McGill University

Published purpose

The Research component of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Class Grant and Contribution Program to support Research, Awareness and Learning in Space Science and Technology provides financial support to organizations to conduct space related research and development in priority areas. It will support targeted knowledge development and innovation to sustain and enhance the Canadian capacity to use space to address national needs and priorities in the future. The Announcement of opportunity “ Flights for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST)” aims at: - Fostering the continuing development of a critical mass of researchers and HQP by providing a training ground for both the current and next generation of scientists and engineers; - Supporting the development of science and technology relevant to the priorities of the CSA through the use of research platforms including stratospheric balloons, aircraft, sounding rockets, nanosatellites, cubesats, ground-based facilities and field sites. More specifically, this project is entitled “Estimating the carbon sequestration potential of four Costa Rican ecosystems from airborne hyperspectral imagery in support of REDDplus activities”: Airborne hyperspectral imagery is a promising tool for estimating the aboveground biomass carbon in tropical ecosystems in support of national monitoring efforts for the UN REDD+ program; (The United Nations Collaborative Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries). As the first carbon neutral airborne mission in Costa Rica, the objective of this project is to set a precedent in training geospatial ecologists in airborne remote sensing and scaling up to satellite platforms.