Maggi Kelly
Director, Statewide IGIS Program, Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist
M.A. Geography, Ecology, Remote Sensing, GIS, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. 1991
B.A. Geography, University of California - Berkeley. 1988
Certificate Cartography, California State University - Hayward. 1988
I am Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Environmental Science, Policy and Management department at UC Berkeley. I am Director of the UCANR Statewide Program in Informatics and GIS (IGIS). I am an accomplished innovator in geospatial data, analysis and visualization. I am dedicated to bringing cutting-edge mapping technology, training, and research support to students, staff, faculty, and the public. My group uses a range of geospatial data and analytics – from spatial modeling, remote sensing, drones, lidar, historical archives, surveys, participatory mapping, and the field (although not always at the same time!) - to gain insights about how and why California landscapes are changing, and what that change means for those who live on, use, and manage our lands. My work enables interdisciplinary collaboration, data-rich analytics research, and active outreach across a number of scientific domains (forests, agriculture, wetlands, climate change) with significant societal impact. I have published widely (over 180 articles) in high profile geospatial journals. I like projects that use a cutting edge technological application to address a real environmental or management need.
Recent Publications (from 2020)
Epstein, S S, Bowles, T, Mills-Novoa, M, and M Kelly. 2026. Agrivoltaics for managing groundwater overdraft in California: a suitability analysis. Environmental Research: Food Systems 3(3): 035003
Kelly, M, S Feirer, S Hogan, A Lyons, F Lin, and E Jacygrad. 2025. Mapping orchard trees from UAV imagery through one growing season: A comparison between OBIA-based and three CNN-based object detection methods. Drones: 2025, 9, 593
Hu, T, M Cao, X Zhao, X Liu, Z Liu, L Liu, X Huang, S Tao, Z Tang, L Liu, M Kelly, J Fang, and Y Su. 2024. High-resolution mapping of grassland canopy cover in China through the integration of extensive drone imagery and satellite data. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 218: 69–83
Taylor, A, I Dronova, A Sigona, and M Kelly. 2024. Using Sentinel-2 imagery to measure spatiotemporal changes and recovery across three adjacent grasslands with different fire. Remote Sensing 16, 2232
Taylor, A, A Sigona, and M Kelly. 2024. Centering Amah Mutsun voices in the analysis of a culturally important, fire-managed coastal grassland. Ecological Applications 2024: e3014
Wilkinson, C E, C Chepkisich, W Xu, A Solli, J S Brashares, G Osuka, and M Kelly. 2024. Social–ecological predictors of spotted hyena navigation through a shared landscape. Ecology and Evolution. 2024;14:e11293
Ma, Q, Y Su, C Niu, Q Ma, T Hu, X Luo, X Tai, T Qiu, Y Zhang, RC Bales, L Liu, M Kelly, and Q Guo. 2023. Structurally complex forests reduce tree mortality during long-term droughts. Nature Communications 14:7467
Zhao, Su, Feng, Xu, Cao, Hu, Yang, Liu, Ma, Hu, Kelly, Liu, and Guo. 2023. Canopy structure: An intermediate factor regulating grassland diversity-function relationships under human disturbances. Fundamental Research 3(2): 179-187
Taylor, A, A Sigona, and M Kelly. 2023. Modeling spatial distributions of Amah Mutsun priority cultural plants to support Indigenous cultural revitalization. Ecosphere 14(1): January, e4374
Jacygrad, M Kelly, S Hogan, J E Preece, D Golino, and R Michelmore. 2022. Comparison between field measured and UAV-derived Pistachio tree crown characteristics throughout a growing season. Drones 6(11): 343
Yang, Q, Y Su, T Hu, M Kelly, Q Guo. 2022. Allometry-based estimation of forest aboveground biomass combining LiDAR canopy height attributes and optical spectral indexes. Forest Ecosystems 9: 100059
Kislik, C, I Dronova, T Grantham, and M Kelly. 2022. Mapping Algal Bloom Dynamics in Small Reservoirs of Northern California using Sentinel-2 Imagery in Google Earth Engine. Ecological Indicators 140: 109041
Hahn, M, S Feirer, R Eisen, R Lane, A Mognahan, and M Kelly. 2021 Modeling future climate suitability for the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus, in California with a focus on land access and ownership. Ticks and Tick Borne Diseases 12(5), 101789
Wilkinson, C, J. Brashares, AC Bett, and M Kelly. 2021. Examining drivers of divergence in recorded vs perceived human-carnivore conflict hotspots using integrated participatory and ecological data. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2: 681769
Dronova, I, C Kislik, Z Dinh, and M Kelly. 2021. A review of unoccupied aerial vehicle use for wetland applications: Emerging opportunities in approach, technology, and data. Drones 5(2), 45
Wilkinson, C, A M McIntrurf, M Kelly, and J Brashares. 2021. Quantifying wildlife responses to conservation fencing in East Africa. Biological Conservation 256: 109071
Hu, T, Y Su, H Guan, Q Sun, X Sun, M Kelly, Q Guo. 2021. Development and performance evaluation of a very low-cost UAV-lidar system for forestry applications. Remote Sensing 13(1): 77
Beller, E, L Larsen, and M Kelly. 2020. From savanna to suburb: effects of 160 years of landscape change on carbon storage in Silicon Valley, California. Landscape and Urban Planning 195: 103712
Kislik, C, L Genzoli, A Lyons and M Kelly. 2020. Application of unmanned aerial vehicle imagery to detect and quantify submerged filamentous algae and rooted macrophytes in a non-wadeable river. Drones; 12(20): 3332 (She Maps special issue)