Yiting Fan

mapping the Earth's ecosystems through data

GIS, remote sensing, and environmental science — I build spatial tools and models that translate complex Earth data into meaningful insight.

About me

I turn complex environmental data into scalable, actionable insights with advanced remote sensing, LiDAR, GIS, and spatial analytics.

I specialize in: LiDAR & hyperspectral data processing · data integration · ML for spatial data · GIS decision tools
Actively seeking roles in geospatial data science, environmental tech, and remote sensing.

Research Portfolio

Why do trees look the way they are?

This NSF-funded project uses terrestrial LiDAR to build detailed 3D reconstructions of tree architecture, revealing how leaf arrangement and density impact light absorption and how they emerge from competition, environment, and evolutionary history.

Tree crown architecture in a rainforest

As part of a DOE-funded project, we conducted a terrestrial laser scanning field campaign near the El Yunque forest in Puerto Rico to understand tropical tree architecture, its day-night variability, and its response to drought.

Tree Crown Architecture from Airborne LiDAR

As part of an NSF-funded project, we measured and tested whether the sunlit leaf angle of broadleaf deciduous trees differs across species, environments, and time using three years of time-lapse camera measurements across eleven forests.

Latest news

Excited to Join the 2026–2028 NEON Ambassador Cohort!

Excited to share that I’ve been selected as a 2026–2028 NEON Ambassador! Looking forward to[…]

Dual LiDAR scanners operating at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

To maximize the fieldwork efficiency, I led a group of five and conducted terrestrial LiDAR[…]

Terrestrial laser scanning at El Yunque forest in Puerto Rico

Successfully completed a terrestrial laser scanning field campaign near the El Yunque forest in Puerto[…]

AGU 2023

Presented work on using airborne LiDAR and imaging spectrometer to characterize tree crown architecture and[…]

Let’s Connect

Open to job opportunities, research collaborations, and project work in geospatial data science, remote sensing, and environmental tech.

Have a role or idea in mind? I’d love to hear from you.