewis, M. Disney and G. Thackrah, 2001. Comparison of Hymap/E-SAR data with models for optical reflectance and microwave scattering from vegetation canopies, in proc. Third International Workshop on Retrieval of Bio- and Geo-Physical Parameters from SAR data for Land Applications, Sheffield, September 2001.

Schaaf, C. B., A. H. Strahler, F. Gao, W. Lucht, X. Li, X. Zhang, Y. Jin, E. Tsvetsinskaya, J.-P. Muller, P. Lewis, M. Barnsley, G. Roberts, M. Disney, C. Doll, S. Liang, and J. L. Privette, Operational Bidirectional Reflectance and Albedo Products from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Abstract, IGBP Global Change Open Science Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 9-13 July, 2001.

Schaaf, C. , A. H. Strahler, F. Gao, W. Lucht, X. Li, J.-P. Muller, P. Lewis, M. Barnsley, P. Hobson, M. Disney, G. Roberts, M. Dunderdale, C. Doll, Land Surface Spectral Bidirectional Reflectance and Albedo from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Abstract, American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, Boston, MA, 29 May - 2 June, 2001.

Schaaf, C. B., F. Gao, A. Straler, W. Lucht, T. Tsang, N. Strugnell, X. Li, X. Zhang, J-P. Muller, P. Lewis, M. Barnsley, P. Hobson, M. Disney, M. Dunderdale, G, Roberts, C. Doll and S. Liang. Temporal Characteristics of the MODIS BRDF/Albedo Product. Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Physical Measurements and Signatures in Remote Sensing, Aussois, France, 8-12 January, 233-238, 2001.

2000

M.J. Barnsley, T. Quaife, P.D. Hobson, J. Shaw, P. Lewis, M. Disney, J-P. Muller, A.H. Strahler, C. Barker-Schaaf and W. Lucht, (2000). Estimation of Land-Surface Albedo and Biophysical Properties using SPOT-4 VGT and Semi-Empirical BRDF Models. In proc: Vegetation 2000. Lago Maggiore, Italy.

Schaaf, C.B.; Feng Gao; Strahler, A.H.; Tsang, T.; Lucht, W.; Strugnell, N.; Xiaowen Li; Muller, J.-P.; Lewis, P.; Barnsley, M.; Hobson, P.; Disney, M.; Dunderdale, M.;Roberts, G., (2000) The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) BRDF and albedo product, AGU Fall 2000 Meeting, San Francisco, Dec 2000.

Schaaf, C.B.; Feng Gao; Strahler, A.H.; Tsang, T.; Lucht, W.; Strugnell, N.; Xiaowen Li; Muller, J.-P.; Lewis, P.; Barnsley, M.; Hobson, P.; Disney, M.; Dunderdale, M.;Roberts, G., (2000) Initial Results From the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) BRDF and Albedo Product, AGU Spring 2000 Meeting, Washington DC, May 30-June 3.

Schaaf, C.B.; Feng Gao; Strahler, A.H.; Tsang, T.; Lucht, W.; Strugnell, N.; Xiaowen Li; Muller, J.-P.; Lewis, P.; Barnsley, M.; Hobson, P.;Disney, M.; Dunderdale, M.; Roberts, G., (2000) The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) BRDF and albedo product: preliminary results, IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposiun, 2000. Proceedings. IGARSS 2000. Volume: 7, 2000 Page(s): 3048 -3050 vol.7

1999

Schaaf, C., Strahler, A., Lucht, W., Tsang, T., Gao, F., Li, X., Strugnell, N., Chen, L., Liu, Y., McIver, D., Muller, J.-P., Lewis, P., Barnsley, M. J., Disney, M. I., Hobson, P., Dunderdale, M. and Roberts, G. (1999) The at-launch MODIS BRDF albedo product, 2^nd International Workshop on Multiangular Measurements and Models (IWMMM-2) JRC Ispra, Italy September 15-17, 1999.

Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (1999) The development of spectral kernels to improve the linear kernel-driven approach to BRDF modelling, IWMMM-2 JRC Ispra, Italy September 15-17, 1999.

Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (1999) Towards a spectral kernel-driven BRDF model, in proc. 25th Annual Remote Sensing Society Conference , 7-10th September, Cardiff, 377-384.

Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (1999) Application of the Botanical Plant Modelling System (BPMS) to the analysis of spatial information in remotely sensed imagery , in proc. 25th Annual Remote Sensing Society Conference , 7-10th September, Cardiff, 507-514.

Lewis, P., Disney, M. I. and Riedmann, M. (1999) Application of the Botanical Plant Modelling System (BPMS) to the analysis of spatial information in remotely sensed imagery, in proc. 25th Annual Remote Sensing Society Conference, 7-10th September 1999, Cardiff, 507-514.

Hobson, P. D., Barnsley, M. J., Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (1999) Inversion of kernel-driven BRDF models using POLDER-on-ADEOS data, in proc. 25th Annual Remote Sensing Society Conference , 7-10th September, Cardiff, 371-376.

Hobson, P. D., Barnsley, M. J., Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. and Muller, J.-P. (1999) Inversion of semi-empirical, kernel-driven models using POLDER on ADEOS data, ALPS '99, Meribel, France.

1998

Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (1998) The Botanical Plant Modelling System (BPMS): a case study of multiple scattering in a barley canopy, proc.IGARSS'98, Jul. 6th-10th, Seattle, USA.

Disney, M. I. and Lewis, P. (1998) An investigation of how linear BRDF models deal with the complex scattering processes encountered in a real canopy, proc. IGARSS'98, Jul. 6th-10th, Seattle, USA.

Disney, M. I., Lewis, P., Knott, R., Hobson, P., Evans-Jones, K. and Barnsley, M. J. (1998) Validation of a manual measurement method for deriving 3D canopy structure using the BPMS, proc. IGARSS '98, Jul. 6th-10th, Seattle, USA.

1997

Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (1997), Examining BRDF model operation with the Botanical Plant Modelling System (BPMS) , proc. Remote Sensing Society Conference, Reading, pp. 298-303.

Lewis, P. and Disney, M. I. (1997), Validation of kernel-driven BRDF models for monitoring albedo in the Sahel, proc. Remote Sensing Society Conference, Reading, pp 304-309.

Disney, M. I., Muller , J.-P., Lewis, P. and Barnsley, M. J. (1997) Production and validation of BRDF and albedo extracted from airborne and spaceborne data, 7th Int. Symp. Phys. Meas. Sig. Rem. Sens., Courchevel, France, April 7-11, 1997, (2):471-478.

1996

Barnsley , M. J., Disney , M. I., Lewis, P., Hesley, Z. and Muller, P. (1996) On the intrinsic dimensionality of the BRDF: Implications for the retrieval of land surface biophysical properties, proc. Remote Sensing Society Conference, Durham, pp 69-70.

My research is more generally in the interactions of radiation (predominantly at optical wavelengths) with the land surface. In particular I am interested in how radiation interacts with vegetation, how we can model and understand this interaction and how we can exploit it to quantify and understand the terrestrial biosphere, particular relate to the carbon cycle - how plants take up and release carbon, naturally, in response to changing climate and under an increasing range of anthropogenic disturbances (eg fire, land use change, agriculture, deforestation and degradation etc). Satellites allow us large-scale but very indirect observations of surface biophysical properties, particularly the extent and dynamics of vegetation. Much of my research effort has been directed at new ways of exploiting observations of this sort to provide quantitative estimates of these things that are consistent with our understanding of climate carbon cycle models and observations. The image below sums up our aims - this shows an area of temperate rainforest on Fraser Island, Northern Queensland, Australia. The variety of structure (shadows, texture) and variations in leaf colour (to do with chlorophyll and water content) is very striking. My aim is to understand and exploit this 'signal' much better than we can do currently, for all sorts of applications that rely on knowing the state of forests like this.

I've continued to work with 3D models over the last few years, as they give us an unprecedented level of detail with which to model radiation interacting with the surface - and this is our satellite signal. Faster, cheaper computers mean we can use these models in ways we never could even a few years ago. I have worked with on the librat modelling software, which we have developed over the years into a powerful modelling tool, which we make freely available. We have used the tools for a range of applications and projects, including exploring lidar signals, modelling fire impacts and for benchmarking and testing simpler models, as part of the ongoing Radiative Transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) project; librat is one of the 'credible models' used in the RAMI online model checker. The librat wiki page contains some documentation on the software along with a list of some of the student projects and publications arising from librat over the years. We are always amenable to further collaborations using librat, so drop us an email.

A recent project which demonstrates an application of my 3D radiative transfer work, funded by the European Space Agency Support to Science Element, is 3D Veglab. The project, led by Felix Morsdorf at the University of Zurich, has developed an open toolbox of 3D models and simulation tools, including our librat modelling software. A nice movie (produced by Felix and the UZH group) demonstrating how the toolbox was put together is shown below.

I have a number of movies I've simulated over the years for various teaching and research applications here. Feel free to use these but please provide attribution.

In the last few years I have become interested in how we can use new, more direct EO measurements from terrestrial lidar scanning (TLS) to probe canopy 3D structure and function. I have been developing new models and methods to exploit these observations to extract canopy structure and biomass. This has involved extensive fieldwork across a range of environments, including many tropical locations, as well as US, UK and others. For more detail on some of the places we have collected TLS, see our map, generated by Matheus Boni Vicari. We have extended this work to urban areas most recently, using open access airborne lidar, with satellite and ground-based observations, to help quantify the extent and benefits of urban forests. For example, we have showed that there are small pockets of London that have very high biomass (carbon) density, equivalent to tropical rainforest. This is often poorly-captured, and hence valued, by current methods. I work with a wide range of ecologists, forestry and climate researchers, as well as NGOs and organisations interested in the human relationship to trees and forests. I discuss some of these areas in more detail on my blog. We also put examples of our 3D models on Sketchfab, on my page, Phil's.

This work addresses the requirement to be able to measure biomass, particularly in the tropics, more consistently, and ideally, independent of other field-based and satellite-derived measures, all of which rely on empirical (allometric) relationships between trunk diameter, height and volume (and hence biomass). But you can also scan elephants!

Images courtesy of Andy Burt (UCL), Kim Calders, Jose Gonzalez de Tanago (both Wageningen), and the UCL and Wageningen teams, and Gabonese National Parks Agency.

I sit on or contribute to a number of national and international scientific panels, groups and journal editorial boards including: co-lead of CEOS Land Product Validation Biomass subgroup; invited member of GEOBON (Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observations Network) Ecosystem Function Working Group; NCEO Capability Leader: Radiative Transfer Modelling and 3D Measurement; science team member on NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) for BRDF/albedo; editorial board of new open source interdisciplinary journal, Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation; science advisory committee ForestSAT 2018; co-organiser of Royal Society funded meeting: The terrestrial laser scanning revolution in forest ecology, Chicheley Hall, 2017.

 

Research Grants/ Awards

• ESA AO/1-9584/18/NL/AI: Forestscan: New technology for characterising forest structure and biomass at ‘Super Sites’ for EO cal/val across the tropics (€500K, PI, with Wageningen Univ., Univ of Leeds, AMAP, CIRAD, Univ of Edinburgh, Univ of Cambs).

• NERC Standard Grant: A 3D perspective on the effects of topography and wind on forest height dynamics, NE/S010750/1, (£66K, PI, lead RO Cambridge, David Coomes).
• CALFIRE: Evaluating plot-level remote sensing tools to increase accuracy and efficiency of fuels management approaches, (£32K, PI, lead RO Sonoma State Univ, California PI Lisa Bentley).
• NERC Standard Grant: The multi-trophic impact of ash dieback, NE/T007648/1 (£797K, PI, lead RO Oxford, PI Yadvinder Malhi).
• EU Horizon 20:20: FODEX: Tropical Forest Degradation Experiment, proposal 757526: (€244K of €1.9M total, PI, lead RO Edinburgh, PI Ed Mitchard).
• NERC Standard Grant: Understanding tree architecture, form and function in the tropics, NE/P011780/1: (£250K, PI, lead RO Oxford, PI Yadvinder Malhi).
• NASA ROSES Carbon Monitoring System (CMS): Future Mission Fusion for High Biomass Forest Carbon Accounting, led by T. Fatoyinbo and L. Duncanson ($30K, collaborator).
• AmazonFACE travel award, Manaus, Brazil: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (cNPQ) Brazil (£5K, PI).

• Studentship: Brazilian National funding via Students without Borders (~£100K, PI)

• NERC Capital Award: Handheld laser scanning instrument for rapid 3D measurement (£31K), PI.
• NERC Standard Grant: Weighing Trees with Lasers: reducing uncertainty in tropical forest biomass and allometry: NE/N00373X/1 (£630K, PI).
• 2015-2016 ESA BIOMASS mission support: Calibration/validation campaign at AfriSCAT site, Akasa, Ghana: in conjunction with Wageningen University, €25K, co-I.
• 2015 Noragues Travel Grants Program, French Guiana: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France), ~€10K, PI.

• 2015-2018 NCEO PhD studentship: New methods of monitoring and modelling disturbance using EO, £85.5K.
• 2014-2015: NERC National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) Phase 2: Terrestrial Carbon and Vegetation, 3D RT modelling and measurement, UCL component £248K for first 18 months, PI with Prof. P. Lewis.
• 2015-2018 EU FP7: METEOC2: Metrology for Earth Observation and Climate: II, €5M total led by National Physical Laboratory, UCL unfunded partner to NPL value of ~£300K, co-I.
• 2015-2018 EU Horizon 20:20 BACI: Detecting changes in essential ecosystem and biodiversity properties – towards a Biosphere Atmosphere Change Index (BACI), €3.3M total, consortium of 10 partners; UCL component €246, PI.
• 2014-2018 EU FP7 QA4ECV: Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables, €5M total, UCL component €440K (shared between MSSL: €312K and Geog €127K).
• NERC Capital Award: Terrestrial laser scanner, £117K.
• 2013-2017 NERC GREENHOUSE: Generating Regional Emissions Estimates with a Novel
  Hierarchy of Observations and Upscaled Simulation Experiments, £156K from £2.5M total consortium, led by Edinburgh Geosciences (NE/K002554/1).
• 2012-2016: NERC PhD CASE studentship with EADS Astrium, Quantifying forest state and degradation: exploiting new lidar measurements (~£100k), PI.
• 2011-2013: ESA 3DVegLab: A 3D modelling tool for simulating remote sensing observations (€70K).
• 2009-2010: ESA ASCOPE: Simulating the reflectivity of spaceborne LIDAR (€100K).
• 2008-2012: PI in rebid for carbon component of NERC National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO), NE/F001444/1.
• 2007-2010: NERC PhD studentship, with CTCD and UKPopnet, including £10k funding for fieldwork and data
• 2007-2010: European Science Foundation ATANS (Abisko Transnational Researcher) travel funding (£6K).
• 2006-2009: Arctic Biosphere-Atmosphere Coupling across multiple Scales (ABACUS), NERC Consortium project, £205K.
• 2004-2007: NERC Capital Equipment Grant: "ASD Spectroradiometer" £78K
• 2004-2007: Associate co-I: NERC Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation "The Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics", £2.25M (UCL protion approx £450K)

Data funding/Science Teams:

• 2007+: ESA PI (ABACUS project)
• 2000+: CHRIS-PROBA
• 2000+: Multiple NERC ARSF acquisitions

 

 

Impact

My research in recent years has involved funding and collaboration across a range of sources and disciplines, including UK research councils, NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), EU, as well as NGOs and other organisations. The research has been part of work contributing to provision of information on global environmental processes, particularly vegetation and the land surface more generally, that has been used nationally and internationally to inform government and agency activities. Examples of this include: development and testing of global satellite datasets such as albedo, provided by NASA and ESA and used by a wide variety of government, NGO and other users such as the Met Office and ECMWF; development of new methods for monitoring change (particularly fire impacts) and forest carbon stocks eg for NGOs, African National Parks agencies (Gabon, S. Africa). Work on albedo has featured in the IPCC AR4 (2007) and AR5 (2013).

 

My terrestrial lidar work is being used by space agencies (NASA, ESA) as part of calibration/validation of new space-based estimates of forest biomass and C stocks. The approach I have developed is cited by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) as a transformative approach in their Good Practice Guidelines to national Greenhouse Gas reporting (IPCC GPG GHG reporting 2019, Chapter 2, Volume 4 https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp). The IPCC emphasises that adoption of transparent and reliable forest biomass estimation will be key to effective forest carbon accounting for the COP21 Paris Agreement. I have helped develop a new way to look at urban trees and so-called ‘urban forests’ for the public, policymakers and other organisations such as local charities and NGOs with interests in urban greening. This work involves collaboration with local government tree officers, the GLA and Forestry England (formerly the UK Forestry Commission), NGOs and charities among others. The 2019 Friends of the Earth campaign to double UK tree cover by 2030, More Trees Please, featured a filmed section where I talk about how we can better measure and value trees. My lidar work has featured in various television documentaries including BBC films The Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor, Life and Death On Your Lawn, and Dame Judi Dench: My Passion for Trees. I have given invited talks on this work in a wide range of public settings including primary and secondary schools, policy makers, planners etc.

I have led various consultancy projects through UCL, working with a range of industrial partners including via collaborative PhD research funding, enabling development of new remote sensing methods and instrumentation, particularly lidar. I have sat on government panels assessing government funding in environmental science for a range of agencies including NERC, NASA, ESA, the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland and the Australian National Research Council, among others.

 

Outreach

I have participated and/or led a number of activities to bring the work I do to the wider public, as well as trying to promote interest in science topics more generally. I have been involved in two Royal Society Summer Exhibitions, contributed material on forests, fire and carbon to the NERC representative (Prof. Shaun Quegan) presenting examples of NERC-funded environmental science to the Parliamentary Committee on Science and Technology. I have been involved in in Network for Calibration and Validation of Earth Observation Data (NERC Knowledge Transfer project) and wider international CEOS Working Group on Calibration and Validation activities (e.g. lead of core MODIS validation site in UK, http://landval.gsfc.nasa.gov/coresite.php?SiteID=6; co-lead of CEO LPV subgroup on biomass). I regularly give lectures to schools across a range of age groups (from 11 to 18), focusing on topics of carbon, forests and climate change. I have given live presentations to children via virtual learning environments (see

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1101/11011001) and I have written for national school publications on these same topics. My lidar scanning work has featured in a number of recent documentaries, including the award-winning Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor; and Life and Death on Your Lawn.

I maintain a blog of my lidar activities http://disneytls.blogspot.co.uk and I am active on twiiter as @mathiasdisney

 

I teach a range of undergraduate and Masters-level courses covering remote sensing, modelling, measurement and applications, as well as more generally on the philosophy of science and scientific method. Full details are on the UCL moodle pages.

 

Graduate courses

Background reading (and guide to mathematical requirements) for potential MSc Students

Plagiarism notes: Guidelines and regulations on plagiarism for UCL Geography Physical MSc Students

 

Current PhD students

2019-current: Wanxin Yang, New ways to exploit 3D terrestrial lidar for forest structure and function

2018-current: Chiara Aquino, Univ of Edinburgh, joint supervision with Dr. Ed Mitchard and Dr. Steve Hancock.

2015-current: James Brennan (2nd supervisor): New approaches to monitoring and quantifying fire impacts from Earth Observation, supervised by Prof. P. Lewis; funded by NCEO.

Previous PhD students

2015-2019: Matheus Boni Vicari: Ecological applications of wood-leaf separation from terrestrial lidar; funded by Brazilian Govt. Students Without Borders studentship.

2014-2018: Jennifer Adams

Topic: Standards for the validation of geophysical remote sensing products; EU studentship, in conjunction with JRC Ispra (Nadine Gobron lead supervisor).

2012-2016: Andrew Burt

Topic: Quantifying forest state and degradation: exploiting new measurements and models. NERC CASE studentship, in conjunction with EADS Astrium. Co-supervisors: Prof. P. Lewis and Prof. S. Lewis (both UCL).

2012-2016: Charlotte Wheeler (2nd supervisor)

Topic: Designing Tropical Forests of the Future to mitigate Climate Change. NERC CASE studentship in conjunction with Permian, supervised by Prof. S. Lewis (UCL).

2007-2011: Natasha Macbean
Topic: Monitoring and modelling vegetation response under catchment-scale treatment regimes using Earth Observation (EO) data. Joint CTCD/UKPopnet studentship. Co-supervisor: Prof. Phil Ineson, University of York.

2006-2010: Steven Hancock: CASE studentship. Co-supervisor with Prof. P. Lewis and Prof. P. Muller.

Additional: supervisory role/input in various other PhD studentships including: Dr. John Armston (Univ of Queensland, Australia), Dr. Will Woodgate (Univ. of Melboure, Australia).

2005-2009: Martin DeKauwe
Topic: Data assimilation: Integrating EO data into ecosystem models
Co-supervisor with Prof. P. Lewis (UCL), Prof. M. Williams (Edinburgh) and Prof. S. Evans (Forest Research).

MSc students

Many (2005-present, not a full list and in no particular order) across MSc Remote Sensing and Environmental Mapping, MSc Remote Sensing, MSc Environmental Mapping, MSc Conservation, MSc Climate Change: Ben Grundy, Lena Weissert, Jacques Malaprade, Sam Fleming, Vasilios Kalogirou, Louise Ireland, Ruth Boogert, Martin Vickers, Niall Origo, Will Vincent, Alasdair Hitchens, Jennifer Adams, Lin Guo, Meng Yu, Chloe Fletcher, Sicong Tang, Xingbei Guo, Wanxin Yang, Oliver Baines, Yuchen Guo etc.