Associate Professor Ben Sparrow
Lead, TERN Ecosystem Surveillance
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
- My Research
- Career
- Publications
- Grants and Funding
- Teaching
- Supervision
- Professional Activities
- Contact
Ben's current research focuses on Environmental Surveillance Monitoring, along with other forms of environmental monitoring. He works extensively on methods and analysis of these surveillance datasets and currently directs the Surveillance monitoring component of TERN's Environmental Research Infrastructure.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2017 - ongoing Associate Professor The University of Adelaide 2016 - ongoing Director TERN Eco-informatics and AusPlots The University of Adelaide 2013 - ongoing Director - TERN Ausplots The University of Adelaide 2012 - 2013 Science and Technology Lead - TERN MSPN The University of Adelaide 2010 - 2011 TERN Ausplots Survey Manager The University of Adelaide 2009 - 2010 Manager - Land Resources South Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, NT 2009 - 2009 Acting Regional Manager - Natural Resources Division NRETAS 2008 - 2009 Principal Scientist - Land Resources South Land Sciences Branch - NRETAS 2004 - 2008 Spatial Ecologist - Biodiversity Conservation (South) Parks and Wildlife - NRETAS 2000 - 2004 Spatial Scientist - Biological Survey and Monitoring Section Department of Environment and Heritage 1999 - 2002 Part Time Lecturer UniSA- School of Geo-informatics, Planning and Building. 1997 - 2000 Remote Sensing Specialist, Image Data Section Department of Environment and Heritage -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 1993 - 1996 The University of Adelaide Australia B.App.Sc (NRM) (Hons.) -
Research Interests
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Books
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Book Chapters
Year Citation 2014 Sparrow, B., Dormontt, E., Thurgate, N., Burns, E., Lindenmayer, D., & Lowe, A. (2014). Our capacity to tell an Australian ecological story. In D. Lindenmayer, E. Burns, N. Thurgate, & A. Lowe (Eds.), Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction (1 ed., pp. 49-82). Australia: CSIRO Publishing. 2014 Ens, E., Burns, E., Russell-Smith, J., Sparrow, B., & Wardle, G. (2014). The cultural imperative: broadening the vision of long-term ecological monitoring to enhance environmental policy and management outcomes. In D. Lindenmayer, E. Burns, N. Thurgate, & A. Lowe (Eds.), Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction (1 ed., pp. 83-108). Australia: CSIRO Publishing. 2014 Foulkes, J., de Preu, N., Sinclair, R., Thurgate, N., Sparrow, B., & White, A. (2014). Chenopod and acacia shrublands. In D. Lindenmayer, E. Burns, N. Thurgate, & A. Lowe (Eds.), Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction (1 ed., pp. 439-478). Collingwood, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. 2012 White, I., Foulkes, J., Sparrow, B., & Lowe, A. (2012). Biodiversity monitoring in the Australian rangelands. In D. Lindenmayer, & P. Gibbons (Eds.), Biodiversity Monitoring in Australia (1 ed., pp. 179-190). Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
NCRIS/TERN Surveillance Program 01/18 - 06/19 Funding - $2,100,000
Department of Industry, Innovation and Science - Citizen Science Grant - Wild Orchid Watch - 3 Years - $484770
NSW OEH 17/18 - Photopoints for Biodiversity Monitoring - $150000
NCRIS/TERN 07/17 - 12/17 Funding - $280500 Ausplots, $ 328,950 Eco-informatics
United Nations, Food and Agricultural Organisation, Australian component of the Global Drylands Assessment. Grant - $20,000 USD
NCRIS/TERN 16/17 Funding - $561,000 Ausplots, $657,000 Eco-informatics
NCRIS/TERN 15/16 Funding - $550,000 Ausplots
NCRIS/TERN 2 (1/14 – 6/15) - $600,000 Ausplots
NCRIS/TERN 2013 – $1.6m (Ausplots component $207,000).
Pilbara Corridors 15/16 Surveys - $82,000
Pilbara Corridors 16/17 Surveys and Training - $100,000
Department of Parks and Wildlife (WA) Swan Coastal Plains Surveys - $35,000
NERP Emerging priorities fund (14/15): Enhancing ecosystem surveillance across Australia (Including developing condition, woodlands and fauna monitoring protocols for Australia – Co- Chief Investigator ($588 000)
TERN Competitive supplemental funding round (2013): – Assessing Biomass using photography, Terrestrial Lidar and field measures – Chief Investigator ($78,000)
Adelaide University DVC-R Cross Disciplinary Research fund (2013): Developing ecological analysis from 3D photo points – Chief investigator ($31,000).
NHT: Vegetation mapping in Northern Australia project 07 / 09 – McArthur River, and Daly River regions. ($360,000) and Vegetation mapping in Central Australia (Owen Springs Reserve and Eastern Finke Bioregion ($200,000) – Principal Investigator (South)
Ben has no current teaching role. He is available for guest lectures on different environmental monitoring types, Surveillance monitoring, Integrating Remote Sensing with ecological data and on his current AusPlots and Eco-informatics roles. Ben is also available to Supervise Honours students and co-supervise PhD students. He has previously taught Earth Observations, Remote Sensing, GIS, Terrain Information Systems, Photogrammetry and GPS at UniSA.
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Other Supervision Activities
Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name 2021 - 2021 Principal Supervisor How can standardised data collection increase the efficiency of reporting under Federal Natural Resource Management programs? The University of Adelaide Professional Honours Honours Full Time Bethany Cox 2018 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Assessment of the Within-Site and Between-Site Spatial Heterogeneity of Soils using Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy The University of Adelaide School of Agriculture, Food and Wine Honours Full Time Ruby Hume
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Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2016 - ongoing Member Enabling ecosystem surveillance working group Ecosystem Science Council Australia 2015 - ongoing Member Drylands Working Group Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), The United Nations (UN) - 2015 - ongoing Member Terrestrial Laser Scanning International interest Group - - 2008 - 2010 Chair Convenor - 15th Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute Australia
Connect With Me
External Profiles
