Chris Gray

Instructor/Research Assistant in School of Environment and Geomatics

Credentials:Computer Information Systems Diploma (Langara), ADGIS (Selkirk), BGIS (Selkirk)

Room VALH
Direct: 250.304.6525
Tel: 250.365.7292 Ext. 525

email

Areas of Expertise

• Web-based cartography and distributed GIS applications development
• Geomatic applications and analyses in social and natural sciences
• Community asset mapping and public participation GIS
• Data management
• Spatial fragmentation
• 3D modeling and visualization
• GIS modeling and customization

Bio

Chris Gray is an Instructor with Selkirk College's School of Renewable Resources and Research Assistant with the . He has academic training in computer science and geospatial technologies. His experience is in community asset, socio-economic and resource-based mapping and analyses. He has built his social development-based GIS experience in working with social-economic and community mapping with the in collaboration with Human Early Learning Partnership and Understanding the Early Years programs. Chris' specialities lies within resource-based GPS surveying and internet mapping applications. He had developed various web mapping services through various research projects using ESRI, Geocortex and Google web mapping technologies. Other research experience includes using spatial statistics to evaluate landscape pattern metrics from remotely sensed imagery on Vancouver Island. Chris also has expertise in 3D visualization and modeling using various software for the development of 3D models, terrain fly-overs and landscape visualizations. Chris has specific expertise in utilizing ArcGIS Desktop, PCI Geomatica, Oracle, ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE, ArcIMS, FME, Google Earth and other.

Hobbies and Interests

While not in the classroom or the SGRC working passionately with all things geospatial, Chris enjoys most of all the endless outdoor recreational pursuits throughout the Kootenays and beyond. Such focused activities include whitewater kayaking, backcountry and resort snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking and motorcycle adventure riding.

Memorable Moment at Selkirk College

Research and Recent Activities

• Internet mapping development and administration for Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, City of Rossland, Kootenay Spatial Data Partnership, Columbia Basin Watershed Network, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program's Biodiversity Atlas and the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.  These web mapping services have provided access to a large variety geospatial and attribute data to the public in an easy to interpret format.  The information has allowed end users to visualize data not otherwise possible and make informed decisions in many aspects of planning and resource management.  The sites can be viewed from the links above or the complete listing here.

• Community asset socio-economic mapping and spatial analyses focused towards early childhood and family development for the Boundary region under the umbrella research network of Human Early Learning Partnership (www.earlylearning.ubc.ca).  This project was sponsored by Ministry of Children and Family Developments’ Make Children First Initiative and involved multi-discipline coordination including School District 51, Public Health and regional public service providers.  The work helped public service facilitators identify ‘vulnerable’ children and their locations correlating to ‘at risk’ conditions and where existing services and gaps exist with communities.  This research emphasized public awareness and involvement while establishing strong relationships in efforts to mobilize the communities.

• Watershed management mapping and analyses for a number of watershed groups throughout the Canadian Columbia Basin. This work has allowed smaller conservation and community outreach groups with limited resources to gain geographic knowledge and context of various watershed which they are functioning to sustain, enhance, restore, manage, etc.  It has empowered the groups to a large degree and allowed effective management and public awareness campaigns to be successful.  Some of the many maps produced for various sub-projects are shown on the following web site:  http://www.sgrc.selkirk.ca/cbwn_gis/CBWN_geomatics.htm.  This ongoing project has been made possible in partnership with the  Columbia Basin Trust Water Inititiatives Program and the Colubmia Basin Watershed Network.  

• Cartographic and 3D geovisualizations production for Virtual Museum of Canada as described below:
  
  • Balance of Power - Hydroelectric Development in Southestern BC - produced pre-dam water levels dataset and maps for the Canadian Columbia Basin.  These maps helped visualize the significant landscape changes in relation to the Columbia River Treaty dams and other projects through-out the region. 
  • Dewdney Trail - 3D modeling and profiling for the Nelson Museum and Kootenay Virtual Museum in partnership with the Virtual Museum of Canada.  Development of several virtual fly-throughs were created for using leading edge terrain visualization software to provide a dirynamic 3D views of geographic information for the historical Dewdney Trail (circa 1865) and surrounding area.  Elevation profiles as well as orientation maps were also produced and have been incorporated into an interactive, online exhibit showcase on Virtual Museum of Canada’s website.  

• Developed composite land cover metrics and maps of Vancouver Island used for landscape pattern analyses (focusing on spatial fragmentation) in collaboration with UBC for the federal Earth Observation for Sustainable Development of Forests project which was funded by the Canadian Space Agency and Canadian Forest Service.  Landscape metrics and pattern analysis is an important way of deriving information on broad-scale land cover patterns and trends. Of particular importance are changes in land cover types that result as a consequence of human disturbances such as forest management. Vancouver Island is a land mass that has undergone much forest management and other human disturbances, and this contribution provided an excellent opportunity to understand trends in land cover changes. In particular, this research project utilized Landsat imagery and corresponding fragmentation data for analyzing spatial patterns resulting from clear-cut logging in relation to watershed networks for Vancouver Island.  FragStats was used in conjunction with ArcGIS to provide useful statistical data from categorical map patterns.

 

 

• Web Content Submission