Welcome! This is a virtual lab designed to introduce the research activities conducted by Dr. Qihao Weng and his research group at Indiana State University (ISU). It is not a formally established university research or teaching laboratory. The content of this page does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Indiana State University.

Dr. Qihao Weng is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Geology, and Anthropology at ISU. Weng graduated from the University of Georgia in 1999, where he specialized in geographic information science. His expertises include in remote sensing, GIS, spatial environmental modeling, with an application concentration on urban environments and ecosystems, and land use and land cover change. Dr. Weng has published more than 75 refereed journal articles and other publications, and is the book series editor of Taylor & Francis Series in Remote Sensing Applications. Dr. Weng was the recipient of 1999 Robert E. Altenhofen Memorial Scholarship Award by American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and 1998 Best Student Authored Paper Award by International Geographic Information Foundation. In 2006, he received the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research Award by Indiana State University, the university’s highest research honor. Dr. Weng is a national director of American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). Click here to see his short biography. You may also require a copy of his updated CV by writing to: qweng@indstate.edu.

Dr. Weng's research areas mainly include:

• Urban heat island and land surface temperature modeling using remote sensing data and field measurements (Representative work #1, #2, #3, #4)
• Urban sprawl mapping and environmental impact analysis (Representative work #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)
• Land use/cover classification and characterization (Representative work #1, #2, #3)
• Impervious surface estimation and mapping, as related to urban surface runoff (Representative work #1, #2, #3)
• Urban environmental quality, quality of life assessment, population estimation, urban sustainability (Representative work #1, #2, #3, #4)
• Human-environment interactions in South China (Representative work #1)

• Dr. Weng and Dr. Dale A. Quattrochi have co-edited a special issue on Thermal Remote Sensing of Urban Areas in Remote Sensing of Environment in 2006.
• Dr. Qihao Weng and Dr. Dale A. Quattrochi published the book of Urban Remote Sensing in October 2006 by CRC/Taylor & Francis. Read the Table of Contents. To order, please contact the publisher directly.
• Dr. Qihao Weng's another book: Remote Sensing of Impervious Surfaces will be published by CRC/Taylor & Francis in mid- 2007. Read the Table of Contents. Check the link for ordering information.

Dr. Weng has worked in the United States and China on diverse research projects including such topics as urban growth, satellite detection of urban heat islands, environmental impacts of land use and land cover change, impervious surface estimating and mapping, environmental sustainability and management, and human-environment interactions. Below are examples of research projects recently conducted by Dr. Weng and his group.

• Role of Urban Canopy Composition and Structure in Determining Heat Islands (National Science Foundation, 2005-08. Research Assistantship Available)
• Indiana Impervious Surface Mapping Initiative (USGS IndianaView Consortium, and NASA Indiana Space Grant Consortium, 2005-06)
• Terre Haute Urban Mapping (ISU Foundation, 2003-05)
• Remote Sensing of Urban Heat Islands in Indianapolis, Indiana (NASA Indiana Space Grant Consortium, 2004-05)
• Indiana Habitat and Biodiversity Mapping (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 2003-06)
• Teacher Development at Earth Science at Mzuzu University in Collaboration with Indiana State University (USAID, 2004-06)
• Climatic Impacts of Urban Growth in Guangzhou, South China (National Geographic Society, 2000-02)
• Land Use/Cover Change and Environmental Impacts in the Pearl River Delta, China (National Geographic Society, 1998-2000)

Thank you for visiting

Comments, Suggestions, and Inquiries:

Please E-mail Dr. Weng at
qweng@indstate.edu