Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group

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Welcome to the NTSG

The Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group (NTSG) operates as a Research Center of Excellence under the University of Montana (UM) Office of Research & Creative Scholarship. Founded in 1987 within the UM College of Forestry & Conservation, NTSG is a nexus for UM research and technology development in satellite remote sensing and Earth system science. Our primary mission is to advance knowledge of ecosystem structure, function & resiliency through emerging technologies in remote sensing & computational modeling, grounded in the biophysical sciences. Our facilities are located on the 4th floor of the Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISB) on the UM campus.

Recent Science Highlights

NTSG research scientist Dr. Arthur K. Endsley is the Principal Investigator of a new NASA-funded computational climate-science curriculum. Image from, Mr. Djamel S. AKLI

Arthur Endsley heads NASA Open Science Project at University of Montana

NTSG Research Scientist Arthur Endsley was selected for funding by NASA TOPS Training program.  Dr. Endsley will develop a computational climate-science curriculum for professional researchers interested in using NASA's gridded climate datasets to understand how climate change is affecting agriculture, healthy soils, and water resources.
Landscape Explorer Factsheet

New Landscape Explorer tool released to assist natural resource conservation in the western US

The NTSG is excited to share a new resource with the GIS community and natural resource managers: historical aerial imagery spanning 17 western states, all available completely free at LandscapeExplorer.org
midnight sun shines across sea ice along the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, on July 22, 2017. DAVID GOLDMAN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Warming temperatures are turning permafrost regions into carbon sinks, research suggests

NTSG Director Kimball was interviewed for an article discussing a recent publication that suggests that carbon sinks are forming in permafrost regions due to warming temperatures. The article written by Nathan Vanderklippe appeared on The Globe and Mail website on April 13, 2023.

NTSG Data Products

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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. Access our data through the Projects and Data page.


Research Students

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 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 additional information on:

Alaska CALM Students working on sensor

NTSG in the News

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