Staff Members

Dr Lars Brabyn

Role: Senior Lecturer Qualifications: BSc(Hons), BA(Hons), PhD Cant Email: larsb@waikato.ac.nz Location: I2.12 Contact: +64 7 838 4466 ext. 8429

Research Interests:

My research focuses on developing innovative applications of Geographical Information Systems for a range of environmental and social topics. Often I am providing GIS research as part of multi-disciplinary research projects. These GIS applications include landscape classification, biogeography, and population accessibility to services.

I currently have a significant involvement in the following three FRST contracts:

“Understanding, valuing and protecting Antarctica’s unique terrestrial ecosystems” (3yrs)

“Restoring freshwater ecosystems and resurrecting indigenous lake biodiversity” (10yrs)

“Restoring natural ecosystems in city areas” (3yrs).

My research on landscapes and GIS has led to the development of the New Zealand Landscape Classification, which provides an inventory of landscape character and is being used by the Department of Conservation to consistently describe the landscape experience of Conservancies and parks throughout NZ. I am currently developing an information strategy for landscape planning.

I have worked on a range of vegetation mapping projects in Antarctica, including providing vegetation maps of specially protected areas for Antarctic New Zealand, monitoring vegetation change, and measuring lichen growth rates. I am currently a principle investigator for a FRST project that is developing models to predict the distribution of all forms of terrestrial life in the Dry Valleys.

I have pioneered the development of a technique for calculating travel times from where people live to a range of services, including hospitals, GPs, and outdoor recreation facilities. This process calculates travel times for the entire population of NZ and produces statistics at the local, regional, and national scales. This research has been funded by the Ministry of Health and the Department of Conservation.

- NZ Landscape Classification
- PhD Thesis-Landscape Classification using GIS and National Digital Databases
- Species Information
- Accessibility to Health Services

Selected Publications:

Brabyn, L. 2008 Classifying landscape character. Landscape Research (In Press).

Rennie, H., White, R., and Brabyn, L. 2008 Developing a Conceptual Model of Marine Farming in NEW Zealand. Marine Policy. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2008.05.001 (online).

Clarkson, B. D. Wehi, P. M. and Brabyn, L 2007 A spatial analysis of biodiversity patterns and implications for urban restoration in urban centres, New Zealand. Urban Ecosystems (online).

Brabyn, L., Beard, C., Seppelt, R., Tuerk, R., and Green, T.G.A. 2006 Quantified Vegetation Change over 42 years (1962-2004) at Cape Hallett, East Antarctica. Antarctic Science. 18:4 pp 561-572.

Beere, P. and Brabyn, L. 2006 Providing the Evidence: Geographic Accessibility of Maternity Units in New Zealand. New Zealand Geographer. 62:2 pp 135-143.

Brabyn, L. and Beere, P. 2006 Population Access to Hospital Emergency Departments and the Impacts of Health Reform in New Zealand. Health Informatics Journal 12:3 pp 227- 237.

Brabyn, L.K. 2005 Solutions for Characterizing Natural Landscapes using Geographical Information Systems. Journal of Environmental Management, 76:1 pp 23-34.

Brabyn, L. and Barnett, R. 2004 Population need and geographical access to General Practitioners in rural New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal. 117:1199 URL: http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/117-1199/996/

Research Publications:

You may like to view publications from 1997 onwards for Dr Lars Brabyn

Expertise:

Current PhD Supervision
Mathew Allan: “Near real-time water quality monitoring of large lakes using ocean colour satellites”

Salman Ashraf: “Evaluating sub-pixel classification techniques for riparian vegetation mapping of selected lakes and rivers of the Waikato region”

Vicky Froude: “Naturalness on the edge-Evaluating the effectiveness of long-standing national policy to preserve coastal and lake natural character”

Professional Affiliations
- Research Fellow of the Land, Environment and People research Centre, Lincoln University. Collaborating in the research theme “Human Dimensions of Fisheries and Aquaculture”.
- New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture
- New Zealand Geographical Society
- Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographical Information