The European Space Agency (ESA) is organising an Earth Observation training course in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, the Institute of Environmental Solutions and Riga Technical University.
Date: 27 June - 1 July 2022.
Location: Riga Technical University, Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry (Paula Valdena street 3/7, Riga. Classroom: 431, 4th floor, Google map)
Target audience: The course is intended for researchers, students, PhD students and young professionals who use EO technology within their research or work and want to improve their knowledge of remote sensing. Preference will be given to applicants from Latvia and from other Baltic countries.
Required level of pre-existing knowledge in EO: basic skills in remote sensing and/or Geographical Information Systems.
Concept: The five-day course, taught by ESA experts will combine theory and practice. Participants will learn about optical and radar satellite data applications with a focus on real-world applications in sectors relevant to Latvia's geography and needs, such as land use, agriculture, forestry and ground motion. Nonetheless, the participants will be able to apply their knowledge and skills in other EO target sectors such as marine environment monitoring, emergency management, smart cities and many others.
Topics covered:
Facilities: Participants will be provided with all necessary equipment and software for the course in the Riga Technical University classroom. If participants wish to use their own computers, please contact the organizers to clarify the technical requirements.
Costs: Participants in this course are not required to pay anything. There will be course materials, tea and coffee breaks, light snacks, and a welcome dinner. Participants are responsible for all other costs associated with their participation (travel, lodging, subsistence, and so on).
Registrations: 25 April - 13 May 2022. Registration link. The successful applicants will be notified by May 27, 2022. Please keep in mind that the course has a limited capacity.
Certificate: At the end of the course, participants will be given an attendance certificate.
Contacts:
Programme:
Featured image: Riga, Latvia. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2022) processed by ESA with Sentinel Hub EO Browser
About the Copernicus programme and Earth Observation
Copernicus is a European Union Earth Observation program. It provides information services based on satellite Earth Observation and in-situ (non-space) data. The Copernicus program is managed by the European Commission, and the European Space Agency plays a key role in its implementation.
Earth Observation data enables efficient monitoring of the Earth from a distance and can deliver information that is not visible to the naked eye – a capacity enabled by radars and optical sensors onboard satellites. EO solutions can incorporate and reinforce digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics, fifth-generation (5G) mobile electronic communications networks, Artificial Intelligence (AI), High-Performance Computing (HPC), Digital Twins and so on.
These space-borne data are actively used not only by professionals, but also by members of the general public who lack niche specialisation or education in the space sector. Satellite data and information can be used for analysis, monitoring and informed decision-making in the following areas:
Companies within various industries, in collaboration with researchers, use space data and technologies to innovate and respond to global challenges as well as to invent solutions and improve our conventional approaches in all economic spheres for efficiency, productivity and quality.
Image: Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite (radar) mosaic image of the floodplain and tributaries of the mighty river, whose name translates as the "Son of Creator". Credit: Valters Žeižis. Accessible at: https://twitter.com/Valtzen/status/1492954021388238852
Image: Dynamics of suspended sediment in the Irbe strait seen by Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on 01/03/22 Interaction with bathymetric features and local currents creates large scale vortices around cape Kolka in Latvia. Credit: Valters Žeižis. Accessible at: https://twitter.com/Valtzen/status/1509572492213600259
