Danika F Wellington, Ph.D.
Dr. Danika Wellington is a Research Physical Scientist at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
Danika started as a contractor at EROS working on the Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) project. With LCMAP, she contributed to algorithm research and development for land cover mapping based on Landsat time series data as well as the statistical validation of those map products. After the merger of the LCMAP and NLCD projects, she acted as a co-lead for the training and classification research team and as the technical lead for the contractor-side Research & Development theme group. As a Research Physical Scientist, she supports Landsat Next scientific and technical studies using existing remote sensing datasets. Prior to her work at EROS, Danika studied the visible to near-infrared reflectance characteristics of the martian surface from MSL/Mastcam multispectral images and mapped changes in the planet's surface dust distribution from orbital data.
Professional Experience
2024 – present, USGS Research Physical Scientist, EROS Center
2019 – 2024, Remote Sensing Science Programmer | Data Scientist II, KBR, contractor to USGS/EROS, EROS Center
2013 – 2019, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Science Team Collaborator, Arizona State University
Education and Certifications
2018 Ph.D. (Geological Sciences), School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University
2012 B.S. (Planetary Science), Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology
Science and Products
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.3 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (1985–2021) for the Conterminous United States
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Collection 1.3 annual land cover products (1985–2021) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference dataset. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984–2021) to a reference sample of 26,971 Landsat resolutio
LCMAP CONUS Geographic Assessment Data Tables v1.0 1985-2016
This is a collection of data tables supporting the LCMAP CONUS Geographic Assessment v1.0. The data used to generate these tables come from the USGS LCMAP reference dataset and the map products released by LCMAP. Tables include annual land cover class composition and annual rate of land cover change metrics developed with a post-stratified estimator. Other tables including annual gross change of s
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.0 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (2000-2019) for Hawaii
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection annual land cover products (2000-2019) for Hawaii was conducted with an independently collected reference data set. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (2000-2019) to a reference sample of 600 Landsat resolution (30m x 30m) pixels. The interpreted lan
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.2 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (1985-2018) for the Conterminous United States
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Collection 1.2 annual land cover products (1985-2018) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference dataset. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984-2018) to a reference sample of 26,971 Landsat resolutio
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.1 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (1985-2018) for the Conterminous United States
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Collection 1.1 annual land cover products (1985-2019) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference data set. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984-2018) to a reference sample of 24,971 randomly-selecte
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Version 1.0 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Version 1 annual land cover products (1985-2017) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference data set. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984-2018) to a reference sample of 24,971 randomly-selected Lan
Toward consistent change detection across irregular remote sensing time series observations
The use of remote sensing in time series analysis enables wall-to-wall monitoring of the land surface and is critical for assessing and understanding land cover and land use change and for understanding the Earth system as a whole. However, variability in remote sensing observation frequency through time and across space presents challenges for producing consistent change detection results through
Authors
Heather J. Tollerud, Zhe Zhu, Kelcy Smith, Danika F. Wellington, Reza Hussain, Donna Viola
Development of the LCMAP annual land cover product across Hawai'i
Following the completion of land cover and change (LCC) products for the conterminous United States (CONUS), the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS’s) Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection initiative has broadened the capability of characterizing continuous historical land change across the full Landsat records for Hawaiʻi at 30-meter resolution. One of the challenges of implementing the
Authors
Congcong Li, George Z. Xian, Danika F. Wellington, Kelcy Smith, Josephine Horton, Qiang Zhou
Tree regrowth duration map from LCMAP collection 1.0 land cover products in the conterminous United States, 1985–2017
Forest covers about one-third of the land area of the conterminous United States (CONUS) and plays an important role in offsetting carbon emissions and supporting local economies. Growing interest in forests as relatively cost-effective nature-based climate solutions, particularly restoration and reforestation activities, has increased the demand for information on forest regrowth and recovery fol
Authors
Qiang Zhou, George Z. Xian, Josephine Horton, Danika F. Wellington, Grant Domke, Roger F. Auch, Congcong Li, Zhe Zhu
Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Sample-based estimates augmented by complete coverage land-cover maps were used to estimate area and describe patterns of annual land-cover change across the conterminous United States (CONUS) between 1985 and 2016. Most of the CONUS land cover remained stable in terms of net class change over this time, but a substantial gross change dynamic was captured by the annual and cumulative time interval
Authors
Roger F. Auch, Danika Fay Wellington, Janis L. Taylor, Stephen V. Stehman, Heather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Zhe Zhu, Alemayehu Midekisa, Kristi Sayler, George Z. Xian, Christopher Barnes, Ryan R. Reker
Implementation of the CCDC algorithm to produce the LCMAP Collection 1.0 annual land surface change product
The increasing availability of high-quality remote sensing data and advanced technologies have spurred land cover mapping to characterize land change from local to global scales. However, most land change datasets either span multiple decades at a local scale or cover limited time over a larger geographic extent. Here, we present a new land cover and land surface change dataset created by the Land
Authors
George Z. Xian, Kelcy Smith, Danika F. Wellington, Josephine Horton, Qiang Zhou, Congcong Li, Roger F. Auch, Jesslyn F. Brown, Zhe Zhu, Ryan R. Reker
Diagenesis of Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars from Mastcam multispectral images
Images from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission of lacustrine sedimentary rocks of Vera Rubin ridge on “Mt. Sharp” in Gale crater, Mars, have shown stark color variations from red to purple to gray. These color differences crosscut stratigraphy and are likely due to diagenetic alteration of the sediments after deposition. However, the chemistry and timing of these fluid interactions is uncle
Authors
Briony H. N. Horgan, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Abigail A. Fraeman, Melissa Rice, Christina Seeger, James F. Bell, Kristen A. Bennett, Edward A. Cloutis, Lauren A. Edgar, Jens Frydenvang, John P. Grotzinger, Jonas L'Haridon, Samantha Jacob, Nicolas Mangold, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Vivian Z. Sun, Lucy Thompson, Danika F. Wellington
Validation of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) collection 1.0 annual land cover products 1985–2017
The U.S. Geological Survey Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (USGS LCMAP) has released a suite of annual land cover and land cover change products for the conterminous United States (CONUS). The accuracy of these products was assessed using an independently collected land cover reference sample dataset produced by analysts interpreting Landsat data, high-resolution aerial photograp
Authors
Stephen V. Stehman, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Danika F. Wellington
Evidence for a diagenetic origin of Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Mars: Summary and synthesis of Curiosity's exploration campaign
This paper provides an overview of the Curiosity rover's exploration at Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) and summarizes the science results. VRR is a distinct geomorphic feature on lower Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp) that was identified in orbital data based on its distinct texture, topographic expression, and association with a hematite spectral signature. Curiosity conducted extensive remo
Authors
Abigail A. Fraeman, Lauren A. Edgar, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Lucy M. Thompson, Jens Frydenvang, Christopher M. Fedo, Jeff G. Catalano, William E. Dietrich, Travis S. J. Gabriel, John P. Grotzinger, Jonas L'Haridon, Nicholas Mangold, Vivian Z. Sun, Christopher H House, Alexander Bryk, Craig Hardgrove, Sean Czarnecki, Kathryn M. Stack, Richard V. Morris, Ray E. Arvidson, Steve G. Banham, Kristen A. Bennett, Jon C. Bridges, Christopher S. Edwards, Woodward W. Fischer, Valerie K. Fox, Sanjeev Gupta, Briony H. N. Horgan, Sammantha R. Jacob, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Sarah S. Johnson, David R. Rubin, Mark R Salvatore, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Kirsten L. Siebach, Nathan T. Stein, Stuart Turner, Danika F. Wellington, Roger C. Wiens, Amy J. Williams, G.A. Davidson, Gregory M. Wong
Science and Products
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.3 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (1985–2021) for the Conterminous United States
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Collection 1.3 annual land cover products (1985–2021) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference dataset. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984–2021) to a reference sample of 26,971 Landsat resolutio
LCMAP CONUS Geographic Assessment Data Tables v1.0 1985-2016
This is a collection of data tables supporting the LCMAP CONUS Geographic Assessment v1.0. The data used to generate these tables come from the USGS LCMAP reference dataset and the map products released by LCMAP. Tables include annual land cover class composition and annual rate of land cover change metrics developed with a post-stratified estimator. Other tables including annual gross change of s
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.0 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (2000-2019) for Hawaii
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection annual land cover products (2000-2019) for Hawaii was conducted with an independently collected reference data set. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (2000-2019) to a reference sample of 600 Landsat resolution (30m x 30m) pixels. The interpreted lan
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.2 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (1985-2018) for the Conterminous United States
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Collection 1.2 annual land cover products (1985-2018) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference dataset. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984-2018) to a reference sample of 26,971 Landsat resolutio
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.1 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables (1985-2018) for the Conterminous United States
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Collection 1.1 annual land cover products (1985-2019) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference data set. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984-2018) to a reference sample of 24,971 randomly-selecte
Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Version 1.0 Annual Land Cover and Land Cover Change Validation Tables
A validation assessment of Land Cover Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection Version 1 annual land cover products (1985-2017) for the Conterminous United States was conducted with an independently collected reference data set. Reference data land cover attributes were assigned by trained interpreters for each year of the time series (1984-2018) to a reference sample of 24,971 randomly-selected Lan
Toward consistent change detection across irregular remote sensing time series observations
The use of remote sensing in time series analysis enables wall-to-wall monitoring of the land surface and is critical for assessing and understanding land cover and land use change and for understanding the Earth system as a whole. However, variability in remote sensing observation frequency through time and across space presents challenges for producing consistent change detection results through
Authors
Heather J. Tollerud, Zhe Zhu, Kelcy Smith, Danika F. Wellington, Reza Hussain, Donna Viola
Development of the LCMAP annual land cover product across Hawai'i
Following the completion of land cover and change (LCC) products for the conterminous United States (CONUS), the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS’s) Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection initiative has broadened the capability of characterizing continuous historical land change across the full Landsat records for Hawaiʻi at 30-meter resolution. One of the challenges of implementing the
Authors
Congcong Li, George Z. Xian, Danika F. Wellington, Kelcy Smith, Josephine Horton, Qiang Zhou
Tree regrowth duration map from LCMAP collection 1.0 land cover products in the conterminous United States, 1985–2017
Forest covers about one-third of the land area of the conterminous United States (CONUS) and plays an important role in offsetting carbon emissions and supporting local economies. Growing interest in forests as relatively cost-effective nature-based climate solutions, particularly restoration and reforestation activities, has increased the demand for information on forest regrowth and recovery fol
Authors
Qiang Zhou, George Z. Xian, Josephine Horton, Danika F. Wellington, Grant Domke, Roger F. Auch, Congcong Li, Zhe Zhu
Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Sample-based estimates augmented by complete coverage land-cover maps were used to estimate area and describe patterns of annual land-cover change across the conterminous United States (CONUS) between 1985 and 2016. Most of the CONUS land cover remained stable in terms of net class change over this time, but a substantial gross change dynamic was captured by the annual and cumulative time interval
Authors
Roger F. Auch, Danika Fay Wellington, Janis L. Taylor, Stephen V. Stehman, Heather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Zhe Zhu, Alemayehu Midekisa, Kristi Sayler, George Z. Xian, Christopher Barnes, Ryan R. Reker
Implementation of the CCDC algorithm to produce the LCMAP Collection 1.0 annual land surface change product
The increasing availability of high-quality remote sensing data and advanced technologies have spurred land cover mapping to characterize land change from local to global scales. However, most land change datasets either span multiple decades at a local scale or cover limited time over a larger geographic extent. Here, we present a new land cover and land surface change dataset created by the Land
Authors
George Z. Xian, Kelcy Smith, Danika F. Wellington, Josephine Horton, Qiang Zhou, Congcong Li, Roger F. Auch, Jesslyn F. Brown, Zhe Zhu, Ryan R. Reker
Diagenesis of Vera Rubin ridge, Gale crater, Mars from Mastcam multispectral images
Images from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission of lacustrine sedimentary rocks of Vera Rubin ridge on “Mt. Sharp” in Gale crater, Mars, have shown stark color variations from red to purple to gray. These color differences crosscut stratigraphy and are likely due to diagenetic alteration of the sediments after deposition. However, the chemistry and timing of these fluid interactions is uncle
Authors
Briony H. N. Horgan, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Abigail A. Fraeman, Melissa Rice, Christina Seeger, James F. Bell, Kristen A. Bennett, Edward A. Cloutis, Lauren A. Edgar, Jens Frydenvang, John P. Grotzinger, Jonas L'Haridon, Samantha Jacob, Nicolas Mangold, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Vivian Z. Sun, Lucy Thompson, Danika F. Wellington
Validation of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) collection 1.0 annual land cover products 1985–2017
The U.S. Geological Survey Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (USGS LCMAP) has released a suite of annual land cover and land cover change products for the conterminous United States (CONUS). The accuracy of these products was assessed using an independently collected land cover reference sample dataset produced by analysts interpreting Landsat data, high-resolution aerial photograp
Authors
Stephen V. Stehman, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Danika F. Wellington
Evidence for a diagenetic origin of Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale Crater, Mars: Summary and synthesis of Curiosity's exploration campaign
This paper provides an overview of the Curiosity rover's exploration at Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) and summarizes the science results. VRR is a distinct geomorphic feature on lower Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mount Sharp) that was identified in orbital data based on its distinct texture, topographic expression, and association with a hematite spectral signature. Curiosity conducted extensive remo
Authors
Abigail A. Fraeman, Lauren A. Edgar, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Lucy M. Thompson, Jens Frydenvang, Christopher M. Fedo, Jeff G. Catalano, William E. Dietrich, Travis S. J. Gabriel, John P. Grotzinger, Jonas L'Haridon, Nicholas Mangold, Vivian Z. Sun, Christopher H House, Alexander Bryk, Craig Hardgrove, Sean Czarnecki, Kathryn M. Stack, Richard V. Morris, Ray E. Arvidson, Steve G. Banham, Kristen A. Bennett, Jon C. Bridges, Christopher S. Edwards, Woodward W. Fischer, Valerie K. Fox, Sanjeev Gupta, Briony H. N. Horgan, Sammantha R. Jacob, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Sarah S. Johnson, David R. Rubin, Mark R Salvatore, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Kirsten L. Siebach, Nathan T. Stein, Stuart Turner, Danika F. Wellington, Roger C. Wiens, Amy J. Williams, G.A. Davidson, Gregory M. Wong