THEIA data hub workshop on forest remote-sensing applications

The THEIA data and services hub is holding a workshop on 11 October in Montpellier to explore operational remote-sensing solutions for monitoring forests.

Whether through helping to mitigate climate change effects, providing timber, offering recreational pursuits or preserving flora and fauna, forests are important to a broad spectrum of stakeholders. In response to the stakes involved, numerous space missions today are acquiring multi-date observations of forests with a range of optical, radar and lidar sensors at multiple spatial resolutions.

This workshop offers the opportunity to highlight work conducted by scientific expertise centres (CES) developing forest products and a chance for the research and user community to discuss what they’re doing.

There will be a large number of presentations on products derived from Copernicus data. The workshop is part of the Framework Programme Agreement on Copernicus User Uptake (FPCUP) dedicated to promoting data from the Sentinel satellites.

Workshop goals

The two main goals of the workshop are to:

1. Spotlight a selection of operational products and tools based on satellite observation of forests designed to help characterize forest ecosystems and their evolution
2. Bring together scientists developing these products and the user community (scientists, decision-makers, government agents, consulting firms, private firms, non-profit associations, etc.).

Topics

The day’s presentations will cover diverse domains and applications, from distinguishing tree species to monitoring deforestation and diseases, and estimating biomass and sequestered carbon. Each one will focus purposely on the most mature and operational products in their field.

The presentations aim to set out a state of the art of forest remote-sensing applications, spanning tools that serve to describe their structure and composition, study diseases, fires, deforestation and other perturbing effects, as well as the new perspectives opened up by the Biomass mission.

Organization

Each presentation will be followed by a 20-minute debate with the audience. Users will have the chance to talk to the people producing data about how to get the most out of their remote-sensing products. Likewise, the presenters at the workshop also hope to learn more about stakeholders’ needs to inform future developments.

Poster sessions

The workshop’s organizers are keen to cover a broad panorama of forest remote-sensing applications that will extend and endure beyond the one-day event. In addition to the recorded plenary presentations, summaries of proceedings will be made available, for which the workshop is issuing a call to all scientists in this sector to submit posters with a 3-minute flash presentation consisting of 5 slides, in French or English.

These presentations will be shown on the day of the workshop and will remain available, like the other documents, on Theia’s website.

To take part:

• Send an e-mail confirming your intention to take part in the poster session with the title of your presentation before 21 June to theia@data-terra.org
• Send a link to download the flash presentation (3 minutes, 5 slides) before 31 July to theia@data-terra.org