Research Area

• Kati Laakso studies the applicability of hyperspectral remote sensing for geologic exploration and mapping throughout the visible, near-infrared, mid-infrared and thermal infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Kati's current study areas are in the Canadian Arctic, in regions with a sparse vegetation coverage. In such areas biogenic (e.g. lichen) and non-biogenic (e.g. iron oxide) coatings can severely mask the underlying host rock lithology. Kati's PhD project concentrates on the detection of large-scale geological features by applying statistical methods and combining diverse geological information with hyperspectral remote sensing data. These features can be hydrothermal alteration zones or gossan areas, both of which give indications of commercially viable mineralizations. Kati Laakso's research is conducted in co-operation with Natural Resources Canada and Goldbrook Ventures.

Research Interests

• Hyperspectral attributes of biogenic and non-biogenic coatings on rocks
  Detection of hydrothermal alteration zones
  Fuzzy clustering and neural networks in the context of spatial analysis
  
  Technical proficiencies
  Software: ENVI, ArcGIS and Matlab
  Programming: Python, Java, C/C++ and Progress
  Database design, XML and UML