The second
MS.MONINA Summer School organized by the University of Málaga and the Centrefor Geoinformatics took place from 9th to 14th of July 2012 in Málaga (Spain).
The event was dedicated to the topic “EO-based biodiversity monitoring: From
concepts to products” and brought together researchers and practitioners from
11 European countries. Asking one the participants about her impressions,
she gave the following statement: “The Summer School was a very successful
platform for interactive learning and exchange of experiences in remote
sensing, GIS and nature protection in Europe with a focus on research
activities within the MS.MONINA project”.
It was an intense programme dealing
with the European concept of biodiversity at the science-policy interface, the
Habitats Directive and its monitoring and reporting requirements as well as the
potential of remote sensing techniques to fulfill these. As indicated by the event
title, there was a strong focus on ways to communicate with potential users of
EO-based products, their requirements and the design of these products.
A field
trip to the Sierra Nevada National Park offered the opportunity to discuss with
local experts about the potential of remote sensing techniques to monitor
sensitive high-mountain habitats. The importance of the service provider-user
relationship has also been emphasized by another participant: “I think this
Summer School will enable us to get closer to our user community and thus
produce information that can be more efficiently used in everyday nature
conservation and monitoring”.
