# Fossett Laboratory for Virtual Planetary Exploration

> The Fossett Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis accelerates discovery in the field sciences. We pair observation — from the field, from the air, and from orbit — with continuous, AI-assisted analysis, so researchers spend their time on scientific questions rather than workflows. The lab is building toward field science that runs continuously: observation that arrives on its own, analysis that keeps pace, and a scientist's attention drawn to what is scientifically significant. This is grounded in services across the research lifecycle (Collect → Process → Analyze → Share): drone surveys, terrestrial laser scanning, GNSS surveying, remote sensing, automated processing, GIS and statistical analysis, deep-learning analysis, extended reality (XR) visualization, and an open STAC data catalog. Research spans geology, ecology, archaeology, environmental science, and planetary surfaces.

## Pages

- [Home](https://fossettlab.org/): Overview of the lab — accelerating discovery in the field sciences, the vision of continuous observation, the four lifecycle services, and how to start a project.
- [Vision](https://fossettlab.org/vision): Where the lab is headed — field science that observes continuously and turns observation into discovery faster; the commitments that shape it (observation that doesn't stop, an accumulating record, AI as a collaborator, reproducibility by default, discovery as the measure).
- [What We Do](https://fossettlab.org/services): Overview of the research lifecycle — the Field Data → Cloud Storage → Automated Processing → AI Analysis → Visualization → Research Products → Publication pipeline — with links to the four stage pages and to Access & Rates. Legacy anchors #collection, #analysis, #visualization, #access still land on matching sections.
- [Collect](https://fossettlab.org/collect): Field data collection — drone surveys (RGB, multispectral, lidar, thermal), terrestrial laser scanning, GNSS surveying, robotic total station, ground-penetrating radar, and coordinated commercial-satellite tasking (WashU clients only). Includes the field equipment fleet (drones, sensors, survey and positioning, connectivity) and the collaborator upload portal.
- [Process](https://fossettlab.org/process): Photogrammetric reconstruction (SfM/MVS), orthomosaic generation, multispectral and thermal indices, and point cloud processing, run through automated, version-controlled pipelines. Deliverables cloud-native by default (COG, COPC, GeoPackage); published outputs surface in the data catalog. Collaborators can process drone imagery through the lab's hosted WebODM.
- [Analyze](https://fossettlab.org/analyze): GIS workflows, statistical analysis, and containerized deep-learning models — lidar tree segmentation, imagery analysis, remote-sensing foundation models, and domain-specific applied models. Data labeling via the lab's hosted Label Studio.
- [Share](https://fossettlab.org/share): Publication maps and figures, browser-based 3D viewers, Gaussian splats, XR experiences (Meta Quest 3, HoloLens 2), interactive web maps, and the open data catalog with STAC API.
- [Access & Rates](https://fossettlab.org/access): Free initial scoping, internal (WashU recharge) vs external rates, and written estimates under a published User Agreement. WashU users can access the internal rate schedule (WashU login required).
- [Data](https://fossettlab.org/data): Browsable catalog of geospatial datasets (imagery, point clouds, radar, 3D models) organized by field site. Includes interactive map, dataset previews, programmatic access via STAC, a quickstart guide with Python and R examples at #stac-quickstart, and a per-dataset "Cite" expander on each row exposing a stable STAC URL plus plain-text and BibTeX citations.
- [People](https://fossettlab.org/people): Lab director, staff, and affiliated faculty.
- [About](https://fossettlab.org/about): Lab mission, history, and institutional support.
- [Media](https://fossettlab.org/press): Press coverage and media mentions.
- [Contact](https://fossettlab.org/contact): Contact form for inquiries about equipment, services, and collaboration. Includes FAQ.

## Data Access

The lab maintains a public STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) for programmatic access:

- STAC Catalog landing: https://fossettlab.org/api/stac
- STAC Search (GET + POST): https://fossettlab.org/api/stac/search
- Collections: https://fossettlab.org/api/stac/collections
- Static STAC mirror on S3: s3://bradleylab-public/stac/ (also reachable as https://bradleylab-public.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/stac/)
- Quickstart with Python (pystac-client) and R (rstac): https://fossettlab.org/data#stac-quickstart

Four collections: imagery, pointclouds, radar, 3d. Datasets include drone orthomosaics (RGB, multispectral, thermal), terrestrial and aerial lidar point clouds, ICEYE SAR scenes, and 3D Gaussian-splat scene captures. Default license is CC-BY-4.0; some items carry restricted-access flags — contact the lab before redistributing.

## What We Do Summary

- **Collect** (https://fossettlab.org/collect): Drone surveys (RGB, multispectral, lidar, thermal); terrestrial laser scanning (Trimble X9, SX12, GeoSLAM Zeb Horizon); GNSS surveying (Trimble R980 + RTX, Emlid Reach RS2 / RS2+, DJI D-RTK 2); robotic total station (Trimble C5); ground-penetrating radar (Sensoft pulseEKKO Pro); coordinated commercial-satellite tasking (ICEYE SAR, Planet, multispectral) for WashU clients only.
- **Process** (https://fossettlab.org/process): Photogrammetric reconstruction (Pix4D, OpenDroneMap); orthomosaic generation; multispectral and thermal indices (NDVI, NDRE, GNDVI, thermal anomaly maps); point-cloud processing (CloudCompare, lidR, PDAL, Trimble Business Center) including classification, ground filtering, canopy height models, registration, and change detection. Automated, version-controlled pipelines; cloud-native archiving (COG, COPC, GeoPackage) with open standards (STAC).
- **Analyze** (https://fossettlab.org/analyze): GIS workflows (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS); statistical analysis with reproducible Python and R pipelines. Containerized deep-learning models for: forest lidar segmentation (SegmentAnyTree, ForAINet, TreeLearn, FSCT, PointsToWood, plus AMS3D and 3DFin classical baselines); aerial / drone imagery analysis (DeepForest, SAM 2 + samgeo); remote-sensing foundation models (Clay, Prithvi-EO, Satlas, RemoteCLIP); and domain-specific applied models for thermal-video animal detection, seismic phase picking (SeisBench), rainfall-runoff (NeuralHydrology), and powder-XRD multi-phase ID (autoXRD).
- **Share** (https://fossettlab.org/share): Publication maps and figures, orthomosaics and DEM hillshades, browser-based 3D point cloud and mesh viewers, Gaussian splats, XR (Meta Quest 3, HoloLens 2), interactive web maps, and the open data catalog with STAC API.
- **Access & Rates** (https://fossettlab.org/access): Free initial scoping; internal (WashU recharge) and external rates structured per project; written estimates after scoping.

## Equipment Categories

Field-hardware equipment (with specs and availability) is listed at https://fossettlab.org/collect; XR hardware at https://fossettlab.org/share.

- **Drones**: DJI Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Multispectral, M600 Pro, Tello; Quantum-Systems Trinity F90+
- **Sensors**: MicaSense Altum-PT (multispectral); YellowScan Qube 240 (lidar); GeoSLAM Zeb Horizon (mobile lidar); Sony RX1R II (high-resolution RGB); Sensoft pulseEKKO Pro (GPR)
- **Survey & Positioning**: Trimble SX12, X9, R980, C5, TSC5; Emlid Reach RS2 / RS2+; DJI D-RTK 2
- **XR**: Meta Quest 3; Microsoft HoloLens 2
- **Connectivity**: Starlink Mini; Hologram SIM
- **Software**: Pix4D, CloudCompare, Trimble Business Center, Label Studio

## Lab Tools

Auth-gated web tools for lab users and collaborators:

- Documentation: https://docs.fossettlab.org
- Upload Files: https://upload.fossettlab.org
- Label Studio: https://labels.fossettlab.org
- WebODM: https://webodm.fossettlab.org

## Location

Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.

## Contact

Use the contact form at https://fossettlab.org/contact to reach the lab director (Alex Bradley) or geospatial technology specialist (Bill Winston).