ForestSAT 2014: A bridge between forest sciences, remote sensing, and geo-spatial applications
Dates: 4-7 November 2014
Location: Riva del Garda, Italy
Venue: Riva del Garda Centro Congressi
Host: Fondazione Edmund Mach
Organizing lead: Gherardo Chirici
Attendees (approximate): 300
Thematic Areas:
Forest mapping and inventory – Approaches for mapping forest types, species, structure, biodiversity indicators and ecosystems services. For spatially estimating biomass, height, growing stock. Change detection and time series analyses. Natural and human induced disturbances: harvesting, forest fires, storms, insects, disease, drought. Monitoring regeneration, regrowth, succession, encroachment, gap dynamics, invasive species. Remote sensing guided statistical estimation, uses of inventory data, sampling, stratification. Carbon accounting. Uncertainty analysis.
Forest ecosystems modeling – Use of remotely sensed data with biogeochemical models, productivity forecasting, biodiversity modeling and habitat suitability analysis. Hydrology. Fire behavior modeling and effects. Phenology.
Development of methods – Methods based on optical, microwave and LiDAR data. Classification algorithms, continuous variable modeling, radiometric and geometric accuracy and precision, compositing and mosaicking, objects vs. pixels, visualization, radiative transfer modeling, 3-dimensional modeling, multi-sensor and multi-scale (integrated) approaches. Radar interferometry, aerial photogrammetry. Experimenting aerial drones applications in forestry.
Proximal sensing – Use of proximal sensing in forestry, terrestrial LiDAR, total stations, GNSS based systems, hemispheric photography.
Forest management and policy – Use of remote sensing and geo-spatial analysis supporting forest management and operations. Emergency response and monitoring. Monitoring effects of regional to national forest policies, evaluating trade-offs among ecosystem services, international agreements, and programs. Assessment and monitoring in protected areas.
Education – Remote sensing in the classroom, uses of publicly available spatial data.
Proceedings: Link to the special issue in Remote Sensing of Environment
Program: Download the 2014 ForestSAT program
Other info: Received more than 360 abstracts that were organized in 37 oral sessions and a non-stop poster session. The scientific program was completed by three plenary sessions with invited keynote speakers and two courses.
Keynote Speakers (2014):
“Remote sensing of forest canopy chemistry” - Prof. Susan Ustin, director of the Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing at the University of California (USA)
“The potential role of global forests in mitigating climate change” - Prof. Steve Running, Director of the Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group at the University of Montana (USA)
“On the use of remote sensing techniques to assess forest gas exchange” - Prof. Josep Peñuelas, Director of Unidad de Ecología Global at Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain).
“On the development of a Forest Information System for Europe” - Dr. Jesus San-Miguel Ayanz, European Commission, Joint Research Centre
“On the use of Remote Sensing in Terrestrial Vegetation Carbon Cycling: Past, Present and Future” - Prof. Frank Veroustraete, Senior Scientist – Vito NV, Lector Remote Sensing – Antwerp University (BELGIUM)
“The use of LiDAR information to reduce nonresponse bias and improve accuracy of volume estimates in forest inventories” - Prof. Lorenzo Fattorini. Università degli Studi di Siena (ITALY)
“Remote Sensing of Forests: Perspectives from the Editor of Remote Sensing of Environment” - Prof. Marvin Bauer, professor of remote sensing, University of Minnesota; editor-in-chief, Remote Sensing of Environment
Courses 2014:
Hands-on LiDAR processing course - Dr. Martin Isenburg
Open Source geospatial tools for forest remote sensing -Dr. Daniel McInerney and Dr. Pieter Kempeneers
Prices: Full entrance 450€ (300€ for students); one day 225€ (150€ for students).
