Daniel Simms

Daniel Simms graduated from the University of Plymouth in 2000 and worked as a GIS technician for Jacobs Babtie before studying for an MSc in Geographical Information Management at Cranfield. After working as the Spatial Data Manager for Kent County Council, he returned to Cranfield in 2004 to work on a UK Government project on illicit crop monitoring. The project delivered science-based support for decision makers through the integration of multi-resolution satellite and airborne imagery, digital photogrammetry, ground data collection and analysis. During the 6 year project he gained field experience in the operation and deployment of satellite receiving stations, collection of aerial photography and crop data.

Since 2009 Dr Simms has been involved in projects supporting the UNODC in monitoring of illicit crops; the dissemination of soil and terrain data through open web standards as part of the European contribution to a Global Soil Observing System (eSoter); and the integration of spatial hazard datasets based on future projections of extreme weather events as part of the CREW (Community Resilience to Extreme Weather) interdisciplinary project.
Current activities
Dr Daniel Simms is a specialist in applied remote sensing and GIS, researching the integration of imagery and spatial data for land and agricultural information

His interests are in the area of applied remote sensing for improved land and agricultural information. He is currently researching crop detection and cultivation estimation from field to regional scale through the integration of satellite and aerial imagery with ancillary spatial datasets. Of particular interest is the development of methodologies for deriving accurate and timely information from remotely sensed data with a minimal requirement for ground-based sampling.

Dr Simms lectures on the Geographical Information Management MSc Programme and has delivered training in remote sensing and GIS techniques to Afghan nationals under UN-sponsored capacity building projects, and ground data collection for the UK component of the 2013 EU LUCAS survey.