GEOSPATIAL ENTERPRISE PROGRAM MANAGER
Dr. Ron Sequeira is the Geospatial Enterprise Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Prior to joining OCIO, he led the development of advanced analytical tools to support animal and plant health issues as the Associate Deputy Administrator for Science and Technology at USDA Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS). He introduced the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms to USDA APHIS in the 1990s and led the retrofitting of aircraft with GPS units to enable the tracking of regulatory aerial treatments using delicate chemistries over millions of acres as part of the eradication of noxious pests.
As geospatial technologies became more sophisticated, Dr. Sequeira led the deployment of advanced geospatial technologies and GIS environments as integration platforms for big data (climate change, environmental, epidemiology, disaster events) to drive pest and disease forecasting systems. In his previous role, he also led all plant health coordination for research, science based regulation and standards with USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), various academic counterparts, international institutions, and coordinating bodies such as the International Plant Protection Convention.
Prior to joining USDA APHIS, Dr. Sequeira was a Supervisory Research Engineer with the USDA-ARS-Crop Simulation Research Unit, where he developed computer-based production forecast applications and worked in plant and insect mathematical modeling; artificial intelligence (expert systems and machine learning); automated decision support systems to support regulatory and plant health issues; strategic applications of machine learning and spatial analysis techniques; mathematical modeling, risk analysis and artificial intelligence. As a teaching associate with the Department of Computer Science, Texas A&M University he was responsible for teaching artificial intelligence applications.
Dr. Sequeira received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering (Biosystems) from Texas A&M University. His technical background includes quantitative analysis, epidemiology, geographic information systems, bioengineering, and international trade.