Dr Robbi Bishop-Taylor

Coastal Earth Observation Scientist / Ph.D. in Geospatial Science

• International recognition for achievements in geospatial analysis and environmental geoscience
• Expertise in GIS, Python and R programming for spatiotemporal analysis and visualisation of large geographic datasets
• Academic and professional experience in interdisciplinary scientific analysis, teamwork and written and oral communication

Email | Twitter | Linkedin | Researchgate | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Professional experience

Earth Observation Scientist, Geoscience Australia | 2018 - current

• Product development, spatial analysis and processing of extremely large remotely-sensed spatiotemporal datasets managed within the Digital Earth Australia (DEA) platform. Projects include:
  • DEA Coastlines: a continental dataset providing annual shorelines and rates of change along the entire Australian coastline from 1988 to the present
  • DEA Intertidal Elevation: a continental digital elevation model of Australia's intertidal zone

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of New South Wales | 2017 – 2018

• Development of land use-connectivity network analysis models and modification of US-centric land change simulation models (CHANGE model based on FORE-SCE and LADS) for application to Australia

GIS and remote sensing demonstrator, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Science | 2016

• Instructed on use of Geographical Information Systems software (ArcGIS) and data analysis techniques to 60 students in a post-graduate level university course

Quality assurance/tester, Intersect Australia Pty Ltd | 2012 – 2014

• Tested and provided end-user feedback on GIS functionality of the Federated Archaeological Information Management System Project (FAIMS) Android software application

Geoscience field/research assistant, Tundzha Regional Archaeological Project, Bulgaria | 2011

• Worked collaboratively with an international team of environmental scientists, GIS specialists and landscape archaeologists, and designed and conducted a multi-disciplinary geoarchaeological project involving extensive field work aimed at studying the paleoenvironmental landscape of an archaeologically significant region of central Bulgaria

Education

University of New South Wales | 2014 – 2017

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Geospatial Science, Geospatial Analysis for Environmental Change Laboratory

• Analysed high-resolution remote sensing datasets to study ecological habitat networks across a major Australian river basin over a 25 year period
• Used advanced graph theoretic statistics to identify hydroclimatic and land use processes driving spatial and temporal changes in landscape connectivity
• Conducted the largest spatially explicit ecological network analysis published to date (6.6 million nodes)

University of New South Wales | 2009 – 2013

Honours Class 1, B Advanced Science (Geoscience) / B Arts

• Modelled dynamic and synergistic effects of climate change and agricultural intensification on historical land use patterns in central Bulgaria over the past 8000 years at varying spatiotemporal scales, using GIS and R programming

Awards and scholarships

• 2022 Earth Observation Australia Awards: Highly commended, Early-Career Contribution to the Development of the Australian Earth Observation Community and its Capabilities Award

• 2019 Australian Government Digital Awards: Finalist for the individual Digital Champions category

• 2020 Geoscience Australia Year in Review: Winner for Innovation Team Award (Digital Earth Australia Hotspots Team)

• 2019, 2020 Geoscience Australia Year in Review: Nominated for Maximising Data Potential and Innovation Individual Award

• 2016 Outstanding Graphic Award: Evolution and Ecology Research Centre Research Excellence Awards

• 2016 Runner up, Outstanding Evolution and Ecology Presentation: Postgraduate Research Forum, UNSW

• 2015 NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award: Scholarship to attend IALE World Congress

• 2014 The Conservation Science Prize: Best conservation science presentation, Postgraduate Research Forum, UNSW

• 2012 School of Humanities Prize: Best performance in the Environmental Studies major in Bachelor of Arts, UNSW

• 2012 Faculty of Arts & Social Science Dean's List: High Distinction average across all Bachelor of Arts courses, UNSW

• 2012 Geographical Society of New South Wales Award: Outstanding achievement in second year geography, UNSW

• 2011 F.C. Loughnan Prize for First Year Geology: Best performance in first year geology, UNSW

• 2007 Stockholm Junior Water Prize: Australian winner and representative in World Water Week, Sweden

• 2007 Australian Museum Eureka Schools Prize for Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences: Winner for The Identification Of Critical Salinity Thresholds For Upper Estuarine Plants

Publications

• Bishop-Taylor, R., Nanson, R., Sagar, S., Lymburner, L. (2021) Mapping Australia's dynamic coastline at mean sea level using three decades of Landsat imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 267, 112734. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112734

• Krause, C., Dunn, B., Bishop-Taylor, R., Adams, C., Burton, C., Alger, M., Chua, S., Phillips, C., Newey, V., Kouzoubov, K., Leith, A., Ayers, D., Hicks, A., DEA Notebooks contributors. (2021) Digital Earth Australia notebooks and tools repository. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Available: https://doi.org/10.26186/145234

• Bishop-Taylor, R., Sagar, S., Lymburner, L., Alam, I., & Sixsmith, J. (2019) Sub-pixel waterline extraction: Characterising accuracy and sensitivity to indices and spectra. Remote Sensing. 2019, 11, 2984.

• Bishop-Taylor, R., Sagar, S., Lymburner, L. & Beaman, R.J. (2019). Between the tides: Modelling the elevation of Australia's exposed intertidal zone at continental scale. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 223, pp.115-128.

• Ross, S., Sobotkova, A., Nekhrizov, G., Tzvetkova, J. and Connor, S. (2018). The Tundzha Regional Archaeology Project: surface survey, palaeoecology, and associated studies in central and southeast Bulgaria, 2009-2015 final report. Oxbow Books.

  • Connor, S., Bishop-Taylor, R. Chapter 4: Archaeological sciences: approaches and methods
  • Bishop-Taylor, R., Judd, K., Clear, L., Martin, L. Chapter 7: Surface soil survey in an archaeological context: the Kazanlak Geoscience Project

• Bishop‐Taylor, R., Tulbure, M. G., & Broich, M. (2018b) Evaluating static and dynamic landscape connectivity modelling using a 25-year remote sensing time series. Landscape Ecology, 33(4), 625-640

• Bishop‐Taylor, R., Tulbure, M. G., & Broich, M. (2018a) Impact of hydroclimatic variability on regional-scale landscape connectivity across a dynamic dryland region. Ecological Indicators (in press)

• Bishop-Taylor R, Tulbure M.G. , Broich M (2017b) Data from: Surface-water dynamics and land use influence landscape connectivity across a major dryland region. Dryad Digital Repository. http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qf83q

• Bishop‐Taylor, R., Tulbure, M. G., & Broich, M. (2017a) Surface‐water dynamics and land use influence landscape connectivity across a major dryland region. Ecological Applications, 27, 1124–1137

  • Top 5% of all research outputs tracked by Altmetric (March 2017)
  • 7000 reads on Researchgate (March 2017)

• Bishop-Taylor, R., Tulbure, M. G., & Broich, M. (2015) Surface water network structure, landscape resistance to movement and flooding vital for maintaining ecological connectivity across Australia’s largest river basin. Landscape Ecology, 30, 2045–2065
  • Featured in the Wall Street Journal ("How Maps Can Serve as Scientific 'Time Machines'"; 4 May 2016)

• Bishop-Taylor, R Judd, K., Martin, L. & Clear, L. (in press) Surface soil survey in an archaeological context: the Kazanlak Geoscience Project, Bulgaria, in: Tundzha Regional Archaeological Project. Oxbow Books, London

Research media coverage

• ABC News: La Niña sea level rise compounds the movement of West Australian beaches | September 2022
• NASA Landsat Science: Shifting Shores of the Australian Continent Mapped with Landsat | December 2021
• The Guardian: A 7m wall has gone up on a Sydney beach: are we destroying public space to save private property? | October 2021
• NASA Earth Observatory: Saving Straddie’s Sand (featured animation) | May 2020
• NASA Earth Observatory: Mapping the Land Between the Tides | July 2019
• NASA Landsat Science: More than Naught: The “Z” of Where Land Meets Sea | June 2019
• NASA Landsat Science: Graphing a Path to Survival: Habitat Connectivity in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin | Dec 2017
• Wall Street Journal: How Maps Can Serve as Scientific ‘Time Machines’ | May 2016

Interests and hobbies

Cartographer / designer at EarthArtAustralia

• Own and manage a popular online map art store selling big-data geographic prints
• Map artworks featured on Lonely Planet, Yahoo News, Gizmodo, Mashable, The Independent, BuzzFeed, Smith Journal, Yahoo Travel, Techly, GearJunkie, AWOL, Geoawesomeness, NUVO Magazine, Gizmodo, Seeker, Space.com, Mother Nature Network, Water Canada Magazine

Nature and wildlife photographer

• 1st prize (Biodiversity): Ecological Society of Australia Photo competition | 2016
• Major Winner: UNSW Science Photo Competition | 2016