Angie Diefenbach

I work for the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP), a partnership between the USGS and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). I also serve as project lead for the USGS Volcano Science Center’s Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project, which oversees UAS volcano monitoring activities across all US volcano observatories. My job is multifaceted and involves volcano crisis response, research, teaching, monitoring, and hazards communication and outreach. My research focuses on image analysis techniques to monitor active volcanoes. I utilize various platforms, from UAS “drones” to helicopters to satellites to acquire images and a technique called photogrammetry to create high-resolution topographic models of volcanoes. During eruptions I create successive models to measure volumes and effusion rates of lava domes and flows for hazard mitigation and scientific investigation. I am the primary data analyst for VDAP’s International Volcano Activity Notification System (IVANS) where I prepare synoptic hazard analyses of developing volcanic unrest and eruptions and communicate information to government officials and international aid agencies through situation reports. I also work with partner observatories around the world to develop frameworks for monitoring, mapping, and mitigation strategies through national-scale volcanic threat assessments. Additionally, I teach international workshops on photogrammetry and UAS techniques and for the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes (CSAV) international training program.