University of Salzburg - Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS

Z_GIS is an interdisciplinary department (80 scientific and technical staff) established at Paris-Lodron University, Salzburg. It is dedicated to fundamental and applied research, integrated spatial analysis, outreach activities and networking, professional education (www.unigis.net) and training. As experts for the spatial view, Z_GIS focuses on interoperable GIS, spatial modelling, satellite remote sensing, image analysis, etc.

Z_GIS is strongly involved in EU-funded RTD activities, development cooperation and educational projects and is actively supporting and promoting the Copernicus initiative in an interdisciplinary research and communication scheme by fostering new technologies for EO-based spatial decision support and policy implementation. Z_GIS is inextricably linked with the OBIA (object-based image analysis) approach.

• Data integration (multi-source, multi-temporal, multi-sensor), including socio-economic data
• Research for Copernicus service development and validation of information products
• Research topics: humanitarian action, disaster risk reduction, environmental management, climate change adaptation
• Spatio-temporal, fully automated image understanding routines

Z_GIS has multiple research teams and labs dealing with Earth observation:

The Landscape Lab provides a transdisciplinary working environment at the interface of landscape sciences and Geoinformatics. Both, SMART Hydro and SMART Biking solutions focus on Internet of Things (IOT). Real time data transfer, capturing, processing and immediate result transmission at provided at platform and device independent, cloud based standardised open interfaces.

The Risk, Hazard & Climate Lab aims to identify spatial risk, hazard, and vulnerability patterns through geospatial analysis and remote sensing, integrating inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. 

To measure, monitor, and represent the constantly increasing complexity of environmental and societal processes in the face of climate change, we develop and integrate innovative spatial methods and Earth observation data to support science- and knowledge-based hazard and risk management. A particular focus is on EO-based mapping and monitoring of natural hazards, such as landslides, and geomorphological features using knowledge-based and data-driven methods.

Established as a research area in 2021, the research in the EO Analytics lab focuses on multi-scale and multi-purpose big EO data applications and their challenges, focusing primarily on free and open data archives (e.g. Copernicus) and integrating geographic information and objects into big EO data analytics. 

We aim towards automated semantic image understanding, combined spatial and temporal analysis in large imagery databases, and improved exploration and understanding of uncertainty and inhomogeneity in coverage and quality inherent to global EO archives and analysis. 

Combining advances in the fields of geography, image understanding, remote sensing, image processing, computer vision, spatial analysis and computer science, we endeavour to develop a collection of adaptive, interdisciplinary solutions necessary to approach challenges posed by big EO data from different angles and application perspectives.

Z_GIS offers several education programmes based on the inherit expertise of a broad spectrum of geospatial research topics. We translate Earth Observation and Geoinformatics (EO*GI) research into education. Students are empowered through academic education by fostering their leadership in EO*GI to address key societal challenges, from climate change to digital transformation. 

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master 'Copernicus Master in Digital Earth' is a unique MSc programme, co-funded by the European Union, in the upcoming field of EO*GI, and with a focus on the European Union's EO programme Copernicus.