Our Lab

BEN STEER

Ben is a remote sensing scientist from New Zealand who holds  a Master of Science in Geography from the University of Auckland in 2021. His thesis explored the use of remote sensing to detect the impacts of typhoons on atoll island vegetation in the Federated States of Micronesia.

After completing his degrees, he joined Scion, a forest research institute based in Rotorua, New Zealand. While at Scion, he contributed to the development of a deep learning-based model for detecting plantation forest boundaries in aerial imagery across New Zealand. Additionally, he worked on projects integrating various remote sensing datasets to detect forest disease and monitor invasive species, mapped the carbon sequestration potential of plantation species, and applied LiDAR to predict individual tree height, diameter, and volume, among many other initiatives.  

In 2024, he relocated to Darwin, Australia, joining the Northern Territory Government to use satellite imagery for mapping land clearing activities across the Territory. He has since moved to Townsville, where he currently contributes his skills to the development of the Global Ecosystems Atlas.

Email: benjamin.steer@jcu.edu.au

Scholar: Google Scholar link

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8242-8358

Office: The Science Place (142) Level 2. College of Science and Engineering, Bebegu Yumba Campus, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.

LinkedIn: Ben Steer