Join the Geospatial Forum for a presentation by Jason J. Roberts, a research associate at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab at Duke University. Roberts' presentation is titled "From Software Distribution to Species Distribution: An Engineer's Journey Into Marine Spatial Ecology." DelWayne Bohnenstiehl, a professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and a Center for Geospatial Analytics faculty fellow, will host the forum.

Species distribution models increasingly drive regulatory and policy decisions for the ocean by providing data needed to balance ecological and economic priorities. This trend will only accelerate as additional satellites and drones come online, providing new modes of remote sensing and ever-expanding coverage. In this talk, Roberts will discuss his career transition from a software engineer focused on operating system development to a marine ecologist who specializes in modeling spatial distributions of marine megafauna. Roberts will describe what he does, what he’s learned on this journey so far and how he thinks the field will continue to develop.