Frost / Geol 505

Eric Frost is working within the realm of Earth Systems Science to develop web-based modules on Remote Sensing and its application to problems in regions such as Central Asia and the Middle East. The amounts of imagery available for the world are staggering, as is the processing capability in a few places. This project is an effort to use NPACI-type resources to develop collaborative interaction between multiple groups working on similar problems. The ability of SDSU students to learn Remote Sensing of Earth Systems in the context of collaborative work with their peers in Geol. 505 (undergraduate Remote Sensing and Photogeology class) should be significantly enhanced by work with the EdCenter Faculty Fellows program. Specifically, a paradigm of collaborative learning is being developed with fellow students, people living within the areas being imaged, and experts at NASA or SDSC. One of the major hurdles for such interaction is obtaining sufficient bandwidth for transferring large files on an interactive basis. New technologies to greatly increase bandwidth, such as that of SilkRoad, Inc., are being studied to determine how they will make possible a new paradigm of distributed archiving of data, collaborative processing, and districuted learning on a global basis. The goal of the project is to develop techniques and models for how learning communities can utilize NPACI-style resources on a global scale.

Prof. Eric G. Frost
Geological Sciences
San Diego State Univ.
San Diego, CA 92182

Director, Central Asia Research and Remediation Exchange