VIC tech night: Current and future trends in spectral and remote sensing geology

Title: Current and future trends in spectral and remote sensing geology

Speaker: Dr. Rob Hewson

Date & Time: Tuesday the 9th of May from 1800

Location: The Kelvin Club, 14-30 Melbourne Place Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-victoria-technical-meeting-night-tickets-623549702947

Abstract: The recently deployed or planned hyperspectral satellite VNIR-SWIR sensors (e.g., Italian PRISMA, German EnMAP, Japanese HISUI, US-NASA SBG) are a new development in geological remote sensing. These advances signal a major leap, providing a wealth of new global surface mineral related imagery for exposed arid to semi-arid areas. Such new sensors follow the continuing extensive resource of archived and currently acquired imagery from multi-spectral satellite VNIR-SWIR/TIR sensors, including NASA’s / METI’s ASTER, Maxar’s WorldView-3 and ESA’s Sentinel-2. This presentation includes mineral mapping examples from the Northern Territory Jervois Mineral and the Namibian Haib Cu Porphyry Prospects, utilizing the ASTER, WorldView-3 and Sentinel-2 sensors as well as from the new hyperspectral PRISMA instrument. Relevant factors in the application for exploration include their obvious surface mapping nature, as well as the sensors’ spectral / spatial resolutions, and their SNR affecting their ability to correct for atmospheric effects.

Speaker bio: Dr Rob Hewson graduated with BSc(Hons) in geophysics at Melbourne University and worked from 1982 to 1989 at Shell Australia. After a MSc in geophysics at Macquarie University he undertook a PhD within geological remote sensing at UNSW. During his PhD he was a part-time geophysicist for the NSWGS's Discovery 2000 project, followed by CSIRO Exploration and Mining Division 1998 – 2010 undertaking research in remote sensing. In particular his research focussed on the mineral spectroscopy and geological case studies of ASTER satellite and HyMap airborne imagery.

From 2010, he subsequently consulted for the NSW, Tasmanian Geological Surveys and also the DSTO Defence while also a research fellow and casual lecturer at RMIT University. He was appointed Assistant Professor between 2016 – 2019 at University of Twente, The Netherlands. He currently works from Central Victoria, as a geological consultant specialising in remote sensing, integrating both spectral geology and regional geophysics.

Note: Light refreshments will be served at this event.