Forest Heterogeneity by Chain Saw: How Between‐Patch Variation in Old Growth Attributes Changes the Metacommunities of Beetles Metacommunity theory has expanded our understanding of how spatial dynamics and local interactions influence species communities, but we lack empirical studies specifically in terrestrial habitats te...

New paper on metacommunity dynamics out! 📃🍁 Led by Oliver Mitesser we show that habitat heterogeneity shifts communities from patch-dynamics toward mass effects and species sorting using beetles as focal taxon. 🐞😍
@betafor.bsky.social @cofeuniwue.bsky.social

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Informatics student project: Enhancing deep learning techniques to detect animal paths in UAV imagery When animals roam the savanna, e.g. to find resources, they leave distinctive paths in the landscape. The resulting path networks show how animals differentiate and interact with their environment. Information on the animals’ space use at great spatial detail is important to understand their selection behavior. However, conventional methods for deriving animal paths such as […]

When animals roam the savanna, they leave distinctive paths in the landscape. Informatics student Iryna Musiienko used Deep Learning to detect animal paths in drone imagery as part of a collaboration between EORC & CAIDAS @uni-wuerzburg.de

PhD Opportunity in Drone-Based Snow Monitoring A new PhD position in Drone-based Terrestrial Snow Monitoring is currently open on Svalbard, offering an exciting opportunity to work on Arctic remote sensing research. Based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, the position focuses on advancing high-resolution snow monitoring using drone-based approaches. The project aims to bridge a critical gap in current snow observation capabilities: while satellite […]

A new PhD position in Drone-based Terrestrial Snow Monitoring is currently open on Svalbard, offering an exciting opportunity to work on Arctic remote sensing research. Based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, the position focuses on advancing high-resolution snow monitoring using drone-based approaches.…

Mapping snow-ecosystem interactions from UAS: EORC at Arctic System Science Conference 2026 This week, the Arctic System Science Conference 2026 has been taking place in Potsdam. Hosted by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the conference offers a place for researchers to exchange on past, present and future scientific research of the Arctic system – including oceanic, sea-ice, atmospheric, ecosystem, bio-geochemistry and anthropology research. The Earth Observation Research […]

At the Arctic System Science Conference 2026, we presented research on deriving spatially-continuous snow depth data at cm-resolution using UAV-borne LiDAR on Svalbard. A great event for connecting with polar researchers!

@schwalb-willmann.de

EORC Featured in Research in Bavaria: Remote Sensing in the Arctic Remote sensing is opening new windows into some of the most remote and rapidly changing environments on Earth. A recent feature by Research in Bavaria highlights how researchers from our EORC and colleagues from UNIS are using cutting-edge Earth observation technologies to study the Arctic and better understand the impacts of climate change. Exploring the […]

Remote sensing is opening new windows into some of the most remote and rapidly changing environments on Earth. A recent feature by Research in Bavaria highlights how researchers from our EORC and colleagues from UNIS are using cutting-edge Earth observation technologies to study the Arctic and…

Tobias Gotthardt (Mitte), Staatssekretär im bayerischen Wirtschaftsministerium, drückte mit weiteren Beteiligten von DLR und Uni Würzburg symbolisch den Startknopf für das EO4CAM-Datenportal. (Foto: Robert Emmerich / Universität Würzburg)

Neu: Das Datenportal #EO4CAM unterstützt Kommunen und Behörden in #Bayern beim Anpassen an den #Klimawandel - #Stadtentwicklung, #Forstwirtschaft, #Landwirtschaft. Realisiert von @earth-observation.org @dlr-de.bsky.social
➡️ www.uni-wuerzburg.de/aktuelles/pr...

EORC researchers teaching drone remote sensing at UNIS, Svalbard During their current visit to Svalbard, EORC researchers have been teaching UNIS students from all over Europe on how drones can be used for remote sensing in the high Arctic. Invited by our UNIS collaborators Prof. Dr. Simone Lang (UNIS) and Prof. Dr. Eero Rinne (UNIS), they spend multiple days in the class room and […]

During their current visit to Svalbard, EORC researchers @schwalb-willmann.de and @bevanda.bsky.social have been teaching UNIS students from all over Europe on how drones can be used for remote sensing research in the high Arctic.

New publication: Mapping animal paths using drones and deep learning We’re pleased to share our latest open-access research on automatically detecting animal paths in Africa’s Kruger National Park using drone imagery and deep learning. Published in Ecological Informatics, our study demonstrates how deep learning can be employed to identify the network of trails created by animals as they move across the landscape. Using a UNet […]

Can animal paths be automatically mapped using drones? Read about our new paper together with SANparks on animal path detection using UAVs and Deep Learning in Kruger National Park.

@caipide.bsky.social @bevanda.bsky.social @schwalb-willmann.de

@sonjamaas.bsky.social

Visit at the Institute for Geoinformatics (IFGI) at University of Münster Two days ago, our PostDoc Dr. Jakob Schwalb-Willmann visited the Institute for Geoinformatics at University of Münster to give a talk at IFGI's GI Forum titled "Can animals be used to classify land use? Employing movement-tracked animals as environmental informants using deep learning".

Two days ago, our PostDoc @schwalb-willmann.de visited the Institute for Geoinformatics at University of Münster on invitation by @edzer.bsky.social and Johannes Heisig to give a talk at the GI forum on using animals to classify land use.

Map showing points in Utah, North Carolina, Georgia, Jordan, Italy, and Egypt, with great circle paths plotted between them

The {sf} package continues to blow my mind with how easy it is to make maps with #rstats and ggplot (code for that map here gist.github.com/andrewheiss/...)

📢 Abstract submission deadline for the World Biodiversity Forum @worldbioforum.bsky.social in Davos is Nov 18!
Join us for our session 'Understanding and caring for Arctic biodiversity together'. All regions, organisms and formats welcome! 🌿🦌🦋

Tree size, neighbourhood composition and structure affect individual tree vitality of European beech following extreme drought The severe drought of 2018/19 caused widespread early discoloration, defoliation and tree mortality in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), although l…

Happy to see my second PhD paper published in Forest Ecology and Management 🎉
#lidar #Europeanbeech #forestry #treemortality
check it out: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Guest lecture on UAV remote sensing of the cryosphere at UNIS, Svalbard In the last two weeks, EORC employees Sebastian Buchelt and Jakob Schwalb-Willmann travelled to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, for a two-week research and teaching stay on the high-arctic island. There, they were hosted by the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) in Longyearbyen. Among activities such as field work in Björndalen and teaching on UAV remote sensing for population […]

Last week, EORC employees Sebastian Buchelt and Jakob Schwalb-Willmann taught a three-day block course on UAV remote sensing of the cryosphere in the UNIS Master’s course "Remote Sensing of the Cryosphere" on invitation by Assoc. Prof. Eero Rinne.

Guest lecture on UAV remote sensing for Arctic population ecology at UNIS, Svalbard As part of their current research and teaching stay at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) on Svalbard, Dr. Jakob Schwalb-Willmann and Sebastian Buchelt held a guest lecture on UAV remote sensing for Arctic population ecology, showcasing the use of remote sensing for ecology research. Invited by Assoc. Prof. Larissa Beumer, the three-day guest lecture […]

As part of their current research and teaching stay at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) on Svalbard, Dr. Jakob Schwalb-Willmann and Sebastian Buchelt held a guest lecture on UAV remote sensing for Arctic population ecology, showcasing the use of remote sensing for ecology research. Invited…

High Arctic field work in Bjørndalen (Svalbard) Last week, EORC employees Jakob Schwalb-Willmann and Sebastian Buchelt travelled to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, for a two-week research and teaching stay on the high-arctic island. Invited by our collaborators and colleagues Assoc. Prof. Larissa Beumer (Arctic biology) and Assoc. Prof. Eero Rinne (Arctic geophysics), they have been hosted by the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). As part of their stay on […]

Last week, EORC employees Jakob Schwalb-Willmann and Sebastian Buchelt travelled to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, for a two-week research and teaching stay on the high-arctic island. Invited by our collaborators and colleagues Assoc. Prof. Larissa Beumer (Arctic biology) and Assoc. Prof. Eero Rinne…

Remote sensing for ecology research: The EORC at the GfÖ annual symposium 2025 in Würzburg Last week, EORC staff participated in and co-organized the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ) Annual Symposium 2025, this year hosted at University of Würzburg. The symposium, attended by more than 600 people, covered a wide range of topics in ecology research with a focus on current challenges in various ecosystems. As it […]

Last week, EORC staff participated in and co-organized the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ) Annual Symposium 2025, this year hosted at University of Würzburg. The symposium, attended by more than 600 people, covered a wide range of topics in ecology research with a focus…

Thanks – still not sure if white-to-blue is the optimal colour ramp to visualize snow depth, but in the end I chose blue as the poster's theme colour to convey the coldness of the Arctic winter!

Group picture of the staff of University of Würzburg, EORC, attending the GfÖ annual meeting in Würzburg.

Glad to share the time at #gfoe2025 with many of my nice colleagues of @earth-observation.org working at the interface of remote sensing and ecology, and who co-organized the conference.

@jsrieder.bsky.social @msdhill0n.bsky.social

Many thanks to everyone involved in this research on whose behalf I am presenting, including
@antoniocastaneda.bsky.social, Elio Rauth, Sebastian Buchelt,
@larissabeumer.bsky.social, @bevanda.bsky.social and others.

@gfoesoc.bsky.social @earth-observation.org

A research poster titled "Potential of UAV-derived high-resolution snow depth mapping to advance arctic ecological research on Svalbard"

Snow depth is a crucial variable in high-arctic ecosystems, as it affects soil, plants & wildlife foraging. Yet, spatially-continuous snow depth data is rare.

Stop by poster 38-P1 at #gfoe2025 @uni-wuerzburg.de today to talk about UAV LiDAR snow depth mapping for ecological research on Svalbard!

Incredible sight!

Thrilled to share our new article in @pnas.org highlighting global gaps in where we study animal movement—and outlining the next generation of smart bio-loggers.

👉 Read the full study in PNAS: lnkd.in/exP8NCeZ
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on an EPSG:4326 grid? :-)

If you are interested in learning more about RStoolbox, feel free to read our accompanying #MEE paper: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Or visit our docs: bleutner.github.io/RStoolbox/

Feedback, issues and contributions are always welcome! github.com/bleutner/RSt...

Swing by my poster today at the #LPS25!

Excited to share some of our work at the UAS Team, @earth-observation.org ! We’ve been exploring the comparability between UAV-based datasets and Sentinel-2.

@schwalb-willmann.de @bevanda.bsky.social

Are you working with LiDAR or inventory data? Visit me at poster H07 at #LPS25 to find out more about our R package, TreeCompR, which provides solutions for quantifying tree competition!

great group picture of our EORC staff and EAGLEs at ESA #LPS25 - a fantastic week with plenty of interesting discussions, talks and posters! #earthobs #eochat #remotesensing

Happy about all the interest shown in RStoolbox at #LPS25! Had the chance to discuss the role of R in EO, how R+Python integrate, and what drives programming language preference (e.g. when research communities implement their methods predominantly in one language, creating unique package ecosystems)

The RStoolbox poster at the ESA LPS25.

RStoolbox, an R package for remote sensing data analysis, is being presented at ESA #LPS25 today by @caipide.bsky.social and myself.

Come to poster P32 to chat about spatial predictive modelling, spectral unmixing, change vector analysis, radiometric correction, cloud masking etc. using R! #rstats