WHO WE ARE        

   


SkyTruth promotes environmental awareness and protection with remote sensing and digital mapping technology. We provide stunning images backed by scientifically robust information about our changing environment to stimulate changes in habitat protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource management. We design and conduct our projects in close partnership with environmental groups, local planners and resource managers to complement their work on a broad spectrum of environmental issues.

To find out how we can help you,
learn more about what we do...

      
                 
HISTORY
        


Throughout the 1990s, working in the private sector as a geologist who used remote sensing as an exploration tool, John Amos became increasingly concerned by the mounting evidence of human-caused changes to landscapes and ecosystems around the world. He began to think that images of habitat loss and the spread of human influence could be important not only as a source of scientific data on environmental change, but also as a powerful tool for communicating these changes to the public.

In 2001 John left the for-profit world to lay the groundwork for SkyTruth: meeting with environmental groups to learn more about the state of environmental remote sensing; talking to advocates about their communications needs and resource limitations; and presenting the capabilities of satellite and aerial images to environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), grassroots activists and government resource managers. A Board of Directors was assembled from friends having hands-on experience with environmental policymaking, communications and nonprofit administration, and SkyTruth was incorporated.

In 2002, SkyTruth was granted non-profit status by the US Internal Revenue Service and awarded a start-up grant from the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. Projects soon followed, including the use of satellite and aerial imagery to study the landscape impacts of natural gas drilling on the Rocky Mountain west, reveal commercial fishing vessels "fishing the line" around marine protected areas, and show the growth of strip mining for coal and other minerals around the United States.

Aerial view of Wyoming gas field.
© Peter Aengst 2001.
 


 

 
     
                         
KEY PERSONNEL: Staff and Directors                  
                     
  John F. Amos, Founding Director, Executive Director
John has 15 years of experience with remote sensing, emphasizing innovative and cost-effective applications for public- and private-sector clients. His expertise spans project design, image processing and image analysis, commercial remote sensing market development, and training. He has performed image-based investigations of land-use status, environmental change and pollution assessment, including a three-year NASA study to develop new techniques for detecting natural and human-caused oil slicks on the continental shelf. 		   
                     
  David H. Festa, Founding Director
Currently the Director of Oceans Programs for Environmental Defense, David has over 20 years of experience advising governments and private industry on economic, energy and natural resource issues. Co-founder of The Turnstone Group, David has also served as Director of Policy and Strategic Planning in the Department of Commerce, Deputy Director of the Center for Clean Air Policy, Senior Consultant for Environmental Resources Management, Inc., and a correspondent for The Economist where he covered business and science issues. David has appeared on commercial and public radio and television, and as an expert witness in Federal and state proceedings on energy regulation and environmental management.		    
                     
  Dr. Elliott A. Norse, Founding Director
President and founder of Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) in Redmond WA, Elliott is a marine and forest conservation biologist who has spent 23 years at the interface of science and policy for federal agencies, scientific professional societies and environmental organizations. At the President’s Council on Environmental Quality in 1980, he pioneered the concept of biological diversity and helped to establish four National Marine Sanctuaries. 		   
                     
  Vikki N. Spruill, Founding Director
Vikki is the President of SeaWeb, a non-profit organization that uses strategic communications techniques to advance ocean conservation. Prior to SeaWeb, she was Senior Vice President responsible for client management and new business development in the Washington, DC office of Ruder Finn, one of the largest independently held public relations firms in the world. Vikki is a frequent speaker on communications planning and campaigns.		    
KEY PERSONNEL: ASSOCIATES 
      
             
Dr. David J. Campagna, Chief Science and Technology Advisor
One of the original Directors of SkyTruth, David is a specialist in remote sensing applications. He has over 15 years of experience working in multinational corporations and service firms, and as an independent consultant. His primary expertise includes managing large remote sensing projects and performing quantitative analyses for land cover mapping, environmental monitoring, and change detection. Dr. Campagna also serves as an Adjunct Professor in West Virginia University’s Remote Sensing Lab in the Department of Geology and Geography.		    
     
Kevin Howald, GIS Technologies Associate
Mr. Howald is a specialist in geographic information systems (GIS) with extensive expertise in the areas of spatial data processing and customized digital mapping applications. He has over 15 years experience working with raster and vector based mapping systems, and has used satellite and aerial remotely sensed data for a wide variety of environmental mapping procedures. Kevin is also an active private pilot.		    
     
Justin Kenney, Communications Associate
Justin Kenney, currently Press Officer for the Pew Charitable Trusts, has spent the last dozen years applying strategic communications to the cause of environmental conservation. Most recently he was Communications Director for the Pew Oceans Commission. Prior to his service with Pew, Justin was deputy director of communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, senior environmental advisor in the Department of Commerce, and communications coordinator for the National Marine Sanctuary Program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.		    
     
Amy Mathews Amos, Secretary and Treasurer
Amy has over 15 years experience working with conservation groups and the federal government – as an analyst, lobbyist and consultant – on a wide range of environmental issues. She holds Master’s degrees in environmental science and public policy from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and a BS in natural resources management from Cornell University. As partner and co-founder of The Turnstone Group, Amy currently advises advocacy groups and foundations on environmental policy and strategic positioning. 		   
     
Andrew Waxman,
Application and Internet Technologies Associate
Andy is our geospatial application development expert. Over the past seven years he has worked with every major software package employed in this industry and is an experienced user of nearly 20 different analytical and image processing products. He focuses on creating integrated applications that are seamless and user-friendly. On a recent project for the US Department of Transportation, he built a web-based geospatial application that integrated multiple technologies to create user-defined, interactive maps using the DOT’s mapping application server.		    
     
   
© 2007 SkyTruth | Satellite images and digital mapping for environmental protection, education and advocacy.