Remote Sensing Information Exchange Event
Together with the Aberystwyth University and the Centre for Alternative Technology, Eurosite organises a remote sensing information exchange event in Machynlleth, United Kingdom on 7 October 2021 from 10:30 – 16:30 local time.
This collaborative event is the first in a series of events being held across Europe with the aim to facilitate information exchange between remote sensing technicians, ecologists and biodiversity managers.
All UK organisations involved in the delivery of biodiversity and nature conservation management are invited to attend. To help ensure that the event covers the highest priority subjects, attendees are invited to submit a list of what they see as the key issues related to remote sensing. Please send this to Clive Hurford, chairman of the Eurosite Remote Sensing Support Group.
Detailed maps produced by the Living Wales remote sensing research project at Aberystwyth University will be shared with participants, showing how the Earth observations can highlight the changing nature of landscapes, both in Wales and globally.
The morning session will focus on the most common topics submitted by attendees. The afternoon session will be a ‘surgery’, where delegates from the biodiversity community can raise specific topics with the remote sensing technicians.
Professor Richard Lucas, Sêr Cymru Chair at the University’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences said: “The Living Wales Team has access to satellites that have imaged the Earth for more than 30 years. We use this information to produce detailed maps showing how the landscape is changing and the impacts on habitats and associated biodiversity. Our event on 7 October will allow us to show those working in conservation how best to access and use these data and derived products and for them to tell us what additional information would further help their work as they respond to the challenges of loss of biodiversity and habitats.”
The remote sensing information exchange event forms part of the University’s Festival of Research in October 2021 which is focussing on climate change challenges in the run up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).
Please register via the registration link in the tab below ‘registration’.
The use of remote sensing techniques and spatial analysis tools are among the fastest growing fields in nature conservation planning and management. Access to free high-quality spatial data is improving day by day (e.g. thanks to the EU Copernicus earth observation and monitoring programme). Moreover, the availability of low-price and easy-to-use mapping equipment and open source software makes it possible to implement new technologies in biodiversity conservation on every level, including for managers of high value nature conservation areas.
In 2019, Eurosite organised the 4th Natura 2000 Monitoring workshop to bring these matters closer to managers of sites protected for nature conservation. The workshop was one of the networking events of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process. Here, the role of satellite and drone images in conservation monitoring and the usefulness of open source software packages that can increase the efficiency, accuracy and precision of our work was discussed. You can find the workshop report here. One of the main results of this fruitful meeting was the conclusion that there is a high demand among Eurosite members to create a new, permanent working group focused directly on remote sensing, hence the establishment of the Remote Sensing Support Group (RSSG).
The RSSG focuses on developing innovative, open tools supporting open access to biodiversity spatial data. Please find further information and outputs here. A livestream will be set up during the day as well.