Kevin Suir
Biography
EDUCATION
M.S., Center for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2012
B.S., Center for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2008
RESEARCH
Kevin Suir is a computer scientist who serves as a lead application developer for the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center's Advanced Applications Team. He began working with the USGS as an intern in 2005, and his work spans a wide range of topics including data standards, database management, software architecture and development, web services and application programming interfaces (API), web design, and workflow automation. He has worked with numerous subject matter experts to develop desktop software to run ecological models, and has played an ongoing role in the development of a desktop modeling data visualization platform, the EverVIEW Data Viewer. Other recent projects include a series of relational databases to capture and analyze biological monitoring data, as well as web mapping applications to present such data to public audiences. Much of the work Suir has participated in can be found on the Joint Ecosystem Modeling web site.
Science and Products
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Monitoring and Assessment Program Development
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and USGS will jointly lead the development of foundational components for Gulf region-wide monitoring.
An Online Portal for Managing and Reporting Annual Piping Plover Monitoring Data
Federally-listed as threatened since 1986, the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) population comprises fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs, according to the most recent census data. These breeding pairs are the target of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) species recovery plan.
Collaborative Development of Ecological Forecasting Model and Data Manipulation Software: Everglades National Park, South Florida Natural Resources Center (SFNRC)
The goal of the Advanced Applications Team’s partnership with SFNRC is to facilitate the use of scientific research findings in restoration and land management decisions.
GIS and Custom Application Support for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
The scientists at the Wetland and Aquatic Science Center (WARC) have provided coastal restoration project managers and decision makers with GIS planning, database and custom application capacity since 1992. The scope and complexity of this support has increased over the years and has resulted in the development of a comprehensive geospatial and advanced application teams that provide decision...
Use of remote sensing to detect and predict aquatic nuisance vegetation growth in coastal Louisiana: Summary of findings
On an annual basis, federal and state agencies are responsible for mapping and removing large expanses of aquatic nuisance vegetation from navigable waterways. This study set out to achieve four primary objectives: (1) utilize recent advancements in remote sensing techniques to classify the extent and distribution of aquatic vegetation in coastal...
Suir, Glenn M.; Suir, Kevin J.; Sapkota, Sijan Modeling apple snail population dynamics on the Everglades landscape
Context The Florida Everglades has diminished in size and its existing wetland hydrology has been altered. The endangered snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) has nearly abandoned the Everglades, and its prey, the apple snail (Pomacea paludosa), has declined. Objective We developed a population model (EverSnail) to understand apple snail response to...
Darby, Phil; DeAngelis, Donald L.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; Suir, Kevin J.; Bridevaux, Joshua L. EverVIEW: a visualization platform for hydrologic and Earth science gridded data
The EverVIEW Data Viewer is a cross-platform desktop application that combines and builds upon multiple open source libraries to help users to explore spatially-explicit gridded data stored in Network Common Data Form (NetCDF). Datasets are displayed across multiple side-by-side geographic or tabular displays, showing colorized overlays on an...
Romañach, Stephanie S.; McKelvy, Mark; Suir, Kevin J.; Conzelmann, Craig A visualization tool to support decision making in environmental and biological planning
Large-scale ecosystem management involves consideration of many factors for informed decision making. The EverVIEW Data Viewer is a cross-platform desktop decision support tool to help decision makers compare simulation model outputs from competing plans for restoring Florida's Greater Everglades. The integration of NetCDF metadata conventions...
Romañach, Stephanie S.; McKelvy, Mark; Conzelmann, Craig; Suir, Kevin J. Predicting the effects of proposed Mississippi River diversions on oyster habitat quality; application of an oyster habitat suitability index model
In an attempt to decelerate the rate of coastal erosion and wetland loss, and protect human communities, the state of Louisiana developed its Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. The master plan proposes a combination of restoration efforts including shoreline protection, marsh creation, sediment diversions, and ridge, barrier island...
Soniat, Thomas M.; Conzelmann, Craig P.; Byrd, Jason D.; Roszell, Dustin P.; Bridevaux, Joshua L.; Suir, Kevin J.; Colley, Susan B.