I am professor of geoinformatics with primary focus on remote sensing applications on land cover and impact of human-nature interactions on the environment. My research group applies mostly optical remote sensing data including hyperspectral data and laser scanner data. During the last decade the focus has been in Africa, and particularly land cover and land use change caused by agricultural expansion and conservation, and its impact on water resources, biodiversity, climate and livelihoods. Earlier I have been involved in remote sensing research of glaciers as indicators of climate change and developing remote sensing systems and correction procedures for radiometry and geometry of the data.

I am also a director of multidisciplinary Taita Research Station of the University of Helsinki in Kenya, which provides research questions and solutions from sustainability science to Earth system science for students and staff of our university and others. It is a gateway to Africa to many young researchers. Please read more activities of it at the Taita Research Station homepages: blogs.helsinki.fi/taita-research-station/ 

As reflected in the projects and my papers on the portal, my background is in physical geography and development geography, which I currently still work on with the tools and methods provided by geoinformatics. Currently I am open to see environmental problems in a holistic way in the field of Earth system science and Sustainability Science.