Friday, December 24, 2010

Biodiversity Monitoring Project launched in Salzburg


Z_GIS is coordinating a new 17-partner consortium working towards remote sensing – based monitoring of conservation areas. NATURA 2000 areas are critically important ecological spaces protecting species and natural systems, and the project MS.MONINA will contribute relevant management tools.

With the recent kickoff meeting in Salzburg, a first step was taken towards defining and implementing new concepts and methods combining remote sensing data and thematic geospatial data with the aim of supporting public agencies in their policies and measures. European nature conservation certainly will substantially benefit from this initiative.

The University of Salzburg with Z_GIS as its geospatial centre of competence are proud to lead this project with partners from 9 European countries. Soon first pilot applications in a range of study areas will demonstrate the value and importance of monitoring for the conservation of biodiversity.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Career moves towards Middle East


Adrijana Car, senior researcher at the ÖAW GIScience Department and director of international UNIGIS programs at the University of Salzburg, has been appointed to the position of Associate Professor in GIS at the Faculty of Economics, Department of Sustainable Tourism and Regional Development, German University of Technology – GUtech, Muscat, Oman (GUtech is affiliated with RWTH Aachen University).

GUtech is not completely new to me; as a visiting lecturer I have already taught students at the Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Science. I will now represent GIS at undergraduate and graduate levels. My research will focus on GIScience & Technology, in particular related to conceptual modeling, spatio-temporal analysis and geovisualization with GIScience acting as a common spatial language“.

Prof. Car will continue to be connected with Salzburg as chair of the GI_Forum program committee, through research in Space-Time projects and within the international UNIGIS framework. We wish her all the best for establishing a strong education and research presence in Oman! Congratulations, Adrijana – and thanks for contributing so much to Z_GIS and ÖAW over many years!

Monday, December 13, 2010

"Alpine tourism in a media age"



EGEA workshop 2010

In April 2010 research assistant Florian Fischer (ÖAW-GISciene) led a workshop on the role of geographic information media in alpine tourism at the Western Regional Congress (WRC) in Steinach, Tyrol organized by the European Geographers Association (EGEA). This video is a documentary about all workshops starting with Fischer’s contribution."

Practical Guide to Bing Maps


Together with Microsoft and Deutsche Post AG, ÖAW researcher Florian Fischer publishes a practical guide to the Consumer-SDI Bing Maps in order to ease getting started and stimulate the application of geoinformation technology in the economic sector.
This guide provides an overview of the wide use range of consumer-oriented, business oriented and non-profit geomedia on the basis of 19 best practice contributions to the practical use of Bing Maps. Enriched with an assortment of commented training materials for Bing Maps the book allows the reader a quick introduction to application development and shows the possibilities of the Bing Maps API (Bing maps API).

ISBN 978-3-87907-503-4
Wichmann, to be published 1st quarter 2011

Friday, December 3, 2010

GIScience PhD Program funding for University of Salzburg


A new long term GIScience doctoral school was awarded to the University of Salzburg under the prestigious and highly competitive 'DK' framework of Austria's National Science Fund (FWF). The program titled "Geographic Information Science. Integrating interdisciplinary concepts and methods" will select an initial set of fully funded PhD candidates in mid 2011.

Prof. T.Blaschke
Prof. Thomas Blaschke, lead PI and speaker of the successful bid, comments: "This is a key achievement towards establishing the University of Salzburg as a leader in Geoinformatics and GIScience: building on our successes in GIScience research and Masters' programs, this award recognizes our PhD program on a leading international level and will facilitate research-driven career development for top-notch candidates".

The University of Salzburg Centre for Geoinformatics is a highly regarded centre of competence in GIScience attracting international research funding, leading the worldwide UNIGIS MSc and diploma programs, and is widely known for the annual AGIT and GI_Forum conferences.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

pupils 4 pupils @ GIS Day 2010



One station at the GIS Day 2010 in Salzburg on november 19th was directly related to the GEOKOM-PEP project.


In the summer of 2010 Lisa Sönser and Noemi Müller (pupils at the age of 17 from two partner schools) worked at the GIScience institute in the framework of internships. They conceptualized a first prototype of an online communication platform for participative and collaborative spatial planning which is supported by digital maps.
At the station "Neues Schallmoos: Web2.0, digitale Karten und viele kreative Köpfe" they reported about the recent project progress, presented this prototype and discussed about the concept and possible improvements.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

GIS Day 2010 in Salzburg

Salzburg GIScience Research Cluster @ GIS Day 2010

On November 19th, the digital:earth:at organized GISday events at Techno-Z Salzburg have drawn some 400 pupils from schools from Salzburg, Upper Austria and Bavaria.
Presentations and workshops largely relied on staff from all research cluster institutions (Z_GIS, ÖAW-GIScience and iSpace) as well as partners from both public institutions and corporations.

For more images, please refer to the GIS Day homepage and report. http://www.gisday.at/mitteilungen/2010/lernerlebnismitgeoinformation-daswardergisday2010insalzburg.
(Thomas Jekel, ÖAW-GIScience and digital:earth:at)

Friday, November 12, 2010

Starting into 'Learning with Geoinformation' for all teachers

From today, all teachers, regardless of subject, now have the chance to earn a certificate in 'Learning with Geoinformation'. This set of 12+12 ECTS electives is jointly offered by the University of Salzburg with the Pedagogical University and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and accessible for pre-service as well as in-service teachers.

Geospatial media are acknowledged as valuable, effective and challenging learning environments in Geography, Ecology, History, Science, Computing and many other disciplines. As an innovative teacher training initiative, the 'Learning with Geoinformation' programme is an integral component of the Digital:Earth:AT framework for learning and teaching excellence in Geoinformatics and Geography.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

1st call for papers for Learning with Geoinformation 2011

Special focus: Implementing Digital Earth in education

The 2011 edition of the international “Learning with GI” – Conference is held in collaboration with the “digital:earth:eu” network.
A maximum of two contributions per author are welcome. Contributions should explicitly highlight the role of GI in conception, support and evaluation of learning processes or introduce thematic learning environments based on curricula and standards. Contributions without reference to learning theory will not be accepted. The conference proceedings will be published with Wichmann Publishers, Berlin, Germany.

Papers have to be submitted online by February 1st, 2011 at www.gi-forum.org.
Learning with Geoinformation 2011, July 4-8.

Guest lecture at the Faculty of Sciences - Department of Applied Geosciences, German University of Technology, Muscat, Oman

Adrijana Car, senior researcher at OeAW-GIScience and Z_GIS, will teach at the Faculty of Sciences - Department of Applied Geosaciences, German University of Technology, Muscat, Oman, in October and December 2010 (http://www.geo.gutech.edu.om/index.php ) .
The module is an introduction to GISystems, methods and tools as used in Geology ("Introduction to GIS", 2 credits).

Sparkling Science Project "I AM HERE"

Robert Vogler and Thomas Jekel from the OeAW-GIScience Institute contribute their expertise in "Spatial Citizenship" to the Sparkling Science funded project “I AM HERE. Participative approaches to analyze spatial behavior of adolescents in the city”, led by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna.
The project already started on September 01, 2010. The main goal is to collect and analyze spatial activity patterns of young people in Vienna to derive proposals for a more youth-oriented spatial planning of public space in urban development.

Further information at the project website http://iamhere.boku.ac.at

IAMG 2011 in Salzburg

The IAMG 2011, the annual conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences will take place in Salzburg from September 5-9, 2011. The conference will be organized by Robert Marschallinger and Fritz Zobl from the OeAW-GIScience Institute.

Besides covering IAMG core topics like geostatistics, reservoir modeling, 3D modeling or geo-process simulation, the IAMG 2011 will address applied mathematical geosciences issues, with a specific reference to alpine regions: simulation and modeling in hydrogeology, engineering geology and geotechnics as well as geohazard modeling.

Moreover, as from the close association of the Salzburg based Austrian Academy of Sciences GIScience Research Institute and the University of Salzburg Centre for Geoinformatics, recent developments in GIS and remote sensing with an emphasis on object based image analysis as well as non-destructive 3D reconstruction of rock macro- and microstructures will be highlighted.

BLOG by Florian Fischer - The Point of Interest

This blog presents trends, reflections and current research findings on the everyday uses of Geographic Information. (Florian Fischer, GIScience Institute).
The geoinformation society, spatial citizenship as well as new business models and the social life of geographic information are a central theme. Particularly Local Search, Geo-social networking, Location-Based Services, Mapping Services and Augmented-Reality Gaming is on the center of observation.

> http://www.thepointofinterest.net/

Josef Strobl at the Forum Alpbach

The working group "Digital vs. real worlds - limitations of computer models?" joined together various experts on August 27, 2010 from 09:00 to 15:30. (Josef Strobl, Director: GIScience Institute and Z_GIS).

Today, digital models are key tools in research and development. Models sometimes generate a separate virtual reality, and represent the real world in a simplified way for particular purposes. This is practiced in the geo- and bio-sciences, and reaches across scales, themes and paradigms all the way to quantum physics.
Models support research into complex structures, relations and processes, but are reaching limitations as well.
Can we seamlessly bridge these virtual and real worlds, or will we end up with parallel, 'second' worlds?

> http://www.alpbach.org/index.php?id=1162

The Alpbach Technology Forum as part of the European Forum Alpbach has long been a highly respected fixture in Austria's research and technology scene. Due to its international focus it has also become an indicator for new trends, setting benchmarks for technological developments.

1st call for papers for the GI_Forum 2011

This Call for Papers aims at researchers who design, develop and apply advanced methods and techniques of Geoinformatics to a broad range of application domains.

Themes & Application Fields.
GI_Forum solicits contributions on emerging topics and research outcomes related to GIScience and Technology. Advanced visualisation and cartography, geospatial data acquisition, advanced spatial analysis and knowledge extraction, distributed and mobile services, SDI, and dynamic modelling and simulation comprise by no means an exhaustive list of conference topics.

Further details and online submissions at http://www.gi-forum.org/.

We are looking forward to your contribution!
Conference Chair: Josef Strobl
Programme Chair: Adrijana Car

Geoinformatics Forum Salzburg July 5-8, 2011, at the University of Salzburg, Austria.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

enerGIS'10 Staff Development Workshop in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

From from September 20 - 24, 2010 the Staff Development Workshop enerGIS financed by the Eurasia Pacific Uninet and organized by the Institute for Geographic Information Science and the Graz University of Technology, provided the participants an introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based on energy relevant issues concerning Central Asia. (Gilbert Ahamer, ÖAW-GIScience Institute; Rainer Prüller and Clemens Strauss, TU Graz).

> http://energis.tugraz.at

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Curriculum Development Workshop in the Philippines

In the process of capacity building collaborating institutions in Southeast Asia where GIScience is still not integrated in mainstream education, Dr. Shahnawaz (Centre for Geoinformatics - www.zgis.at) organised a 2-day (11-12 August, 2010) curriculum development workshop at the Department of Geography, University of Philippines, Diliman. This currently is the only department offering Bachelor and Master level degrees in Geography in the Philippines. During this workshop, the Chairperson Dr. Darlene Occeña-Gutierrez  and 5 faculty members worked together to streamline the curriculum of the Bachelors degree in Geography and integrated several GIScience / Geoinformatics courses to offer specialisation in GIScience within the Bachelor of Geography. The workshop was followed by a lecture by Dr. Shahnawaz on GIScience for spatial planning and management which was attended by more than 80 students and faculty.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

SPATIALtech-Workshop: Advanced Spatial Techniques for Environmental Analysis and Management

Today this workshop was opened, jointly organised by the ASEA University Network and the University of Salzburg Centre for Geoinformatics with the Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia in Selangor, Malaysia.The workshop is organised in a train-the-trainer format addressing junior university faculty from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In depth understanding of regional environments, both natural as well as social-economic, and their effective management for achieving broader goals of environmental conservation and sustainable development require sophisticate methodologies and efficient technologies. Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics and GIScience have developed the methods for capturing, processing and analysing various types of spatial information and have the tools for representing the present, reconstructing the past and projecting the future of regional environments.

The utility of Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics and GIScience in natural resource management, environmental conservation, education, research, spatial planning and decision making, sustainable development etc. have been well established during the recent decades. This workshop will support participants and their home institutions towards faster growth of GIScience education and competence.


Tuesday, April 20, 2010

AGIT 2010 - Programm online

Raum für Dialoge
Symposium und Fachmesse für Angewandte Geoinformatik
7. bis 9. Juli 2010

Bei der AGIT 2010 erwarten Sie zahlreiche qualitativ hochwertige Beiträge, spezielle Fachtagungen und Themenschwerpunkte bieten einen tieferen Einblick in die jeweilige Materie. Die Internationalität durch das bereits etablierte parallel zur AGIT organisierte englischsprachige GI_Forum wächst von Jahr zu Jahr. Nehmen Sie sich die Zeit und wählen Sie aus unserem umfangreichen Angebot aus Fachvorträgen, Spezialforen, Fachtagungen und fast 20 Workshops - der Erwerb des AGIT Vollpreistickets ermöglicht Ihnen den Besuch aller Veranstaltungen (inkl. dem englischsprachigen GI_Forum)
Besonders hinweisen möchten wir auf den Frühbucherbonus bei einer Anmeldung bis zum 28. Mai 2010!

> www.agit.at

Monday, March 22, 2010

Förderpreis für Geoinformatik 2010 an UNIGIS Absolventen Jens Krumpe


Der vom Runden Tisch GISe.V. verliehene Förderpreis Geoinformatik 2010 ging dieses Jahr unter anderem auch an den UNIGIS Absolventen Jens Krumpe für seine Master Thesis:
"Multiattributive Raumbewertung mit verteilten Geoinformationen-Für ein entscheidungsunterstützendes System in der Umweltrisikobewertung."

Wir gratulieren recht herzlich!

Mehr Information zum Förderpreis Geoinformatik 2010

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Summer School Announcement

Coordinated with the AGIT und GI_Forum conferences, Z_GIS has announced that the semester will be finishing with two summer schools:

  • EnviSDI – “Spatial Data Infrastructure for environmental datasets”
  • GISLERS - "Bridging GIS, Landscape Ecology and Remote Sensing for Landscape Planning"

Both events will be opening on June 29, 2010 and conclude on July 9. Registration is open until May 15, but may close earlier due to limited spaces available. For registration and further details please visit our websites -see links above- or contact us at envisdi2010@edu-zgis.net or gislers2010@edu-zgis.net, respectively.

2009 Z_GIS Report Published


Again, the Centre for Geoinformatics Annual Report has been published as a record of achievements summarizing the previous year. Starting with an overview of our institutional mission and recent development trends this booklet introduces current Z_GIS faculty and then presents highlights from research projects, presents the impressive statistics of UNIGIS programs and details the outcomes from the AGIT and GI_Forum conferences. Overall, this brochure is directed at our project partners, highlighting the competences and capacities Z_GIS is offering through collaborative research and various kinds of joint initiatives.

The 'AR2009' is available in print and for download from http://tinyurl.com/ZGIS2009. For hardcopy orders and for feedback, please contact the editor - Dagmar.Baumgartner[at]sbg.ac.at

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

EDC 2009 Student Award Recipient Announced

The University of Salzburg – Centre for Geoinformatics EDC is proud to announce Mariana BELGIU as the 2009 recipient of the EDC (ESRI Development Center) Student of the Year Award. She has been chosen as the top Salzburg EDC student for 2009 due to her outstanding achievements and contributions:

Mariana started the year as a master’s student finalizing her thesis on “Making Geographic Resources Discoverable – an Approach towards a Streamlined Metadata Generation Process”. In this thesis she was working towards a prototype implementation of an Austrian national metadata profile within the framework of applicable standards. This successful implementation is based on the GPT (GIS Portal Toolkit). After achieving excellent grades on her thesis and final exam, she moved on to developing and successfully presenting a PhD proposal with a focus on the role of ontologies as a basis for semantic search within SDI’s and portals. After acceptance of this proposal she currently is in the initial stages of her PhD work.

In addition Mariana volunteered contributions to the development of a demonstrator for a Central Asia SDI in cooperation with Kyrgyz universities. This project has been recognized through grants from GSDI and ESRI. Mariana assisted with building demonstrator SDI components and involved herself in the education and training of local actors.

Mariana Belgiu is a role model as a dedicated individual as well as a future GIS professional with very high academic standards.