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Drones, the Perfect Survival Ally. Episode 2: Building a Shelter
Stranded on a desert island? You've got a lot to handle: finding food, sourcing fresh water, making a shelter, building a fire and signalling for help.
Doesn't sound like a one-person job, does it? You'd be better off with a friend - one that's actively helping.
In this video series, we'll show you how a drone is the ideal survival ally for these …
Neinavaz, E. 
Is this the farm of tomorrow?
At Citizen Farm Herenboeren Usseler Es, farmers are exploring how data can help them adapt to climate change challenges, such as unpredictable weather and longer growing seasons. Researchers from the University of Twente are helping by providing them with more precise data for better-informed farming decisions.
The goal is to enhance local food pr…
UT Stories Editorial Team 
Can geologists guess where you've been on holiday from the sand in your backpack?
Does it fascinate you that sand from different places looks and feels different? The answer lies in its mineral composition and its journey through time.
Assistant Professor Arjan Dijkstra knows all about it. In fact, rumors say he can tell where sand comes from—without ever seeing it. That’s exactly what we’re putting to the test!
To do that, we’…
Dijkstra, A.H. 
GeoVodcast #1: Spatial Inequalities in Deprived Urban Areas
Welcome to the first episode of the Geoversity Video Podcast! In this episode, host Brad Hillas speaks with Professor Monika Kuffer from the Faculty of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation at the University of Twente about her work in urban planning, geospatial data, and its connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Professor…
Kuffer, M. 
Podcast: Spatial Inequalites in Deprived Urban Areas
Welcome to the second episode of the Geoversity Podcast!
In this episode, host Brad Hillas speaks with Professor Monika Kuffer from the Faculty of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation at the University of Twente about her work in urban planning, geospatial data, and its connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Professor Kuff… Kuffer, M. 
Climate Change: The uphill battle for species conservation
Join Panagiotis Nyktas, a passionate landscape ecologist, as he discusses the impact of climate change on fragile ecosystems.
Learn about the challenges faced by endemic species in Crete’s mountainous regions that represent larger global trends and the urgent need for holistic models to better understand and predict ecosystem dynamics.
Panagiotis …
Nyktas, P. 
Urban AI and Ways of Knowing
AI is the talk of the hour. With systems like ChatGPT and Midjourney becoming more popular and seemingly sophisticated, we are also increasingly confronted with many ethical questions that those technologies engender.
In May 2024, OpenAI's "Sky" chatbot made headlines for sounding similar to actor Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Sky was taken offline …
Boro, U. 
How to design better public spaces for everyone
Deteriorated, unsafe, or simply underwhelming public spaces—how can we turn them into vibrant, community-centred areas? Public participation is the key to bridging the gap between the needs of individual residents and the actions of policymakers.
In this video, Sergio Alvarado Vasquez introduces AMACHAN, a cutting-edge digital tool that incorporat…
Alvarado Vazquez, S. 
Cities are Cloned in the Virtual World to Transform Urban Planning
Digital twin cities paving the way for urban decisions with a lasting impact
There is a way to test and analyse different scenarios before breaking ground. This is possible thanks to digital twins. A digital twin city is a replica of its physical counterpart. Updated from real-time data and using simulation, AI, and pattern recognition, the digita… UT Stories Editorial Team 
Drones, the Perfect Survival Ally. Episode 1: Sourcing Food
Stranded on a desert island? You've got a lot to handle: finding food, sourcing fresh water, making a shelter, building a fire and signalling for help.
Doesn't sound like a one-person job, does it? You'd be better off with a friend - one that's actively helping.
In this video series, we'll show you how a drone is the ideal survival ally for these …
Ellsäßer, F.J. 
Travelling back in time to understand the present and predict the future of our forests using remote sensing
Forests play a vital role in mitigating global warming and preventing biodiversity loss. They cover a third of the Earth, and about 45% are in the tropical zone. Most of our forests are natural, while only a small proportion of forests come from plantations.
Although the rate of deforestation has decreased in the last decade, the percentage of pla…
Huesca Martinez, M. 
Where Dinosaurs lived: how geolocation supports palaeontological research
Dinosaurs are undoubtedly the most famous of all extinct creatures that have lived on our planet – a fame only matched by their popularity.
However, identifying these iconic animals and reconstructing their environment is an intricate puzzle.
First, we do not know how many pieces the fossil set is made of, and second, the pieces are scattered thro…
Da Silva Mano, A. 
What are agent-based models?
García, H. 
Four popular sources of labelled data for machine learning
In remote sensing, machine learning models are powerful instruments for classifying land cover and land use, identifying vegetation cover, determining soil types, detecting changes in the landscape, and more.
However, these models need to be fed labelled data as training material for optimum performance. This data type allows machine learning mode…
Paris, C. 
Enhancing Agricultural Monitoring with AI and satellite data: A Collaborative Training on Crop Type Mapping
I had the pleasure of being invited to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) in Bangkok to deliver a Tailor-Made Training (TMT) program: a truly rewarding and enriching training experience.
This training focused on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for crop type mapping, leveraging the rich t… Paris, C. 
Symbols on maps and graphs and why choosing them carefully matters
Lots of presentation, design, and publishing software allows you to quickly draw things like charts and maps. When you create a symbol with that software, say a pin on a map or a line on a data chart, you're typically given some default design, and then the option to change things like thickness and colour. Often people choose things they like, ma…
Raposo, P. 
Digital twins can make mapping easier and more accurate
A digital twin is a digital replica of a particular physical object, environment and/or event. In the field of geoinformation, the con…
Oude Elberink, S.J. 
UAVs for Geophysical Survey
The growing popularity of UAVs and ongoing advancements in UAV-compatible technologies have greatly influenced geophysics. This articl…
Dadrass Javan, F. 
The role of water- and health-related local community knowledge and perceptions in decision-making
The role of water- and health-related local community knowledge and perceptions in decision-making
Health-related knowledge and perceptions are important determinants of health behaviours and behaviour change. What someone knows, thinks or feels will motivate or hinder their intention or hesitancy to implement a certain behaviour, i.e. the applica…
Anthonj, C. 
Keeping things cool with digital twins
Digital twin (DT) technlogy has proven to be powerful in addressing the Urban Heat Island effect and promoting climate-resilient citie…
Koeva, M.N. 
Using UAV Technology to Fight Palm Tree Pests and Diseases
Farming date palm trees is of utmost importance in many arid countries and covers more than 1 million hectares globally, producing 9.5 million metric tons of dates annually.
The Red Palm Weevil (RPW) and Bayoud diseases, along with other pests and pathogens, pose serious threats to the palm tree population, with significant economic impacts and lo…
Alsadik, B. 
Are we running out of raw materials for the energy transition?
Europe faces various choices and challenges in terms of mining and the availability of raw materials. The 2023 European Critical Raw M…
Dijkstra, A.H. 
What is the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature?
Pereira Marghidan, C. 
What is magic of institutionalising planning support systems?
We don't understand why a particular Planning Support System (PSS) is seemingly successful.
We don't understand because the literature shows that many, if not most, do not institutionalise. Even though many of them are powerful instruments to help people prepare development scenarios, participate in planning processes, or evaluate and account for …
Boerboom, L.G.J. 
Colour composites unraveled
The article "Why do you not see what I see?" raised eyebrows and triggered some discussion. It is, therefore, time for a follow-up and…
Bakx, J.P.G. 
Searching for Rare Earth Elements from space and how minerals made in the lab play a key role
If you are looking for a powerful magnet, you probably leave the hardware store with something called a neodymium magnet.
Neodymium is a chemical element with exceptional magnetic properties. It belongs to a group of elements collectively known as the rare earth elements, so your magnet may also be called a rare earth magnet.
If you are a manufact… Dijkstra, A.H. 
What is the social and mental health impact of flooding on older adults?
What is the social and mental health impact of flooding on older adults?
Humans are living longer and longer. In 2020, the number of people aged 60 and above exceeded the number of children under five. The large number of older adults will bring new challenges to the health system.
Our climate is changing, making the frequency and intensity of ext…
Song, C. 
Between climate planning and implementation: Closing the gap with a new database
Mitigating emissions and adapting to climate change is challenging. There's often a gap between what science recommends and what gets implemented in our regions and cities.
Our new Integrated database on adaptation and mitigation measures in Europe aims to help close this gap. It provides a collection of practical measures and tools to help make c…
Martínez Görbig, G. 
Mapping Rainforest Water Use: A UAV-Based Approach to Evapotranspiration
Tropical rainforests play a key role in regulating the Earth's climate, and a big part of this is through evapotranspiration (ET), which is how water moves from the ground through plants and back into the air.
Measuring ET can be challenging because most methods - such as eddy covariance or sap flux - are expensive or require a lot of work. These … García, H. 
What green do you need? How residents of less well-off urban areas see their environment
Schwarz, N. 
Misled by maps: How data visualisation shapes our stories
Do you think visuals don't lie? Think again! In today's visually driven world, maps, charts, and graphs dictate how we interpret stories—often without us realizing it.
Data visualization expert Barend Köbben is here to break it all down. We hit the streets to see how people interpret visuals, and Barend explains why you might be getting tricked by…
Köbben, B.J. 
Making maptables more usable for collaborative planning
In collaborative spatial planning, maptables are increasingly popular. However, software applications specifically designed for maptab…
Aguilar Bolivar, R.M. 
Water and health insecurity among urban homeless communities
We often associate unsafe access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) with the Global South. However, in the Global North there are…
Anthonj, C. 
Open spaces and why mapping them is crucial
Wherever people live and work near each other, it's important to have open spaces. Therefore we need to be sure that the share of open…
Aguilar Bolivar, R.M. 
The Remote Sensing Data Labelling Challenge
Remote sensing involves analysing vast amounts of Earth Observation (EO) data, typically acquired from satellite data, aircraft or Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Machine learning models can be trained to assist here, by automatically classifying land use and land cover, identifying vegetation cover, determining soil types, detecting changes in t…
Paris, C. 
The power of impact-based weather forecasting
Imagine you get this message:
"Tomorrow afternoon, there will be heavy wind gusts of 100 km/hour".
Now, imagine instead that you get this message:
"Due to strong winds expected tomorrow afternoon, there is an 80% chance of trees falling in neighbourhood A, which may cause travel disruptions from road X to Y. Expect delays in travel time up … Pereira Marghidan, C. 
Spatial autocorrelation and its importance in Earth observation
Spatial autocorrelation is a key statistical concept in Earth observation research. Remarkably, its importance tends to be overlooked.…
Groen, T.A. 
Why you can't just introduce your favourite animals anywhere!
Our planet's biodiversity and ecosystems are under threat. Climate change puts pressiure on many species as their living environments become unsuitable. In this video, Dr. Ir. Thomas Groen explains how Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) provides crucial insights for species survival and habitat suitability.
SDM aids in conservation policy-making… Groen, T.A. 
Coping with the most underestimated natural hazard
Earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides – these may be the first things that come to mind when thinking about natural hazards. What’s often underestimated is extreme heat – referred to as a ‘silent killer’. This becomes clear when interviewing passersby on the street in Ghent, Belgium.
Join us as PhD researcher Carolina Pereira Marghidan sheds light o… Pereira Marghidan, C. 
New routes to affordable land administration
According to estimates, 70% of the world’s population cannot access a legal land administration system. This often makes it hard to determine which land belongs to whom. It also causes problems in vital areas such as productive farming, urban planning, and sustainable development. That’s why the UN incorporated the formal registration of property …
Grift, J. 
Soil-plant digital twins and how to model them
Imagine being able to predict how our vegetation responds to environmental changes like droughts or heavy rains. It could help us take steps to prevent crop failure and loss of productivity – more pressing than ever, given the impact of climate change on food security and our ecosystems.
With soil-plant digital twins, researchers aim to achieve ju…
Zeng, Y. 
Drought peril insurance for smallholder farmers
ITC researchers, in association with a number of specialized partners, created a dedicated insurance solution for smallholder farmers …
Nelson, A.D. 
State-of-the-art modelling may help anticipate landslides
There’s artificial intelligence, and then there’s Dr. Luigi Lombardo’s ‘fancy models’ that aim to save lives: voice recognition techniques that are applied to landslide modelling for Early Warning Systems. Discover his fascinating journey of leveraging AI to mitigate the risks of landslides and safeguard lives. Learn about the inspiration behind h…
Lombardo, L. 
What robotic sight is needed for
Explore the cutting-edge world of autonomous technology with Dr Ville Lehtola as he delves into the practical challenges of achieving …
Lehtola, V.V. 
Why we should read maps critically
With today’s easily accessible technology, practically anyone can make their own maps. However, since maps are more than neutral visua…
Köbben, B.J. 
Why do you not see what I see?
In any project using images acquired by satellite sensors or from UAVs, you will frequently display images to look at. Before even div…
Bakx, J.P.G. 
Cobalt: the chemical element that connects Vincent van Gogh, the energy transition, and mineral exploration using remote sensing
This story is about the colour blue. Like the blue of the skies in Van Gogh’s paintings. But it is also about a critical raw material,…
Dijkstra, A.H. 
An army of egg-sized sensors to hatch a sustainable movement in Paramaribo
The concept of "adopting an egg-like sensor" isn't something that you hear every day. However, some residents of Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, are now proudly calling themselves "egg parents". This refers to their involvement in the project Green Paramaribo - developed by Tropenbos Suriname and the ITC Faculty
In this story, we will discove… García, H. 
Creativity in Urban Planning
Our urge to look for creative and innovative solutions for societal and urban problems is at its height. Creativity is often talked about in terms of innovation, design thinking, radical changes, or alternative solutions. But definitions and theoretical reflections on creativity as a concept are mostly lacking. Frameworks are adopted from other fi…
Shakeri, M. 
Supporting forest drought monitoring by developing ground-based sites
Measuring forest water content
Paul Vermunt’s mission is to advance the study of forest resilience to droughts. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Water Resources in the ITC, Paul measures the dynamics of the water content in the forest with spatiotemporal tools. This, he believes, "can support decision-makers and researchers on f…
Vermunt, P.C. 
Can we measure river discharge from space?
Shakya, A. 
Using UAV-based thermal imagery to inspect and improve the energy efficiency of buildings
The need to improve energy efficiency in buildings
Improving the energy efficiency of buildings has become a priority in recent years. In the European Union, buildings account for 40% of the energy consumption, with 65% in the residential sector dedicated to heating in 2021.
Utilizing innovative technologies, new constructions are designed with e… Dadrass Javan, F. 
UAVs are revolutionising disaster resilience
In February 2023, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit southern and central Turkey, as well as northern and western Syria. It caused extensive damage across an area of about 350,000 square kilometres. The confirmed death toll was 59,259, with 50,783 in Turkey and 8,476 in Syria. Approximately 14 million people were affected, and aroun…
Dadrass Javan, F. 
Innovations for land rights mapping
Land rights mapping, or cadastral mapping, is key to addressing Sustainable Development Goals number 1 set by the United Nations. Of this first goal, target 1.4 refers to equal rights and access to economic resources. This also can be referred to as ‘land tenure for all’.
Global estimates indicate that around 70% of the world has not been mapped i… Koeva, M.N. 
The Energy Transition Explained
Introduction
The energy transition that we are currently facing is by no means the first of its kind. It all began when humans mastered fire. The next energy transition came about with the domestication of animals that could transport things and do work that humans used to do. Then we went on to use combustion engines (1705) and nuclear energy (19…
Hecker, C.A. 
How can digital twins help the world?
Koeva, M.N. 
How can digital twins help us to build sustainable cities?
Koeva, M.N. 
Building a city digital twin: needs and challenges
Digital twins (DTs) can be used to manage a city’s infrastructures (e.g. roads, transportation and public services, smarter energy grids and water networks). They can also support city planners in making informed decisions, and provide up-to-date data for simulations and resource allocation.
However, city digital twins are highly complex models. … Koeva, M.N. 
3 examples of successful city digital twin applications
Koeva, M.N. 
Explainable AI in Natural Hazard Monitoring
The only thing that separates miracles from science is explainability. For thousands of years, almost all people believed in magic and miracles until a time in history when scientific understandings were mature and accessible enough for at least some people to understand the science behind it. In artificial intelligence (AI), we are still in the e…
Dahal, A. 
How do UAVs help precision agriculture?
In this article, we discuss some of the benefits of using UAVs in agriculture, and how the technology has evolved
Ellsäßer, F.J. 
Establishing land rights by documenting land relations
Zevenbergen, J.A. 
Mapping from high-resolution images and height data
Where do our maps come from?
Most of the maps we use in daily life are based on information captured in Earth Observation data, such as aerial photographs or satellite images. Elements that you find in those images include buildings, roads, water bodies, and trees. The more detailed the maps, the higher the resolution of the images should be. And,… Oude Elberink, S.J. 
How can explainable AI contribute to natural hazard prediction?
What is explainable AI?
Explainable AI is a very recent development in artificial intelligence. It deals with tools typically belonging to the family of AI, such as deep learning, that become so complex that they cannot be easily interpreted. Explainable AI is a post-processing tool that is put to work after a machine learning model, typically a … Lombardo, L. 
How climate change is affecting food security in arid regions
Due to climate change, rising temperatures and shifts in precipitation patterns are exacerbating the intensity and duration of drought…
García, H. 
Five sensors that are used on smart agriculture UAVs
We've discussed in another article some of the ways that UAVs can be used in smart agriculture. In this article, we'll talk about some of the different data collection sensors that can go on UAVs.
If you’d like to learn more about this topic, check out this Geoversity course on UAVs in Precision Agriculture Ellsäßer, F.J. 
Six ways that drones can make farming smarter
As the planet's population grows, so does the demand for food. “Smart agriculture” is a modern, more productive approach to meeting th…
Ellsäßer, F.J. 
SAR Tomography: How to reveal the diverse world beneath the forest canopy
This article introduces the Synthetic Aperture Radar tomography as a technique for providing a three dimensional view of forests struc…
Aghababaei, H. 
Using drones to map forests and plantations
When mapping forests and plantations, scientists find many advantages in the use of drone technology. Learn about some of those advant…
García, H. 
What is eDNA?
Skidmore, A.K. 
What is Spatial Finance?
The development of artificial intelligence is contributing to the field of geo-information science, with algorithms being developed to automatically scan and interpret this visual information. With the data from satellites and the insights from algorithms, we are able to access real-time observation of large-scale changes occurring on our planet. …
Barasal Morales, A. 
What is hidden hunger?
Hidden hunger is a popular term to refer to micronutrient deficiencies. Micronutrient deficiencies are a form of malnutrition caused by the insufficient uptake of vitamins and other micronutrients. This phenomenon is common in developing regions with cereal-based diets, but also increasing in developed countries, where individuals are opting for l…
Belgiu, M. 
What is food security?
Food security is sometimes mistaken for food safety. Whilst there is some overlap, the two are quite different. So, let’s start with a definition.
Can we provide sufficient food to everyone at all times?
Is that food affordable and accessible?
Is it utilizable? In other words, does it meet people’s cultural and dietary preferences?
Is it safe,… Nelson, A.D. 
Five minerals that can help to save the planet from the carbon crisis (and natural kryptonite is one of them)
Dijkstra, A.H. 
How a soil-plant digital twin can help predict and monitor our ecosystems for sustainable developments
Since 2018, the Netherlands and many other parts of Europe have been faced with increasingly long drought periods. To understand how ecosystems respond to such climate extremes, soil and plants need to be studied in a coherent way as one system that reacts to these events. ITC researchers surmise that a digital twin of the soil-plant system would …
Zeng, Y. 
Getting everything in place with the Matrix of Functions
Urbanization can be a positive force for the development of countries, in both urban and rural areas. But there may be problems in terms of regional development if people and resources are not well distributed. A booming town will soon get in trouble if it lacks skilled people or certain types of facilities, buildings and infrastructure. Similarly…
Boerboom, L.G.J. 
Measuring the ways climate change can affect allergy season: methods and challenges
In another article, we discussed 3 Ways that climate change can affect pollen emissions. Here we describe the link to pollen allergies and how we can measure the disease burden.
It’s expected that climate change will lead to an increase in pollen and that this, in turn, will increase pollen allergies. This is for a number of reasons: an extended p…
Augustijn, P.W.M. 
Opportunities and Challenges in using machine learning to model pollen data
There are many types of pollen models simulating pollen emission and/or atmospheric transport of pollen to predict the amount of pollen at a given time at a given location. As pollen can be transported over larger areas, large-scale models that capture both local and transported pollen need to be developed. This requires large datasets. We need to…
Augustijn, P.W.M. 
Three ways that climate change can affect pollen emissions
Factors affecting pollen emissions
During the year, various plant species produce pollen grains in their reproduction cycle. They are tiny particles that are carried by open air currents and thus become distributed. The time when pollen are emitted differs per country and species. In the Netherlands, the pollen emission season occurs from winter … Augustijn, P.W.M. 
Producing 3D Models for city Digital Twins
What are digital twins?
Digital Twins are digital representations of physical reality. They can have many forms and scales, from compact models in Mechanical Engineering to complete digital city models. Digital twins are very useful for visualizing the current state of a city but can also be used to simulate future or past events.
How do you crea… Oude Elberink, S.J. 
How can machine learning bias affect GIS applications?
Machine learning can be helpful to society in a number of ways, but it is known to sometimes propagate unwelcome prejudice. This phenomenon is called machine learning bias, and many people are growing increasingly concerned about it. A well-known case involves facial recognition, which tends to identify people of certain colours better than others…
Gevaert, C.M. 
Three dimensions to measure the impact of soil nutrients on the nutritional values of crops
When farmers need to know the nutritional value of a crop, the usual way to find out is by taking hundreds of samples of the grains into a laboratory and analyzing them. This process is not only very expensive but inefficient; the analysis is carried out at the final crop growth stage, when it is already too late for correcting nutrient concentrat…
Belgiu, M. 
6 Benefits of Using Drones for Civil Infrastructure Inspections
Alsadik, B. 
How many elephants? Ask a satellite
Hillas, B. M. 
How do satellites work?
Penning de Vries, M.J.M. 
Species distribution modelling
Groen, T.A. 
Remote Sensing to assess protein content in wheat - the secret to a perfect slice of bread
Embraced by fitness enthusiasts, proteins have claimed the spotlight in the field of health and nutrition during the last decade. Proteins are macronutrients, essential for the growth, maintenance and repair of tissues of the human body.
We can all name foods with high amounts of protein, such as tofu, broccoli or chicken. However, it's not comm… Belgiu, M. 
How do LiDAR and radar Work?
Have you ever wondered how LiDAR and radar are used to map and preserve natural resources like forests? These two technologies are key tools in the realm of geo-information science, and they have several applications in natural resource management. In this article, we will take a closer look at how LiDAR and radar work and how they're used to map …
Schlund, M. 
Using hyperspectral remote sensing to predict droughts
Droughts are a global problem affecting farmer communities that depend on rainfall for their livelihood. They occur due to changing we…
Marshall, M.T. 
Mapping Slums with UAVs
According to the UN definition, slums are areas characterized by people living in vulnerable conditions. They are areas of a city that are overpopulated, that have lack of access to water and decent sanitation, and/or with a very high building density. These areas are often informal, which means that they that there is no legal tenure to be living…
Gevaert, C.M. 
