"Sunde's research focuses on using spatial modeling and remote sensing to address natural resource management challenges, particularly around water resources, urbanization, tree canopy, and climate.

As the Director of the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP), Sunde leads a team that develops and delivers geospatial and remotely sensed environmental data to support natural resource conservation and management across Missouri. MoRAP collaborates with state and federal agencies, non-profits, and regional partners, offering expertise in areas such as UAV operation, satellite and aerial image analysis, hydrological modeling, vegetation mapping, LiDAR applications, and climate data analysis. Their work ranges from large-scale cloud computing to precise data collection using drone technology, all aimed at advancing modern natural resource management."