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Dr Pascal Sirguey

Staff_PascalSirguey

MSc (École Centrale De Lyon) PhD (Otago)

Email: pascal.sirguey@otago.ac.nz
Phone: +64 (0)3 479 7698
Room: Surveying building, 1st floor, Room 115

Profile

Senior Lecturer

I teach and conduct research in areas of remote sensing, photogrammetry, and spatial analysis. In 2001 I obtained a diploma of multidisciplinary engineering majoring in mechanical engineering and structure dynamics from the École Centrale de Lyon in France. I started my career as a research engineer with a manufacturer of aircraft engines. I then became a chief project manager for a famous watch manufacturer in Switzerland.

In 2005, following a unique one-year experience in New Zealand, where as a research assistant I discovered the science of remote sensing, I decided to reconsider my career and completed a PhD with the School of Surveying. I joined the School's academic team in early 2008.

Teaching

Research interests

Research Themes (Disciplines)

Pascal is also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies

Projects

Some current projects

Some completed projects

Supervision

Current research students

PhD
  • Todd Redpath (2015-), PhD, “A multi-scale approach to assess the four-dimensional (4D) distribution of snow water equivalent (SWE) in complex terrain in New Zealand.” (primary supervisor)
MSc / MSurv / MAppSc
  • Angus Dawson (2016-), MSc, “Detecting impurities signal on glacier surface with MODIS.”  (supervisor)
  • Kerryn Little (2016-), MSc, "Linkage between glacier retreat and climate change." (supervisor)
  • Chris Page (2016-), MSurv, “Registration and Georeferencing of Terrestrial Laser Scanning.” (primary supervisor)
  • Mike McConachie (2015-), MAppSc, “Random forest learning-based classification of ultra-high resolution imagery of coastal dunes at Mason Bay, Stewart Island.” (primary supervisor)
  • Holly Still (2013-), MSc, “Remote sensing of albedo on Brewster Glacier with MODIS data.” (primary supervisor)

Recent research students

  • Kambiz Borma (submitted), PhD, “Geographic Vector Agents from Pixels to Intelligent Processing Units.” (supervisor)
  • Alec Geddes (2015), MSc, “Characterisation of the dynamic of Tasman Glacier surface elevation change from repeated ASTER DEMs.” (primary supervisor)
  • Cliff Patterson (submitted), PhD, “Agricultural intensification and soil quality change in the New River Lagoon Watershed, Belize.” (supervisor)
  • Amanda Goh (2014), BSc Hnr, “An Assessment of Snow and Cloud Cover on Kilimanjaro using MODIS Satellite Imagery.” (supervisor)
  • Rosie Wood (2013), PGDipSc, “Modeling Ice Retreat on Kilimanjaro Using GIS.” (primary supervisor)
  • Sebastian Vivero (2013), MSc, “Mass balance of Tasman glacier derived from photogrammetry.” (primary supervisor)
  • Todd Redpath (2011), MSc, “Utilising optical satellite imagery to derive multi-temporal flow fields for the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand.” (supervisor)
  • Joshua Columbus (2011), BSurv Hons, “Improvement of a Digital Elevation Models (DEM) representation of terrain using fractal interpolation techniques.” (primary supervisor)
  • Neil Bates (2011), BSurv Hons, “A quantitative comparison of terrestrial laser scanning and the Areoscan photogrammetry system.” (primary supervisor)
  • Abraham Growcott (2010), MSc, “Size measurement of sperm whales using photogrammetry methods.” (supervisor)
  • Delia Strong (2008), MSc, “Patterns and processes of ice loss at Tasman Glacier: an evaluation using historic data sources and remotely sensed imagery.” (supervisor)

Responsibilities

University

  • Board of Studies of Applied Science (2013)
  • Board of Studies for the Ecology Major (2008-2010)

School

  • School of Surveying representative to the
     Australasian Spatial Information Education and Research Association (ASIERA)
  • School of Surveying Postgraduate and Research Committee (2011-)
  • School of Surveying Marketing Committee (2013-)
  • Chair of the Survey School Web Committee (2010-2013)
  • School of Surveying Undergraduate Committee (2009)
  • Manager of the Spatial Ecology Research Facility (SERF) (2008-2013)

Professional activities

Awards and achievements

  • Australia and Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards (APSEA), Finalist “Education & Professional Development”, 2015
  • New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards (NZSEA), Winner “Education & Professional Development”, 2014
  • Young Mountain Cartographer Award, International Cartographic Association, 2014
  • Exceptional Thesis Award, University of Otago, 2010
  • Geoscience & Remote Sensing Society, IGARSS Travel Grant Award, 2009
  • Royal Society of New Zealand, Charles Fleming Fund Travel Award, 2009
  • Education New Zealand - New Zealand Postgraduate Study Abroad Awards (NZPSAA), 2007

Memberships

  • New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, 2014-
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2011-
  • Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), 2009-2014
  • Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2008-2014
  • Contributing member of the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS), 2006-,
    www.glims.org
  • Snow and Ice Research Group (SIRG), 2006
    www.sirg.org.nz)
  • Member of Catchment Otago, 2015-,
    catchmentsotago.org
  • Member of the Polar Environment Research Theme (PE), 2010-,
    polarresearch.otago.ac.nz

Editorial / refereeing

Remote Sensing of Environment (Elsevier), IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (JSTARS), International Journal of Remote Sensing (Taylor & Francis), ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (Elsevier), Journal of Glaciology, Annals of Glaciology, Journal of Hydrology (NZ), Journal of Geodetic Science, New Zealand Geographer, Antarctic Sciences, The Cryosphere, PloS One.
IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS’08, ’09), Research@Locate (2014, 2015, 2016), GeoCart (2010, 2012, 2014), Mountain Cartography Workshop (2012), Spatial Information Research Conference (SIRC 2013), AfricaGEO 2014, Earthquake Commission, Biennial Contestable Grants Programme (2014).

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Publications

Eberhard, L. A., Sirguey, P., Miller, A., Marty, M., Schindler, K., Stoffel, A., & Bühler, Y. (2021). Intercomparison of photogrammetric platforms for spatially continuous snow depth mapping. Cryosphere, 15, 69-94. doi: 10.5194/tc-15-69-2021

Dowson, A. J., Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. J. (2020). Variability in glacier albedo and links to annual mass balance for the gardens of Eden and Allah, Southern Alps, New Zealand. Cryosphere, 14, 3425-3448. doi: 10.5194/tc-14-3425-2020

Redpath, T., Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. (2020). Resolving and recreating the spatial structure of snow depth with high resolution surface models and regression trees. Proceedings of the New Zealand Snow & Ice Research Group (SIRG) Annual Meeting. (pp. 24). Retrieved from https://sirg.org.nz

Prince, H., Cullen, N., Gibson, P., Conway, J., Kingston, D., & Sirguey, P. (2020). Glacial mass balance and atmospheric rivers: Categorizing the occurrence of extreme alpine weather events. Proceedings of the New Zealand Snow & Ice Research Group (SIRG) Annual Meeting. (pp. 22). Retrieved from https://sirg.org.nz

Cullen, N. J., Gibson, P. B., Mölg, T., Conway, J. P., Sirguey, P., & Kingston, D. G. (2019). The influence of weather systems in controlling mass balance in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124, 4514-4529. doi: 10.1029/2018JD030052

Chapter in Book - Research

Sirguey, P. (2013). Photogrammetry and remote sensing: 'Non tanquam pictor, sed tanquam mathematicus'. In M. Strack (Ed.), Survey marks. (pp. 135-144). Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Surveying, University of Otago & the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors.

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Journal - Research Article

Eberhard, L. A., Sirguey, P., Miller, A., Marty, M., Schindler, K., Stoffel, A., & Bühler, Y. (2021). Intercomparison of photogrammetric platforms for spatially continuous snow depth mapping. Cryosphere, 15, 69-94. doi: 10.5194/tc-15-69-2021

Dowson, A. J., Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. J. (2020). Variability in glacier albedo and links to annual mass balance for the gardens of Eden and Allah, Southern Alps, New Zealand. Cryosphere, 14, 3425-3448. doi: 10.5194/tc-14-3425-2020

Cullen, N. J., Gibson, P. B., Mölg, T., Conway, J. P., Sirguey, P., & Kingston, D. G. (2019). The influence of weather systems in controlling mass balance in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124, 4514-4529. doi: 10.1029/2018JD030052

Salinger, M. J., Renwick, J., Behrens, E., Mullan, A. B., Diamond, H. J., Sirguey, P., Smith, R. O., … Cullen, N. J., Fitzharris, B. B., Hepburn, C. D., … Sutton, P. J. (2019). The unprecedented coupled ocean-atmosphere summer heatwave in the New Zealand region 2017/18: Drivers, mechanisms and impacts. Environmental Research Letters, 14(4). doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab012a

Redpath, T. A. N., Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. J. (2019). Characterising spatio-temporal variability in seasonal snow cover at a regional scale from MODIS data: The Clutha Catchment, New Zealand. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences, 23, 3189-3217. doi: 10.5194/hess-23-3189-2019

Revuelto, J., Lecourt, G., Lafaysse, M., Zin, I., Charrois, L., Vionnet, V., … Sirguey, P. (2018). Multi-criteria evaluation of snowpack simulations in complex alpine terrain using satellite and in situ observations. Remote Sensing, 10(8), 1171. doi: 10.3390/rs10081171

Moloney, J. G., Hilton, M. J., Sirguey, P., & Simons-Smith, T. (2018). Coastal dune surveying using a low-cost remotely piloted aerial system (RPAS). Journal of Coastal Research, 34(5), 1244-1255. doi: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-17-00076.1

Masson, T., Dumont, M., Dalla Mura, M., Sirguey, P., Gascoine, S., Dedieu, J.-P., & Chanussot, J. (2018). An assessment of existing methodologies to retrieve snow cover fraction from MODIS data. Remote Sensing, 10(4), 619. doi: 10.3390/rs10040619

Redpath, T. A. N., Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. J. (2018). Repeat mapping of snow depth across an alpine catchment with RPAS photogrammetry. Cryosphere, 12, 3477-3497. doi: 10.5194/tc-12-3477-2018

Basantes-Serrano, R., Rabatel, A., Vincent, C., & Sirguey, P. (2018). An optimized method to calculate the geodetic mass balance of mountain glaciers. Journal of Glaciology, 64(248), 917-931. doi: 10.1017/jog.2018.79

Davaze, L., Rabatel, A., Arnaud, Y., Sirguey, P., Six, D., Letreguilly, A., & Dumont, M. (2018). Monitoring glacier albedo as a proxy to derive summer and annual surface mass balances from optical remote-sensing data. Cryosphere, 12(1), 271-286. doi: 10.5194/tc-12-271-2018

Rabatel, A., Berthier, E., Arnaud, Y., Dedieu, J.-P., Dumont, M., Gascoine, S., … Sirguey, P., … Zakharova, E. (2017). Télédétection satellitaire des surfaces enneigées et englacées. La Météorologie, 97, 78-85. doi: 10.4267/2042/62170

Rabatel, A., Sirguey, P., Drolon, V., Maisongrande, P., Arnaud, Y., Berthier, E., … Dumont, M. (2017). Annual and seasonal glacier-wide surface mass balance quantified from changes in glacier surface state: A review on existing methods using optical satellite imagery. Remote Sensing, 9(5), 507. doi: 10.3390/rs9050507

Cullen, N. J., Anderson, B., Sirguey, P., Stumm, D., Mackintosh, A., Conway, J. P., … Fitzsimons, S. J., & Lorrey, A. (2017). An 11-year record of mass balance of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, determined using a geostatistical approach. Journal of Glaciology, 63(238), 199-217. doi: 10.1017/jog.2016.128

Jobst, A. M., Kingston, D. G., Cullen, N. J., & Sirguey, P. (2017). Combining thin-plate spline interpolation with a lapse rate model to produce daily air temperature estimates in a data-sparse alpine catchment. International Journal of Climatology, 37(1), 214-229. doi: 10.1002/joc.4699

Dawson, S. M., Bowman, M. H., Leunissen, E., & Sirguey, P. (2017). Inexpensive aerial photogrammetry for studies of whales and large marine animals. Frontiers in Marine Science, 4, 366. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00366

Bohleber, P., Sold, L., Hardy, D. R., Schwikowski, M., Klenk, P., Fischer, A., Sirguey, P., Cullen, N. J., … Mayewski, P. (2017). Ground-penetrating radar reveals ice thickness and undisturbed englacial layers at Kilimanjaro's Northern Ice Field. Cryosphere, 11, 469-482. doi: 10.5194/tc-11-469-2017

Dedieu, J.-P., Carlson, B. Z., Bigot, S., Sirguey, P., Vionnet, V., & Choler, P. (2016). On the importance of high-resolution time series of optical imagery for quantifying the effects of snow cover duration on alpine plant habitat. Remote Sensing, 8(6), 481. doi: 10.3390/rs8060481

Borna, K., Moore, A. B., & Sirguey, P. (2016). An intelligent geospatial processing unit for image classification based on geographic vector agents (GVAs). Transactions in GIS, 20(3), 368-381. doi: 10.1111/tgis.12226

Kingston, D. G., Webster, C. S., & Sirguey, P. (2016). Atmospheric circulation drivers of lake inflow for the Waitaki River, New Zealand. International Journal of Climatology, 36(3), 1102-1113. doi: 10.1002/joc.4405

Sirguey, P., Still, H., Cullen, N. J., Dumont, M., Arnaud, Y., & Conway, J. P. (2016). Reconstructing the mass balance of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, using MODIS-derived glacier-wide albedo. Cryosphere, 10, 2465-2484. doi: 10.5194/tc-2016-98

Cox, S. C., McSaveney, M. J., Spencer, J., Allen, S. K., Ashraf, S., Hancox, G. T., Sirguey, P., … Ferris, B. G. (2015). Rock avalanche on 14 July 2014 from Hillary Ridge, Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand. Landslides, 12(2), 395-402. doi: 10.1007/s10346-015-0556-7

Forin-Wiart, M.-A., Hubert, P., Sirguey, P., & Poulle, M.-L. (2015). Performance and accuracy of lightweight and low-cost GPS data loggers according to antenna positions, fix intervals, habitats and animal movements. PLoS ONE, 10(6), e0129271. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129271

Brun, F., Dumont, M., Wagnon, P., Berthier, E., Azam, M. F., Shea, J. M., Sirguey, P., … Ramanathan, A. (2015). Seasonal changes in surface albedo of Himalayan glaciers from MODIS data and links with the annual mass balance. Cryosphere, 9, 341-355. doi: 10.5194/tc-9-341-2015

Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. J. (2014). A very high resolution DEM of Kilimanjaro via photogrammetry of Geoeye-1 images (Kilisosdem2012). New Zealand Surveyor, 303, 19-25.

Borna, K., Moore, A. B., & Sirguey, P. (2014). Towards a vector agent modelling approach for remote sensing image classification. Journal of Spatial Science, 59(2), 283-296. doi: 10.1080/14498596.2014.915588

Pfeffer, W. T., Arendt, A. A., Bliss, A., Bolch, T., Cogley, J. G., Gardner, A. S., … The Randolph Consortium, including Cullen, N. J., & Sirguey, P. (2014). The Randolph Glacier Inventory: A globally complete inventory of glaciers. Journal of Glaciology, 60(221), 537-552. doi: 10.3189/2014joG13J176

Sirguey, P. (2014). Photogrammetry, remote sensing and the surveying discipline. New Zealand Surveyor, 303, 32-38.

Stevens, C. L., Sirguey, P., Leonard, G. H., & Haskell, T. G. (2013). The 2013 Erebus Glacier tongue calving event. Cryosphere, 7, 1333-1337. doi: 10.5194/tcd-7-1749-2013

Mary, A., Dumont, M., Dedieu, J.-P., Durand, Y., Sirguey, P., Milhem, H., … Morin, S. (2013). Intercomparison of retrieval algorithms for the specific surface area of snow from near-infrared satellite data in mountainous terrain, and comparison with the output of a semi-distributed snowpack model. Cryosphere, 7, 741-761. doi: 10.5194/tc-7-741-2013

Cullen, N. J., Sirguey, P., Mölg, T., Kaser, G., Winkler, M., & Fitzsimons, S. J. (2013). A century of ice retreat on Kilimanjaro: The mapping reloaded. Cryosphere, 7(2), 419-431. doi: 10.5194/tc-7-419-2013

Redpath, T. A. N., Sirguey, P., Fitzsimons, S. J., & Kääb, A. (2013). Accuracy assessment for mapping glacier flow velocity and detecting flow dynamics from ASTER satellite imagery: Tasman Glacier, New Zealand. Remote Sensing of Environment, 133, 90-101. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2013.02.008

Growcott, A., Sirguey, P., & Dawson, S. M. (2012). Development and assessment of a digital stereo photogrammetric system to measure cetaceans at sea. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 78(3), 237-246.

Dumont, M., Gardelle, J., Sirguey, P., Guillot, A., Six, D., Rabatel, A., & Arnaud, Y. (2012). Linking glacier annual mass balance and glacier albedo retrieved from MODIS data. Cryosphere, 6(6), 1527-1539. doi: 10.5194/tc-6-1527-2012

Recio, M. R., Mathieu, R., Denys, P., Sirguey, P., & Seddon, P. J. (2011). Lightweight GPS-tags, one giant leap for wildlife tracking? An assessment approach. PLoS ONE, 6(12), e28225. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028225

Growcott, A., Miller, B., Sirguey, P., Slooten, E., & Dawson, S. (2011). Measuring body length of male sperm whales from their clicks: The relationship between inter-pulse intervals and photogrammetrically measured lengths. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 130(1), 568-573. doi: 10.1121/1.3578455

Dumont, M., Sirguey, P., Arnaud, Y., & Six, D. (2011). Monitoring spatial and temporal variations of surface albedo on Saint Sorlin Glacier (French Alps) using terrestrial photography. Cryosphere, 5(3), 759-771. doi: 10.5194/tc-5-759-2011

Tenzer, R., Sirguey, P., Rattenbury, M., & Nicolson, J. (2011). A digital rock density map of New Zealand. Computers & Geosciences, 37(8), 1181-1191. doi: 10.1016/j.cageo.2010.07.010

Tenzer, R., Mikuška, J., Marušiak, I., Pašteka, R., Karcol, R., Vajda, P., & Sirguey, P. (2010). Computation of the atmospheric gravity correction in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics, 53(4), 333-340. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2010.510171

Sirguey, P., Mathieu, R., & Arnaud, Y. (2009). Subpixel monitoring of the seasonal snow cover with MODIS at 250 m spatial resolution in the Southern Alps of New Zealand: Methodology and accuracy assessment. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113(1), 160-181. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2008.09.008

Lopez, P., Sirguey, P., Arnaud, Y., Pouyaud, B., & Chevallier, P. (2008). Snow cover monitoring in the Northern Patagonia Icefield using MODIS satellite images (2000-2006). Global & Planetary Change, 61(3-4), 103-116. doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.07.005

Allen, S., Owens, I., & Sirguey, P. (2008). Satellite remote sensing procedures for glacial terrain analyses and hazard assessment in the Aoraki Mount Cook region, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics, 51(1), 73-87. doi: 10.1080/00288300809509851

Sirguey, P., Mathieu, R., Arnaud, Y., Khan, M. M., & Chanussot, J. (2008). Improving MODIS spatial resolution for snow mapping using wavelet fusion and ARSIS concept. Geoscience & Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE, 5(1), 78-82. doi: 10.1109/LGRS.2007.908884

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Journal - Research Other

Dumont, M., Sirguey, P., Arnaud, Y., & Six, D. (2011). Monitoring spatial and temporal variations of surface albedo on Saint Sorlin Glacier (French Alps) using terrestrial photography. Cryosphere Discussions, 5(1), 271-305. doi: 10.5194/tcd-5-271-2011

Sirguey, P. (2009). Simple correction of multiple reflection effects in rugged terrain [Letter]. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 30(4), 1075-1081. doi: 10.1080/01431160802348101

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Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Hager, T., Sirguey, P., Bazsika, J., & Goodwin, D. (2014). Surveying an icon: The trigonometric survey of Aoraki/Mt Cook. Survey Quarterly, 78, 5-11.

Page, C., Radley, K., & Sirguey, P. (2014). Caught on camera: An assessment of the Trimble V10 Imaging Rover. Surveying+Spatial, 80, 20-26.

Sirguey, P. (2014). The recent survey of Aoraki/Mount Cook. Consulting Surveyor, (March), 6-7.

Sirguey, P., & Cullen, N. J. (2013). Surveying from outer space: KILISoSDEM2012: A very high resolution DEM of Kilimanjaro. Survey Quarterly, 76, 5-7.

More publications...