News & Media
International Conference on Earth Observation and Land Degradation Early Warning
On 17 February 2026, the L3G Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques (FST), Cadi Ayyad University, organized an international scientific conference entitled “Assessment and Perspective of the Activities of EWALD’s Project Moroccan Partners”. The event was held within the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchange (MSCA-SE) project EWALD – Earth Observation for Early Warning of Land Degradation at the European Frontier.
The conference featured invited lectures by:
- Prof. Olena Dubovyk and Georg Schubert (University of Hamburg, Germany)
- Dr. Artur Lysenko (CASRE, Kyiv, Ukraine)
The scientific program comprised:
- A presentation on strategic and methodological guidance for establishing a Training Center on Land Degradation Early Warning at UCAM (Morocco)
- A research lecture on land degradation assessment, mapping, and prediction using Earth observation data cubes, including results and validation for the Zagora test region (Morocco)
- A round table discussion focusing on project issues, perspectives, deliverables, and reporting within the EWALD framework
The meeting provided an important platform for knowledge exchange between Moroccan, European, and Ukrainian partners, reinforcing cooperation in the fields of remote sensing, land degradation monitoring, and early warning systems. It also contributed to capacity building and the alignment of EWALD project activities with regional and international research priorities. The L3G Laboratory warmly thanks all speakers, participants, and partner institutions for their valuable contributions and engagement.
SNAC Workshop Jan 2026
As part of the Sudan–Norway Academic Cooperation (SNAC), the Remote Sensing Group at the University of Hamburg is hosting a joint workshop with colleagues from the University of Bergen (Norway), University of Gadarif (Sudan).
Within the Climate Change and Food Security Cluster, we are discussing key challenges in Sudan — from land degradation and biodiversity loss to peace, conflict, and environmental change — and how remote sensing can help address them.
Great discussions and inspiring international collaboration!
Excited to announce a new Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP):
UAVs: From Mission to Applications in Geosciences for Environmental Monitoring Partners: University of Hamburg (UHH), University of Bergen, and Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (PLUS). This international BIP brings together students and lecturers to explore UAV-based environmental monitoring, from mission planning to data processing and real-world geoscience applications.
More information may be found here.
New Project with ESA EO AFRICA
Our joint project proposal for the ESA EO AFRICA call for proposals was selected alongside nine other projects from a total of 143 applications. The project is jointly led by Komi Mensah Agboka (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, ICIPE, Kenya) and Olena Dubovyk (Remote Sensing Working Group, University of Hamburg).
The project focuses on a feasibility study to improve the assessment of land degradation neutrality (LDN) in Kenya through Earth observation (EO) of woody grasses.
- Start: 2. September 2025
- Runtime: 15 Months
- Results: Research data and codes will be publicly available on a dedicated page.
The initiative is funded by ESA in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and coordinated by the EO Africa R&D Facility (University of Twente, Netherlands). We look forward to starting this collaboration and contributing to the promotion of EO-based solutions for sustainable land management in Africa.
Further information on the selected projects can be found [here].
ESA Living Planet Symposium
From 23 to 27 June 2025, Prof. Dr. Olena Dubovyk, Binita Khanal, Fatemeh Saba, Swarnalee Mazumder and Nikhil Raghuvanshi were in Vienna, Austria, at the ESA Living Planet Symposium. Together, they made many new contacts and exchanged ideas about current research. We also shared our research with the help of several posters. The projects we presented were funded by the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101086250 - EWALD, among others.
Photo: Binita Khanal
EWALD Colloquium
On 17 June, we held a colloquium at Geomatikum together with guests from the EWALD network. Over snacks and drinks, we presented our work progress to each other within the framework of the goals defined by EWALD.
Photo: Binita Khanal
Media
This section contains links to several media articles reporting on the work of Prof. Dr. Olena Dubovyk and her project partners.
2025
2024
EXZELLENTE KÖPFE – EXZELLENTE FORSCHUNG, Artikel: Klimaszenarien der Zukunft, Zeit für Forschung
UAV Data Utilization Workshop in Ghana, University of Bergen, Department of Geography
2023
Cryospheric Monitoring in the Lyngen Alps, University of Bergen, Department of Geography
2020