Dr. Walker directs the Spatial Ecology and GIS lab, which uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
as a tool to study the ecology, distribution, and spatial arrangement of coastal and ocean habitats and other marine organisms to provide maps and spatial information for enhancement of knowledge, conservation, and resource management. The GIS and Spatial Ecology lab also provides spatial management decision support through an online decision support tool for managers and stakeholders called the Our Florida Reefs Marine Planner. The lab houses two professionals and seven graduate student employees whose research spans staghorn coral dense patch dynamics, coral disease intervention, and the biogeography of west Florida shelf reef communities. |