New Study Demonstrates How NASA Hyperspectral Imaging and Machine Learning Can Transform Biodiversity Management in California

by Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
July 27, 2026

SIPA’s Sara Tjossem – along with MPA-ESP 2024 alumni Anna Veldman, Saiarchana Darira, Christina Van Dyke, and Radhika Ajayan – are among the coauthors of a new paper, “Applying machine learning to biodiversity management: Lessons from two California biodiversity hotspots,” published in Ecosphere.

The project created hands-on training opportunities for MPA-ESP students, who cowrote the paper as an independent study with Tjossem. The research reveals how advanced hyperspectral remote sensing and machine learning can equip land managers with powerful, data-driven tools to prioritize restoration and monitor ecosystem health over time.

Keep reading: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/news/new-study-demonstrates-how-nasa-hyperspectral-imaging-and-machine-learning-can-transform

Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70709