Dr. Bo Yang

Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor
Holding an interdisciplinary background with a Mathematics (BA), Computer Science (MS), GIS and Geography(PhD), Dr. Yang’s research is pioneering in its focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and UAV/Drone mapping for environmental research. Our research has been support from NSF, NASA, USDOT, and Cal Fire, include the NSF’s Build and Broaden, IUCRC, REU, and START programs.

Xiangyu Ren

Postdoctoral fellow
Xiangyu Ren is a multidisciplinary geographer with a passion for GeoAI and remote sensing. She gained her Ph.D in environmental science, and now she is currently pursuing the master’s degree in Geography with a concentration in Geographic Information Systems at San Jose State University. Also, Xiangyu is a certificated drone pilot. Applying her multidisciplinary knowledge and skills in geospatial analysis, she contributes in various projects involving crime prediction, wildfire management, and ecological consulting.

Henri Brillon

Graduate Research assistant
Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in geography, Henri is interested in remote sensing applications and GIS with regards to environmental and physical topics. His involvement with coastal eelgrass mapping and home ignition zone assessments for wildfire prevention reflect these goals. With nearly a decade of advertising experience under his belt, as well as a love for music and the outdoors, Henri is a true multidisciplinarian.

Jeff Wootton

Graduate Research Assistant
Graduated with BA from UCSC, currently enrolled at SJSU obtaining MS in GISc and GIS advanced certification. Working with Dr. Yang in Geofly Lab focused on drone remote sensing to study coastal seagrass diseases. Also researching environmental issues faced by unhoused populations living in urban areas using GIS

Tou-in Kwan

Graduate Research Assistant (NSF Build and Broaden)
Tou is currently a graduate student at San Jose State University pursuing his Master degree in Geography. He also has a background in Urban Planning and is interested in Environmental Planning. Tou was introduced to drone mapping last year and has been passionate about it ever since. He recently participated in the West Coast Seagrass Mapping Project and is currently responsible for drone imagery analysis. Tou also serves as a teaching assistant in a graduate-level Urban Planning course, where he applies his knowledge to help fellow students

Boyao Huang

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Boyao is currently an undergraduate student at San Jose State University in Data Science major. Boyao is interested in the intersection of geography and computer science. He is involved in the Seagrass Drone Vision team, which is currently studying the application of machine learning-based image recognition to seagrass images taken by drones. Boyao is also responsible for the construction of the Geofly Lab website.

Past Lab Members

Owen Hussey, 2024 M.A. in Geography
Melanie Morales, 2023 M.A. in Geography
My-Thu Tran, 2022 M.A. in Geography
Ian Cook, 2024 NSF Build and Broaden research assistant
Jannike Allen, 2024 NSF Build and Broaden research assistant
Hao Lan, 2024 NSF Build and Broaden research assistant
Ashley Niemand, 2024 NSF Build and Broaden research assistant
Shaylie Lozinto, 2024 NSF Build and Broaden research assistant
Jack Stevens, 2024 NASA-FireSage Summer Intern
Sofia Silva, 2024 NASA-FireSage Summer Intern
Zachary Ho, 2024 NASA-FireSage Summer Intern
Gisele Antunes, 2024 NASA-FireSage Summer Intern
Charlotte Higbie, 2024 NASA-FireSage Summer Intern
Melina Kompella, 2023 NSF-START research assistant
Alexis Herb, 2023 NSF-START research assistant
Devin Jones, 2023 NSF-START research assistant
William Lee, 2023 NSF-START research assistant
Jessica Reimann, 2023 SJSU-Levelup Summer intern
Bryan Malone, 2022 SJSU-Levelup Summer intern