The Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group (NTSG) is operated as a Center of Excellence under the Vice President of Research at the University of Montana. We serve as a focal point for UM research and technology development in satellite remote sensing and Earth system science through extramural research, science leadership and training.We are a leader in the development and application of satellite remote sensing for global environmental assessment and monitoring, pioneering the use of computationalecology and remote sensing for quantifying environmental change and ecosystem properties. Our primary mission is to develop capabilities to quantitatively describe the structure and function of ecosystems from regional to global scales using emerging technologies in satellite remote sensing, computational modeling and biophysical theory.Our group consists of ~20 personnel, including research faculty, PhD level research scientists, graduate research assistants, office and technical support staff. Our core office facilities are located on the 4th floor of the Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISB) on the UM campus.

Recent Publications

NTSG researchers generate yearly over 20 peer-reviewed publications which receive over 7,500 citations during that same period. Above is a map of the distribution of downloaded publications over the last 5 years. Below are links to some our most recent publications.

• Integrating snow science and wildlife ecology in Arctic-boreal North America
  
• A methodology to derive global maps of leaf traits using remote sensing and climate data
• Innovation in rangeland monitoring: annual, 30 m, plant functional type percent cover maps for U.S. rangelands
• Global Estimation of Biophysical Variables from Google Earth Engine Platform
• Global satellite retrievals of the near-surface atmospheric vapor pressure deficit from AMSR-E and AMSR2

NTSG Data Products

NTSG supports several NASA satellite Earth missions and is a leader in developing operational algorithms, data products and science applications for these missions. We are a NASA Earth Science Information Partner(ESIP), developer and repository for a variety of global land data products from satellite Earth missions, including MODIS (MOD16/17) vegetation productivity and evapotranspiration, AMSR land parameters, and SMAP (L4C) carbon flux products. Below are quick links to some of our more popular data products:

• MODIS mod17
• biome-bgc
• SMAP
• landsat NDVI

NTSG teaching/instruction emphasizes research training for postdocs and GRAs in the skills needed to become effective research scientists in ecological remote sensing and modeling. These skills include writing competitive research proposals; writing and publishing research papers in the peer-reviewed literature; application of geospatial software and computer programming for processing and analyzing large global satellite datasets; management of interdisciplinary research projects and field campaigns. We provide our GRAs and postdoctoral scholars with state-of-the-art remote sensing data and science computing facilities; opportunities for travel, science leadership and networking, and presenting their work at national and international workshops.

For aditional information on:

• GRAs email NTSG at info@ntsg.umt.edu
• Postdoc applications are found on the NTSG Jobs page
• Current class information is found at the NTSG Teaching page

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