Students successfully complete the 2nd edition of ESA Academy’s Earth Observation Remote Sensing Workshop

The workshop ran from 5 to 9 December 2022 at ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility, ESEC-Galaxia, Belgium.

This workshop was developed by the ESA Education Office with the support of the Science, Applications & Climate Department in ESRIN. Run by ESA retirees with a wealth of experience, along with experts from academic institutions and industry, the goal was to introduce university students to the world of Remote Sensing, offering insight into various techniques and tools used in the analysis of Earth Observation. Lectures and exercises complemented each other, with students given data across different wavelengths from a variety of instruments and missions. This allowed participants to apply knowledge gained during lectures in hands-on experiences.

“I appreciate it a lot that I got the opportunity to attend this great organized Earth Observation Remote Sensing Workshop. It has broadened my knowledge, my practical skills, gave me many new insights and strengthened my desire to work in this field and community. The great balance between lectures and hands-on exercises contributed to the learning success,” explained a German student from Ruhr-Universität Bochum. “A big thank you also to the experts, who took time for every single question. They were very dedicated and endeavoured about the progress of each individual participant which cannot be taken for granted. Further, the great exchange with other motivated international students with very different study backgrounds was an enrichment in every way, not only thematically but also personally.”

The practical part of this workshop relied for first time on Virtual Machines (VMs), in which students were able to successfully use different software/tools and datasets from multiple missions. The VMs and overall this training session were supported by ESA Network of Resources Initiative. An Italian student from Politecnico di Torino commented on Virtual Machines: “I really appreciated the availability of virtual machines, which gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with tools and software for satellite images processing, opening up many insights for my future personal training.”

On the first day, students learned the basics about Earth Observation Remote Sensing and the ESA fleet of Earth Observation satellites such as those of the Copernicus programme. Day two had students discovering the different tools and methods used for analysing radar data. Images from the Sentinel-2 satellite were analysed to reveal different plants and areas damaged due to flooding.

The third day was dedicated to Optical Remote Sensing, as using instruments in different wavelength ranges provides complementary information. The students learned about pre-processing images, such as how to correct for atmospheric perturbations. They then continued to analyse ocean images to determine the quality of seawater by searching for the presence of algae and plankton.

Their work continued into the next day, when they investigated how thermal infrared observations can be used to differentiate between warm areas such as cities, and cool areas such as rivers and fields. During these exercises radar data, which can be used to see through the canopies of forests, was analysed. The students also had an overview of how raw data is pre-processed, corrected and calibrated in order to make it usable.

On the last day, students learned about the interpretation and classification of objects in images, and the automation of some of these classification processes. Using the Object-Based Image Analysis method they swiftly identified forests, fields and ponds in a large rural area. Finally, the students were evaluated on the work they had completed. Happily, they were all successful, and so received their certificates of participation.

During the workshop, the students took the opportunity to visit ESEC-Redu and the PROBA control room, which oversees PROBA-V, an Earth Observing satellite that monitors vegetation.

A Canadian student from University of Northern British Columbia concluded: “The Earth Observation Remote Sensing Workshop increased both my confidence and capabilities as a remote sensing analyst. I gained new inspiration for my research, both from the experts and my amazing peer group. I would highly recommend this experience to any students interested in remote sensing and earth observation." 

On the last day of the Workshop, the students received their certificates of participation, and together with the transcript of records they will be able to request ECTS credits from their home university, where possible.

Thus, an important and edifying experience for the students came to an end: now they returned home to their respective universities and research teams, equipped with deeper and wider notions in several fields of Earth Observation and Remote Sensing, and with an enriched network of contacts made of experts, but also other university students, that will no doubt help them in their future careers.

To find more information about upcoming and future ESA Academy training opportunities, please check here. 

Contact:  tlp@esa.int