University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
Geospatial Data Science

Open-Source Software Development, Cloud Computing, GeoAI, Google Earth Engine, Python, GIS Programming, Remote Sensing, Wetland Mapping

Tell Me More

About Me

Qiusheng Wu, PhD
（中文名：吴秋生）

Associate Professor
University of Tennessee
Curriculum Vitae
Faculty page @ UTK
Faculty page @ UTK Geography
Pronunciation: Chyoo-sheng Woo

youtubeLeanpub | Amazon | Source Code

youtubeLeanpub | Amazon | Source Code

youtubePublisher | Amazon | Source Code

Dr. Qiusheng Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography & Sustainability at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is also an Amazon Scholar. Dr. Wu’s research focuses on advancing open-source geospatial analytics through cloud computing and GeoAI. He is the creator and maintainer of several widely used open-source Python packages, including Geemap, Leafmap, SAMGeo, and GeoAI, which integrate cloud-based geospatial platforms with AI-powered analysis and visualization. Dr. Wu’s work bridges remote sensing, Earth observation, and artificial intelligence to make large-scale geospatial data more accessible, reproducible, and intelligent for researchers, educators, and practitioners worldwide. His open-source projects can be found on GitHub at https://github.com/opengeos.

Academic Profiles:
Google Scholar | ResearchGate | ORCID | Publons | GitHub | Medium | Figshare | Blog | YouTube

Appointments:
• 2025–now   Amazon Scholar
• 2024–now   Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Geography & Sustainability, UTK
• 2023–now   Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Sustainability, UTK
• 2022–2025   Amazon Visiting Academic
• 2022–now   Director of TennesseeView, a Tennessee Remote Sensing Consortium
• 2023–2024   Senior Research Fellow, United Nations University (UNU-INWEH)
• 2021–2024   Associate Graduate Director, Department of Geography, University of Tennessee
• 2019–2023   Assistant Professor, Department of Geography & Sustainability, UTK
• 2018–2019   Graduate Director, Department of Geography, Binghamton University (SUNY)
• 2015–2019   Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Binghamton University (SUNY)

Books:
• Wu, Q. (2025). Spatial Data Management with DuckDB: From SQL Basics to Advanced Geospatial Analytics. 446 pages. Independently published. PDF edition ISBN 979-8993859705; Print edition ISBN 979-8274710572. https://duckdb.gishub.org
• Wu, Q. (2025). Introduction to GIS Programming: A Practical Python Guide to Open Source Geospatial Tools. 556 pages. Independently published. ISBN 979-8286979455. https://gispro.gishub.org
• Wu, Q. (2023). Earth Engine and Geemap: Geospatial Data Science with Python. 408 pages. ISBN (Print) 978-1738767519, ISBN (PDF) 978-1738767526. Locate Press. https://book.geemap.org

Open-source Packages/Apps for Geospatial Analysis:
• R Packages: whiteboxR
• Python Packages: geemap | leafmap | geospatial | lidar | whitebox | pygis | streamlit-geospatial
• Google Earth Engine: Wetland Inundation Mapping | Earth Engine Apps | QGIS EE Examples
• ArcGIS Toolboxes: Depression Identification Analyst | Wetland Hydrology Analyst | Drumlin Extraction Toolbox | Level-Set Toolbox | WhiteboxTools-ArcGIS

Check out Dr. Wu's YouTube Channel for video tutorials on cloud computing and open geospatial:
youtube

Research

Geospatial Data Science: the science that investigates the 'where' and 'why' of various human and natural phenomena!
As geographers, we discover deeper insights, make better decisions, and take them to action.

GIScience

Spatial Analysis, Geostatistics, WebGIS, GIS Programming, Python, R

Remote Sensing

LiDAR, Microwave, Big Data, Deep Learning, Google Earth Engine, Azure

Environmental Modeling

Hydrological Modeling, Wetland Hydrology, Spatiotemporal Analytics

Software Tools

Open-source packages/apps for geospatial and hydrological analysis

Tutorials, Maps, and Data

Various tutorials, maps, and datasets for reproducible research

Google Slides Show

Demos of my research projects and refereed publications

Publications

Total: 83; First-author: 15; Citations: Google Scholar; Source code: Figshare | GitHub

  1. Khare, A., Gupta, B.C., Rajib, A., Vanderhoof, M., Wu, Q. (2025). Estimates of global surface water dynamics harnessing near real-time land cover observations and open science geospatial capabilities. Environmental Research Letters. 10.1088/1748-9326/ae137b
  2. Islam, Shakibul, Wu, Q., Islam, M. R., & Abdullah, H. M. (2025). Unveiling the Drivers of Unplanned Urbanization: A High-Resolution Night Light Development Index Approach for Assessing Regional Inequality and Urban Growth in Dhaka. Remote Sensing, 17(8), 1397. 10.3390/rs17081397
  3. Sarigai, S., Yang, L., Slack, K., Lane, K.M.D., Buenemann, M., Wu, Q., Woodhull, G., Driscol, J. (2025). dciWebMapper: A Data-Driven and Coordinated View-Enabled Interactive Web Mapping Framework for Visualizing and Sensing High-Dimensional Geospatial (Big) Data. Transactions in GIS, 29: e13277. 10.1111/tgis.13277
  4. Lu, B., Francescutto, L., Howie, S., Lin, H., Wu, Q., Hedley, N., … McDonald, I. (2025). Exploring the concept of digital twins of wetlands for supporting ecosystem monitoring and management. Big Earth Data, 1–31. 10.1080/20964471.2025.2480446
  5. Forgrave, R., Evenson, G.R., Golden, H.E., Christensen, J.R., Lane, C.R., Wu, Q., D’Amico, E., Prenger, J. (2024). Wetland-mediated nitrate reductions attenuate downstream: Insights from a modeling study. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, 122500. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122500
  6. Liu, B., & Wu, Q. (2024). HyperCoast: A Python Package for Visualizing and Analyzing Hyperspectral Data in Coastal Environments. Journal of Open Source Software, 9(100), 7025. 10.21105/joss.07025
  7. Che, Y., Li, X., Liu, X., Xu, X., Huang, K., …, Wu, Q., Arehart, J.H., Yuan, W. & Li, X. (2024). Mapping of individual building heights reveals the large gap of urban-rural living spaces in the contiguous US. The Innovation Geoscience, 100069-1. 10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2024.100069
  8. Liu, S., Wang, C., Chen, Z., Li, Q., Wu, Q., Li, Y., Wu, J., Yu, B. (2024). Enhancing nighttime light remote Sensing: Introducing the nighttime light background value (NLBV) for urban applications. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 126, 103626. 10.1016/j.jag.2023.103626
  9. Wu, Q. (2024). Sharing Work in Earth Engine - Basic UI and Apps. In: Cardille, J., Clinton, N., Crowley, M., & Saah, D. (Eds.), Cloud-based Remote Sensing with Google Earth Engine: Fundamentals and Applications. Springer. 10.1007/978-3-031-26588-4_30
  10. Rajib, A., Khare, A., Golden, H.E., Gupta, B.C., Wu, Q., , Lane, C.R., ... & McFall, B.C. (2023). A call for consistency and integration in global surface water estimates. Environmental Research Letters, 19(2), 021002. 10.1088/1748-9326/ad1722
  11. Li, M., Liu, T., Duan, L., Ma, L., Wu, Q., Wang, Y., & Wang, S. (2023). Confluence Simulations Based on Dynamic Channel Parameters in the Grasslands Lacking Historical Measurements. Journal of Hydrology, 130425. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.130425
  12. Osco, L.P., Wu, Q., de Lemos, E.L., et. al. (2023). The Segment Anything Model (SAM) for remote sensing applications: From zero to one shot. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 124, 103540. . 10.1016/j.jag.2023.103540
  13. Chen. H., Yang. L., & Wu, Q. (2023). Enhancing Land Cover Mapping and Monitoring: An Interactive and Explainable Machine Learning Approach Using Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing, 15(18):4585. 10.3390/rs15184585
  14. Wu, Q., & Osco, L. P. (2023). samgeo: A Python package for segmenting geospatial data with the Segment Anything Model (SAM). Journal of Open Source Software, 8(89), 5663. 10.21105/joss.05663
  15. Wu, B., Song, Z., Wu, Q., Wu, J., & Yu. B. (2023). A Vegetation Nighttime Condition Index Derived From The Triangular Feature Space between Nighttime Light Intensity and Vegetation Index. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 61, pp. 1-15, 2023, Art no. 561811. 10.1109/TGRS.2023.3305457
  16. Crowley, M. A., Stuhlmacher, M., Trochim, E. D., Van Den Hoek, J., Pasquarella, V. J., Szeto, S. H., …, Markert, K., Wu, Q., et al. (2023). Pillars of cloud-based Earth observation science education. AGU Advances, 4, e2023AV000894. 10.1029/2023AV000894
  17. Lane, C. R., D'Amico, E., Christensen, J. R., Golden, H. E., Wu, Q., & Rajib, A. (2023). Mapping Global Non-Floodplain Wetlands. Earth System Science Data, 15, 2927–2955. 10.5194/essd-15-2927-2023
  18. Evenson, G.R., Golden, H.E., Christensen, J.R., Lane, C.R., Kalcic, M.M., Rajib, A., Wu, Q., et al. (2023). River Basin Simulations Reveal Wide-Ranging Wetland-Mediated Nitrate Reductions. Environmental Science and Technology, 26: 1-28. 10.1021/acs.est.3c02161
  19. Lane, C.R., Creed, I.F., Golden, H.E., Leibowitz, S.G., Mushet, D.M., Rains, M.C., Wu, Q., et al. (2023). Vulnerable Waters are Essential to Watershed Resilience. Ecosystems, 26: 1-28. 10.1007/s10021-021-00737-2
  20. Wu, B., Yang, C., Wu, Q., Wang, C., Wu, J., & Yu, B. (2023). A building volume adjusted nighttime light index for characterizing the relationship between urban population and nighttime light intensity. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 99, 101911. 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2022.101911
  21. Shi, D., Wu, Q., Shi, Y., Li, Z., Xia, B., Chen, Y., ... & Li, Y. (2022). Multidimensional assessment of soil conservation ecosystem services and multiscale analysis of influencing mechanisms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 135162. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135162
  22. Zhou, Y., Li, X., Chen, W., Meng, L., Wu, Q., Gong, P., & Seto, K. C. (2022). Satellite mapping of urban built-up heights reveals extreme infrastructure gaps and inequalities in the Global South. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(46), e2214813119. 10.1073/pnas.2214813119
  23. Yang, L., Driscol, J., Sarigai, S., Wu, Q., Chen H., & Lippitt C.D. (2022). Google Earth Engine and Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Comprehensive Review. Remote Sensing, 14(14):3253. 10.3390/rs14143253
  24. Chen, Z., Yu, B., Li, Y., Wu, Q., Wu, B., Huang, Y., ... & Wu, J. (2022). Assessing the potential and utilization of solar energy at the building-scale in Shanghai. Sustainable Cities and Society, 103917. 10.1016/j.scs.2022.103917
  25. Yang, L., Driscol, J., Sarigai, S., Wu, Q., Lippitt, C.D., & Morgan, M. (2022). Towards Synoptic Water Monitoring Systems: A Review of AI Methods for Automating Water Body Detection and Water Quality Monitoring Using Remote Sensing. Sensors, 22, 2416. 10.3390/s22062416
  26. Li, Y., Song, Z., Wu, B., Yu, B., Wu, Q., Hong, Y., Liu, S., & Wu, J. (2022). Evaluating the ability of NOAA-20 monthly composite data for socioeconomic indicators estimation and urban area extraction. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing . 10.1109/JSTARS.2022.3149028
  27. Lane, C.R., Creed, I.F., Golden, H.E., Leibowitz, S.G., Mushet, D.M., Rains, M.C., Wu, Q., et al. (2022). Vulnerable Waters are Essential to Watershed Resilience. Ecosystems. 10.1007/s10021-021-00737-2
  28. Wu, B., Yang, C., Chen, Z., Wu, Q., Yu, S., Wang, C., Li, Q., Wu, J., & Yu, B., (2022). The relationship between urban 2D/3D landscape pattern and nighttime light intensity. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing , 15, 478-489. 10.1109/JSTARS.2021.3135488
  29. Rajib, A., Zheng, Q., Golden, H.E, Wu, Q., Lane, C.R., Christensen, J.R., et al. (2021). The changing face of floodplains in the Mississippi River Basin detected by a 60-year land use change dataset. Nature Scientific Data, 8, 271. 10.1038/s41597-021-01048-w
  30. Hong, Y., Wu, B., Song, Z., Li, Y., Wu, Q., Chen, Z., et al., & Yu, B. (2021). A monthly night-time light composite dataset of NOAA-20 in China: a multi-scale comparison with S-NPP. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 42:20, 7931-7951. 10.1080/01431161.2021.1969057
  31. Shi, D., Shi, Y., & Wu, Q. (2021). Multidimensional Assessment of Lake Water Ecosystem Services Using Remote Sensing. Remote Sensing, 13(17), 3540. 10.3390/rs13173540
  32. Evenson, E., Golden, H.E., Christensen, J.R., Lane, C.R., Rajib, A., et al. & Wu, Q. (2021). Wetland restoration yields dynamic nitrate responses across the Upper Mississippi river basin. Environmental Research Communications, 3 (2021) 095002. 10.1088/2515-7620/ac2125
  33. Golden, H.E., Lane, C.R., Rajib, A., & Wu, Q. (2021). Improving global flood and drought predictions: integrating non-floodplain wetlands into watershed hydrologic models. Environmental Research Letters, 16 (2021) 091002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac1fbc
  34. Wu, Q. (2021). Leafmap: A Python package for interactive mapping and geospatial analysis with minimal coding in a Jupyter environment. Journal of Open Source Software , 6(63), 3414. 10.21105/joss.03414 ( source code )
  35. Li, X., Zhang, J., Li, Z., Hu, T., Wu, Q., Yang., J., et al. (2021). Critical role of temporal contexts in evaluating urban cellular automata models. GIScience & Remote Sensing , 58(6), 799-811. 10.1080/15481603.2021.1946261
  36. Chen, H., Wu, B., Yu, B., Chen, Z., Wu, Q., Lian, T., Wang, C., Li, Q., Wu, J. (2021). A New Method for Building-Level Population Estimation by Integrating LiDAR, Nighttime Light, and POI Data. Journal of Remote Sensing , Article ID 9803796. 10.34133/2021/9803796
  37. Wu, Q. (2021). lidar: A Python package for terrain and hydrological analysis using digital elevation models. Journal of Open Source Software , 6(59), 2965. 10.21105/joss.02965 ( source code )
  38. Wang, S., Alexander, P., Wu, Q., Tedesco, M., & Shu, S. (2021). Characterization of ice shelf fracture features using ICESat-2 - a case study over the Amery Ice Shelf. Remote Sensing of Environment , 255, 112266. 10.1016/j.rse.2020.112266
  39. Wu, B., Yu, B., Shu, S., Wu, Q., Zhao, Y., & Wu, J. (2021). A spatiotemporal structural graph for detecting land cover changes. International Journal of Geographical Information Science , 35(2), 397-425. 10.1080/13658816.2020.1778706
  40. Shi, D., Shi, Y., Wu, Q., & Fang, R. (2020). Multidimensional Assessment of Food Provisioning Ecosystem Services Using Remote Sensing and Agricultural Statistics. Remote Sensing, 12(23), 3955. 10.3390/rs12233955
  41. Wang, L., Xu, M., Liu, Y., Liu, H., Beck, R.A., …, & Wu, Q. (2020). Mapping Freshwater Chlorophyll-a Concentrations at a Regional Scale Integrating Multi-Sensor Satellite Observations with Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing, 12(20), 3278. 10.3390/rs12203278
  42. Amani, M., Ghorbanian, A., Ahmadi, A., Kakooei, M., ..., Wu, Q., & Brisco, B. (2020). Google Earth Engine Cloud Computing Platform for Remote Sensing Big Data Applications: A Comprehensive Review. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing , 13, 5326–5350. 10.1109/JSTARS.2020.3021052
  43. Chen, W., Zhou, Y., Wu, Q., Chen, G., Huang, X., & Yu, B. (2020). Urban building type mapping using geospatial data: a case study of Beijing, China. Remote Sensing, 12(17), 2805. 10.3390/rs12172805
  44. Aybar, C., Wu, Q., Bautista, L., Yali, R., & Barja, A. (2020). rgee: An R package for interacting with Google Earth Engine. The Journal of Open Source Software , 5(51), 2272. 10.21105/joss.02272 ( source code )
  45. Wu, Q. (2020). geemap: A Python package for interactive mapping with Google Earth Engine. Journal of Open Source Software , 5(51), 2305. 10.21105/joss.02305 ( source code )
  46. Rajib, A., Golden, H. E., Lane, C. R., & Wu, Q. (2020). Surface depression and wetland water storage improves major river basin hydrologic predictions. Water Resources Research, 56(7), e2019WR026561. 10.1029/2019WR026561
  47. Liu, X., Huang, Y., Xu, X., Li, X., et al., & Wu, Q., Huang, K., Estes, L., & Zeng, Z. (2020). High-spatiotemporal-resolution mapping of global urban change from 1985 to 2015. Nature Sustainability, 3, 564–570(2020) 10.1038/s41893-020-0521-x
  48. Berhane T., Lane, C. R., Mengistu, S., Christensen, J. R., Golden, H. E., Qiu, S., Zhu, Z., & Wu, Q. (2020). Land-cover changes to surface-water buffers in the Midwestern USA: 25 years of Landsat analyses (1993-2017). Remote Sensing, 12(5), 754. 10.3390/rs12050754
  49. Wang, C., Chen, Z., Yang, C., Li, Q., Wu, Q., Wu, J., Zhang, G., & Yu, B. (2020). Analyzing parcel-level relationships between Luojia 1-01 nighttime light intensity and artificial surface features across Shanghai, China: A comparison with NPP-VIIRS data. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and GeoInformation , 85, 101989. 10.1016/j.jag.2019.101989
  50. Zhao, K., Wulder, M. A., Hu, T., Bright, R., Wu, Q., Qin, H., Li, Y., Toman, E., Mallick B., Zhang, X., & Brown, M. (2019). Detect change-point, trend, and seasonality in satellite time series data to track abrupt changes and nonlinear dynamics: A Bayesian ensemble algorithm. Remote Sensing of Environment, 232, 111181. 10.1016/j.rse.2019.04.034 ( source code )
  51. Li, X., Zhou, Y., Meng, L., Asrar, G. R., Lu, C., & Wu, Q. (2019). A dataset of 30 m annual vegetation phenology indicators (1985–2015) in urban areas of the conterminous United States. Earth System Science Data, 11(2), 881-894. 10.5194/essd-11-881-2019
  52. Golden, H. E., Rajib, A., Lane, C. R., Christensen, J. R., Wu, Q., & Mengistu, S. (2019). Non-Floodplain Wetlands Affect Watershed Nutrient Dynamics: A Critical Review. Environmental Science & Technology , 53 (13), 7203-7214. 10.1021/acs.est.8b07270
  53. Wu, Q., Lane, C. R., Li, X., Zhao, K., Zhou, Y., Clinton, N., DeVries, B., Golden, H. E., & Lang, M. W. (2019). Integrating LiDAR data and multi-temporal aerial imagery to map wetland inundation dynamics using Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing of Environment , 228, 1-13. 10.1016/j.rse.2019.04.015 ( source code )
  54. Wu, B., Yu, B., Yao, S., Wu, Q., Chen, Z., & Wu, J. (2019). A surface network based method for studying urban hierarchies by night time light remote sensing data. International Journal of Geographical Information Science , 33(7), 1377-1398. 10.1080/13658816.2019.1585540
  55. Wu, Q., Lane, C. R., Wang, L., Vanderhoof, M. K., Christensen, J. R., & Liu, H. (2019). Efficient Delineation of Nested Depression Hierarchy in Digital Elevation Models for Hydrological Analysis Using Level‐Set Method. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association , 55(2), 354-368. 10.1111/1752-1688.12689 ( source code )
  56. Beck, R., Xu, M., Zhan, S., Johansen, R., Liu, H., Tong, S., ... & Wu, Q. (2019). Comparison of satellite reflectance algorithms for estimating turbidity and cyanobacterial concentrations in productive freshwaters using hyperspectral aircraft imagery and dense coincident surface observations. Journal of Great Lakes Research , 45(3), 413-433. 10.1016/j.jglr.2018.09.001
  57. Yu, B., Tang, M., Wu, Q., Yang, C., Deng, S., Shi, K., ... & Chen, Z. (2018). Urban built-up area extraction from log-transformed NPP-VIIRS nighttime light composite data. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters , 15(8), 1279-1283. 10.1109/LGRS.2018.2830797
  58. Berhane, T. M., Lane, C. R., Wu, Q., Autrey, B. C., Anenkhonov, O., Chepinoga, V., & Liu, H. (2018). Decision-tree, rule-based, and random forest classification of high-resolution multispectral imagery for wetland mapping and inventory. Remote Sensing , 10(4), 580. 10.3390/rs10040580
  59. Wu, Q. (2018). GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Wetland Mapping and Monitoring. In: Huang, B. (Ed.), Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems , Vol. 2, pp. 140-157. Oxford: Elsevier. 10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10460-9
  60. Berhane, T. M., Lane, C. R., Wu, Q., Anenkhonov, O., Chepinoga, V., Autrey, B. C., & Liu, H. (2018). Comparing pixel-and object-based approaches in effectively classifying wetland-dominated landscapes. Remote Sensing , 10(1), 46. 10.3390/rs10010046
  61. Wu, B., Yu, B., Wu, Q., Chen, Z., Yao, S., Huang, Y., & Wu, J. (2018). An extended minimum spanning tree method for characterizing local urban patterns. International Journal of Geographical Information Science , 32(3), 450-475. 10.1080/13658816.2017.1384830
  62. Ye, Z., Liu, H., Chen, Y., Shu, S., Wu, Q., & Wang, S. (2017). Analysis of water level variation of lakes and reservoirs in Xinjiang, China using ICESat laser altimetry data (2003–2009). PloS One , 12(9), e0183800. 10.1371/journal.pone.0183800
  63. Wu, Q., & Lane, C. R. (2017). Delineating wetland catchments and modeling hydrologic connectivity using lidar data and aerial imagery. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences , 21(7), 3579. 10.5194/hess-21-3579-2017 ( source code )
  64. Jia, Y., Huang, Y., Yu, B., Wu, Q., Yu, S., Wu, J., & Wu, J. (2017). Downscaling land surface temperature data by fusing Suomi NPP-VIIRS and landsat-8 TIR data. Remote Sensing Letters , 8(12), 1132-1141. 10.1080/2150704X.2017.1362125
  65. Chen, Z., Yu, B., Song, W., Liu, H., Wu, Q., Shi, K., & Wu, J. (2017). A new approach for detecting urban centers and their spatial structure with nighttime light remote sensing. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing , 55(11), 6305-6319. 10.1109/TGRS.2017.2725917
  66. Wang, S., Wu, Q.*, & Ward, D. (2017). Automated delineation and characterization of drumlins using a localized contour tree approach. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and GeoInformation , 62, 144-156. 10.1016/j.jag.2017.06.006 ( source code )
  67. Beck, R., Xu, M., Zhan, S., Liu, H., Johansen, R., Tong, S., ... & Wu, Q. (2017). Comparison of satellite reflectance algorithms for estimating phycocyanin values and cyanobacterial total biovolume in a temperate reservoir using coincident hyperspectral aircraft imagery and dense coincident surface observations. Remote Sensing , 9(6), 538. 10.3390/rs9060538
  68. Wu, B., Yu, B., Wu, Q., Yao, S., Zhao, F., Mao, W., & Wu, J. (2017). A graph-based approach for 3D building model reconstruction from airborne LiDAR point clouds. Remote Sensing , 9(1), 92. 10.3390/rs9010092
  69. Wu, Q., Su, H., Sherman, D. J., Liu, H., Wozencraft, J. M., Yu, B., & Chen, Z. (2016). A graph-based approach for assessing storm-induced coastal changes. International Journal of Remote Sensing , 37(20), 4854-4873. 10.1080/01431161.2016.1225180
  70. Wu, B., Yu, B., Wu, Q., Huang, Y., Chen, Z., & Wu, J. (2016). Individual tree crown delineation using localized contour tree method and airborne LiDAR data in coniferous forests. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation , 52, 82-94. 10.1016/j.jag.2016.06.003
  71. Wu, Q., Deng, C., & Chen, Z. (2016). Automated delineation of karst sinkholes from LiDAR-derived digital elevation models. Geomorphology , 266, 1-10. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.05.006 ( source code )
  72. Beck, R., Zhan, S., Liu, H., Tong, S., Yang, B., Xu, M., ... & Wu, Q. (2016). Comparison of satellite reflectance algorithms for estimating chlorophyll-a in a temperate reservoir using coincident hyperspectral aircraft imagery and dense coincident surface observations. Remote Sensing of Environment , 178, 15-30. 10.1016/j.rse.2016.03.002
  73. Wu, Q., & Lane, C. R. (2016). Delineation and quantification of wetland depressions in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. Wetlands , 36(2), 215-227. 10.1007/s13157-015-0731-6 ( source code )
  74. Wu, B., Yu, B., Huang, C., Wu, Q., & Wu, J. (2016). Automated extraction of ground surface along urban roads from mobile laser scanning point clouds. Remote Sensing Letters , 7(2), 170-179. 10.1080/2150704X.2015.1117156
  75. Wu, Q., Liu, H., Wang, L., & Deng, C. (2016). Evaluation of AMSR2 soil moisture products over the contiguous United States using in situ data from the International Soil Moisture Network. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and GeoInformation , 45, 187-199. 10.1016/j.jag.2015.10.011
  76. Su, H., Liu, H., & Wu, Q. (2015). Prediction of water depth from multispectral satellite imagery—The regression kriging alternative. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters , 12(12), 2511-2515. 10.1109/LGRS.2015.2489678
  77. Wu, Q., Liu, H., Wang, S., Yu, B., Beck, R., & Hinkel, K. (2015). A localized contour tree method for deriving geometric and topological properties of complex surface depressions based on high-resolution topographic data. International Journal of Geographical Information Science , 29(12), 2041-2060. 10.1080/13658816.2015.1038719 ( source code )
  78. Lane, C. R., Liu, H., Autrey, B. C., Anenkhonov, O., Chepinoga, V., & Wu, Q. (2014). Improved wetland classification using eight-band high resolution satellite imagery and a hybrid approach. Remote Sensing , 6(12), 12187-12216. 10.3390/rs61212187
  79. Wu, Q., Lane, C. R., & Liu, H. (2014). An effective method for detecting potential woodland vernal pools using high-resolution LiDAR data and aerial imagery. Remote Sensing , 6(11), 11444-11467. 10.3390/rs61111444
  80. Townsend‐Small, A., Pataki, D. E., Liu, H., Li, Z., Wu, Q., & Thomas, B. (2013). Increasing summer river discharge in southern California, USA, linked to urbanization. Geophysical Research Letters , 40(17), 4643-4647. 10.1002/grl.50921
  81. Beck, R. A., Hinkel, K. M., Eisner, W. R., Whiteman, D., Arp, C. D., Machida, R., ... & Wu, Q. (2013). Contrasting Historical and Recent Breakup Styles on the Meade River of Arctic Alaska in the Context of a Warming Climate. American Journal of Climate Change , 2(02), 165-172. 10.4236/ajcc.2013.22016
  82. Liu, H., Wang, L., Sherman, D. J., Wu, Q., & Su, H. (2011). Algorithmic foundation and software tools for extracting shoreline features from remote sensing imagery and LiDAR data. Journal of Geographic Information System , 3(2), 99-199. 10.4236/jgis.2011.32007
  83. Liu, H., Wang, L., Sherman, D., Gao, Y., & Wu, Q. (2010). An object-based conceptual framework and computational method for representing and analyzing coastal morphological changes. International Journal of Geographical Information Science , 24(7), 1015-1041. 10.1080/13658810903270569

Awards and Honors

Teaching

I won the Graduate Teaching Award by the Department of Geography & Sustainability, UTK (2024) and the Graduate Teaching Award by the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Binghamton University (2017). Below are some selected comments from my students:

  • “He puts in the work to teach the most relevant and up-to-date skills in programming and GIS.”
  • “I really appreciate how prepared he is about every class. What he teaches are quite crucial and makes it easy to follow. Additionally, his YouTube channel helps phenomenally to follow the tough codes he teaches.”
  • “The way he explained every topic was something else, and I really liked how he made everything open source, which helps millions of students around the world.”
  • “Dr. Wu embraces his students' ideas with an open heart and continually enriches them with his own touch of innovation.”
  • “Dr. Wu is the absolute best!!! He's so student-oriented and helpful! I didn't think programming or coding was something I could ever do, but he made it possible! We all love him!”
  • “Dr. Wu made himself available all the time and made sure to allow students to ask questions before continuing. He is an excellent teacher and I consider him a friend and mentor.”
  • “Very articulate and creative teaching method. Never a dull moment in class. Always makes students feel appreciated and welcomed.”
  • “Professional and practical. Extremely versed in all fields of subject matter. Pushes students to achieve more than they ever thought was possible. Always approachable and supportive.”
  • “Dr. Wu is an awesome guy, and someone I honestly look to as a standard of professionalism and self-motivation. I highly recommend him as a professor to anyone in the Geography Department. He knows pretty much everything about ArcGIS, programming, stats … you name it. Thanks to him, I’ve learned much more about my field and topics I had tried to tackle on my own to no avail.”
  • “It’s honestly not hard to see why professor Wu would win such a prestigious award. He is fiercely intelligent, yet humble. He is genuinely devoted to his job and goes above and beyond to make sure his students are prepared to succeed.”
  • “Dr. Wu, I just wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn Python. It has come in handy so many times in my new position as a GIS Analyst. I am able to solve data integration and standardizing issues that otherwise would make processes impossible. So thank you very much!!”

Our Digital Earth

GEOG-111 @ University of Tennessee

Spatial Data Management

GEOG-414 @ University of Tennessee

Geographic Software Design

GEOG-510 @ University of Tennessee

Intermediate GIS

GEOG-411 @ University of Tennessee

First Steps in GIS Programming

GEOG-312 @ University of Tennessee

Statistics for Geography

GEOG-533 @ Binghamton University

Professional Services

I have reviewed 180+ times for 40+ journals since 2015. I won the Sentinel of Science Award (2016) and Top 1% of Peer Reviewers in Multidisciplinary (2017). Check out my verified peer review record at Publons.

Wetlands

Associate Editor (2016–2025)

International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation

Associate Editor (2023–2026)

Remote Sensing

Associate Editor (2018–2023)

Graduate Students

I am looking for self-motivated students interested in geospatial data science. Please contact me if you are interested in working in my research lab.
Find out more information about the application guideline from our Graduate School and the Geography Department.

Current Grad Students

UTK Brochure (English)

UTK Brochure (Chinese)

Contact Me

Qiusheng Wu
1000 Phillip Fulmer Way
309 Burchfiel Geography Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0925
Email: qwu18@utk.edu
Web: https://wetlands.io
Blog: https://blog.gishub.org
Phone: +1-865-221-8824
Location: Google Map

Please email me at qwu18@utk.edu. I look forward to hearing from you!