Mike Cloutier
Geospatial Support Specialist and Satellite Tasking Coordinator
clou0012@umn.edu (612) 624-1759What I Do
My primary duties at the PGC involve providing 1:1 remote sensing, GIS, and geospatial data project support for scientists and federal contractors studying or operating within polar regions. This encompasses geodata requests and processing efforts related to commercial satellite imagery, digital elevation models, mapping, derivative cartographic products, and providing guidance on how to exploit these resources for the advancement of polar research objectives. I also coordinate PGC’s annual satellite imagery tasking initiatives designed to solicit our user community’s input for priority collection targets that benefit from repeated observational monitoring.
I’ve made four deployments to Antarctica at McMurdo Station (seasons: 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19).
Education
- M.S. Security Technologies, University of Minnesota, 2014
- B.A. Geography, University of Minnesota, 2005
Interests
My free time these days is generally consumed by raising and entertaining two young children (11/mo and 3/yr). Depending on the season, whatever time is left over is usually spent on home improvement projects, ice fishing, golfing, camping, horticulture, or spending time in Northern Wisconsin. With varying degrees of commitment, efforts are being made to reacquaint myself with guitar playing and XC mountain biking.