Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. A photo shows USGS scientist Mark Bauer smiling at the camera. Mark is kneeling and holding the USGS drone with both hands. Mark wears a ballcap and an orange vest over his green USGS T-shirt. Behind Mark is a field of brown grass and a leaf-less tree sits in the background.
Mark A Bauer
Mark Bauer is a Geographer with U.S. Geological Survey and currently works with the National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO).
In his early career, Mark worked as a geospatial analyst focusing on geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing for natural hazards and natural resource management applications. In 2009, Mark was responsible for the approval of the 1st certificate of authorization (COA) for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) applications in the national airspace for the Department of Interior. He has worked on various UAS projects for a broad range of applications within the Department. These UAS projects include volcanic monitoring, hydrologic monitoring, snow-water equivalent data collection, archeology, paleology documentation, wildlife inventories, post-wildfire data collection, forestry structure inventory, and feature extraction methods of UAS datasets. His current research covers the strengths and limitations of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and UAS lidar technology.
Professional Experience
Implementing UAS lidar collection methods for the USGS
Education and Certifications
B.S. in Geography (emphasis in natural environmental systems), Northern Illinois University
FAA Part 107 remote pilot license
Science and Products
Positional accuracy assessment of lidar point cloud from NAIP/3DEP pilot project
Emergency Assessment of Debris-Flow Hazards from Basins Burned by the 2007 Santiago Fire, Orange County, Southern California
National Uncrewed Systems Office
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) natural color, multispectral, lidar, and hyperspectral remote sensing data products collected at dryland sites 40 km south of Moab, Utah in May 2023
Lidar Point Clouds (LPCs), Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), and Snow Depth Raster Maps Derived from Lidar Data Collected on Small, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 2020-22
Topobathymetric Model of Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, 2011 to 2019 - Field Survey Source and Validation Data
Topographic and Sediment Size Data from Fountain Creek between Colorado Springs and the Confluence with the Arkansas River, Colorado, 2019
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. A photo shows USGS scientist Mark Bauer smiling at the camera. Mark is kneeling and holding the USGS drone with both hands. Mark wears a ballcap and an orange vest over his green USGS T-shirt. Behind Mark is a field of brown grass and a leaf-less tree sits in the background.
Mark communicates with the ground team (including Evan and Andy) to let them know that the USGS UAS is starting its flight over the snowpack.
Mark communicates with the ground team (including Evan and Andy) to let them know that the USGS UAS is starting its flight over the snowpack.
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. This graphic shows a quote from Mark’s narrative. It reads: “The program continued to grow, and as a remote pilot and geospatial analyst, I grew along with it.“ Yellow quotation marks bookend her quote.
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. This graphic shows a quote from Mark’s narrative. It reads: “The program continued to grow, and as a remote pilot and geospatial analyst, I grew along with it.“ Yellow quotation marks bookend her quote.
Mark checks the spatial data downloaded from the drone to make sure that the first UAS flight accurately collected snowpack data.
Mark checks the spatial data downloaded from the drone to make sure that the first UAS flight accurately collected snowpack data.
Science and Products
Positional accuracy assessment of lidar point cloud from NAIP/3DEP pilot project
Emergency Assessment of Debris-Flow Hazards from Basins Burned by the 2007 Santiago Fire, Orange County, Southern California
National Uncrewed Systems Office
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) natural color, multispectral, lidar, and hyperspectral remote sensing data products collected at dryland sites 40 km south of Moab, Utah in May 2023
Lidar Point Clouds (LPCs), Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), and Snow Depth Raster Maps Derived from Lidar Data Collected on Small, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 2020-22
Topobathymetric Model of Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, 2011 to 2019 - Field Survey Source and Validation Data
Topographic and Sediment Size Data from Fountain Creek between Colorado Springs and the Confluence with the Arkansas River, Colorado, 2019
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. A photo shows USGS scientist Mark Bauer smiling at the camera. Mark is kneeling and holding the USGS drone with both hands. Mark wears a ballcap and an orange vest over his green USGS T-shirt. Behind Mark is a field of brown grass and a leaf-less tree sits in the background.
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. A photo shows USGS scientist Mark Bauer smiling at the camera. Mark is kneeling and holding the USGS drone with both hands. Mark wears a ballcap and an orange vest over his green USGS T-shirt. Behind Mark is a field of brown grass and a leaf-less tree sits in the background.
Mark communicates with the ground team (including Evan and Andy) to let them know that the USGS UAS is starting its flight over the snowpack.
Mark communicates with the ground team (including Evan and Andy) to let them know that the USGS UAS is starting its flight over the snowpack.
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. This graphic shows a quote from Mark’s narrative. It reads: “The program continued to grow, and as a remote pilot and geospatial analyst, I grew along with it.“ Yellow quotation marks bookend her quote.
Mark Bauer, USGS Geographer. This graphic shows a quote from Mark’s narrative. It reads: “The program continued to grow, and as a remote pilot and geospatial analyst, I grew along with it.“ Yellow quotation marks bookend her quote.
Mark checks the spatial data downloaded from the drone to make sure that the first UAS flight accurately collected snowpack data.
Mark checks the spatial data downloaded from the drone to make sure that the first UAS flight accurately collected snowpack data.