Geospatial monitoring and modelling of environmental change using geoinformatics (GIMMEC)

PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:
GIMMEC aims to study environmental change applying historical and modern remote sensing and geospatial data through monitoring and modeling. The main scientific objectives are to 1) develop advanced optical remote sensing methods for land cover change detection, and 2) to model the consequences of environmental change on land cover (albedo, vegetation, biodiversity) using geospatial data and remote sensing and 3) to apply the results for better understanding of land cover/land use and climate change interactions. The RC concentrates on land cover change studies in the arctic and boreal zone (Northern Europe) and tropics (East Africa) where the team has long-term experience and data. Climate change impacts are expected to take place especially in these areas.

Domestic and foreign cooperation continues with the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finnish Geodetic Institute, Finnish Environment Institute, NASA (Land Use and Land Cover Change Programme), Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative, iLEAPS (Integrated Land Ecosystem Atmosphere Processes Study), Boston University (Climate and Vegetation Research Group), University of Toronto (Climate Processes and Climate and Carbon Cycle Modelling), Tartu Observatory, Lund University (Centre for Studies Carbon Cycle and Climate Interactions), French National Institute for Agricultural Research, University of York (York Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Dynamics), Kenya Meteorological Institute, Kenya Forest Research Institute, Department of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing of Kenya.

The principal investigators will be supervising the GIMMEC doctoral students in the three faculties. Currently the number of doctoral students of the RC is approximately 20. RC will organize post graduate courses in specific fields of geoinformatics and also in relevant application fields. The doctoral students supervised by the PI’s in other universities will also be connected team members, thus spreading the cooperation to other disciplines and application fields.

Responsible person: Petri Pellikka, Department of geosciences and geography

Participation category: 2