Jenna Guffogg
Geospatial scientist
Current Research
My current research investigates the use of remote sensing technologies including RGB drones, hand held spectroradiometers and multispectral satellites for detecting marine plastic debris found on remote shorelines, like tropical islands and regional Australia.
Being remote doesn't protect these places from pollution; despite small populations (or being completely uninhabited), large amounts of plastic accumulate in these areas thanks to ocean currents. This debris presents a threat to both the environment and local eco-tourism.
In order to create a global marine debris early detection system, ground data must be collected, and satellite imagery needs to be validated. We do this through the collection of spectral data from field sites like the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The data collected from these sites can inform the scientific community on detection limits, spectral separability and detection accuracy.
Awards & achievements
Front cover article for Remote Sensing November 2021 issue
2021
MDPI Remote Sensing Cover image finalist
2021
Vice Chancellor's List award for academic excellence
2018
RMIT commendation for academic excellence
2016, 2017, 2018
RMIT sustainability ambassador
2017
Qualifications
PhD - Geospatial Science
Joint Degree University of Twente Netherlands, RMIT University AU
- Researching the use of remote sensing technologies for the detection and quantification of marine plastic debris on remote coastlines
- Organised fieldwork to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and ran data collection by a team of volunteers
- Demonstrated the use of spectral remote sensing for detecting in-situ plastic debris on beaches
- Remote sensing at varying spatial scales; proximal, UAV, satellites
- Presented findings at
- European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories symposium 2021, Warsaw, Poland
- Malaysia – Australia Dialogue Series on Combating Marine Plastic Pollution 2022
- 7th International Marine Debris Conference 2022, Busan, South Korea
Masters of Applied Science (Geospatial Science)
RMIT University, 2016-2018
- Assessed the accuracy of two large-scale Australian logging products produced from different datasets, determining their spatial accuracies and sources of error
- Identified the influence of large-scale bushfires on the accuracy of random forest based maps derived from Landsat time-series
- Recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s List award for academic excellence
Bachelor of Science, Honours (Geoscience)
Monash University, 2009-2013
- A petrological and mineralogical framework for establishing PGE mineralisation at Owendale, NSW
- Mapped the geological structure of the Owendale intrusion
