EO4GEO: Z_GIS partner of Erasmus+ sector skills alliance project on education and training in the space/geospatial sector

Source: ESA/ATG medialab

Starting with January 2018, 26 partners from 16 countries - including Z_GIS/University of Salzburg - and initially 22 associated partners will collaborate in the the new EO4GEO project, which is focusing on education and training in the space/gesopatial sector.

EO4GEO - Towards an innovative strategy for skills development and capacity building in the space geo-information sector supporting Copernicus user uptake is coordinated by the GISIG association and will run for four years.

The project aims at bridging the skills gap between supply and demand of education and training in the space/geospatial sector. The collaboration partners are focusing on reinforcing the existing ecosystem and fostering the uptake and integration of space/geospatial data and services in end-user-applications.

EO4GEO is an Erasmus+ sector skills alliance gathering partners from the education/training and space/geospatial sectors . Most of the partners from academia, private and public sector are part of the Copernicus Academy Network. The project has been approved by the EU Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 

Find more information here: Copernicus news, GISIG association 
Contact: Stefan Lang, Barbara Hofer 

"Shifting approaches to landslides" - LIDAR and American Surveyor magazines report on landslide research activites at Z_GIS

The LIDAR Magazine highlights the landslide research activities at Z_GIS in its October/November 2017 issue. The cover story “Shifting approaches to landslides”
reports on the development and application of object-based image analysis (OBIA) methods for semi-automated landslide mapping using optical and SAR remote sensing data. Both the complexities in efficiently and accurately identifying, mapping and inventorying landslides as well as the potentials of powerful methods such as OBIA coupled with results from synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) are described and discussed.

Quotations from Daniel Hölbling are exemplified by several examples from his and his colleagues’ research on landslides in Taiwan, New Zealand and Iceland, including field photos from past field trips. The article also emphasizes the ongoing research carried out in the MORPH (Mapping, Monitoring and Modelling the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Land Surface Morphology) project.

The article by freelance writer Mary Jo Wagner was compiled based on interviews with and material provided by Daniel Hölbling, who coordinates the landslide related research at Z_GIS. The story was also published in the November issue of the American Surveyor Magazine.

Contact: Daniel Hölbling

Z_GIS Invited to ERASMUS+ Conference in Myanmar!

Z_GIS was invited to the Regional Conference on Cooperation in Higher Education organized by the European Commission's offices in Brussels and Myanmar on 29th and 30th November, 2017 in Yangon. The main aim of the conference was to foster cooperation among various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Europe and the ASEAN region (especially from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam) as well as motivate the ASEAN HEIs to apply for various types of projects within the ERASMUS+ framework. Altogether, the conference attracted about 150 participantsk.

(Conference participants)

The conference was adorned by high level delegates, i.e. Mr. Kristian Schmidt (Ambassador of the European Union to Myanmar), H.E. Prof. Dr. Myo Thein Gyi (Myanmar Union Minister for Education), Ms. Milvia van RIJ-BRIZZI (Head of Department - Erasmus+ & EU Aid Volunteers, European Commission, Brussels), a large number of Rectors, Vice Rectors and Professors from various HEIs in the region.

Dr. Shahnawaz represented Z_GIS in the conference and gave a presentation about an ongoing ERASMUS+ KA2 project 'GeoServices-4-Sustainability (GeoS4S)'. The organisers also asked him to lead a group of the participants from various HEIs aspiring to submit a project proposal. He explained to them various steps from designing an innovative project idea to developing a competitive project proposal and submitting complete documents. Later he was invited for a meeting at the Department of Geography, University of Yangon for exploring the opportunities of cooperation with Z_GIS.

The conference concluded with the demonstration of a lot of enthusiasm and motivation for enhancing cooperation among the HEIs in Europe and ASEAN.

Danubius Young Scientist Award 2017 to Z_GIS researcher Sebastian d'Oleire-Oltmanns

Z_GIS researcher Sebastian d’Oleire-Oltmanns has received the Danubius Young Scientist Award 2017 at a ceremony at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. Congratulations!

The approach, which was provided by the awardee together with the EC Joint Research Center (JRC), aimed to apply and transfer the S3 benchmarking tool. The method should enable EU regions to identify its competitive advantages through systematic comparison with other regions. It was developed as part of the McIndicator project which is coordinated by Z_GIS researcher Stefan Kienberger.

The annual Danubius Young Scientist Award seeks to highlight the scientific work and talent of young researchers and enhance the visibility of the scientific community in the region. Moreover, the award encourages young scientists to engage themselves in the scientific examination of the multifaceted issues and questions specifically related to the Danube Region.


Contact: Sebastian d’Oleire-Oltmanns

More information on the McIndicator project:

https://zgis.at/mc-indicator/