Aim
Designing scientific graphics that provide all necessary information without being too packed, focusing on the essential message and being able to actually create such graphics will be covered In this class. All necessary tools and and approaches to create adequate figures and maps will be covered.
Content
figure from the book “Remote Sensing and GIS for Ecologists” by Wegmann, Leutner and Dech, created with tikz
General guidelines of scientific graphics and maps will be covered based on e.g. Tufte and followed by practical implementation of graphic ideas, as well as critical evaluation of the results. Only open source program will be used such as R or tikz/pgf and students will have the opportunity to work specifically on certain scientific graphics or maps using e.g. ggplot2 and explore the potential and limits of good scientific graphs. Good map designs will be discussed as well and common mistakes will be pointed out. After this course you will be capable to create your own graphics for a specific scientific purpose e.g. your M.Sc. thesis.
Coding
Software
Techniques
Content
General Course News and Updates
Learning Geospatial Tools in Practice: whitebox
A central goal of the EAGLE Earth Observation programme is to equip students with a broad and practical understanding of the software tools used in geospatial analysis. Rather than focusing on a single platform, students are encouraged to explore different approaches,...
Mapping Disasters from Space: Inside the EAGLE MSc Course on Natural Hazards
From raging wildfires to devastating floods, natural hazards are becoming more frequent, more intense, and harder to predict. In this rapidly changing world, the ability to understand disasters as they unfold is no longer optional—it’s essential. This is exactly where...
From Satellites to Snow Angels
Our EAGLE M.Sc. students, coming from all over the world, are making the most of the short breaks between courses. Whether it’s spontaneous snow angel sessions or friendly snowball fights around the EORC, laughter and flying snow are never far away. These moments of...
Where Learning Meets Friendship
At EAGLE, studying together is only part of the story. Our students are more than classmates — they’re hiking buddies, party companions, and the kind of people who show up to lectures with birthday cakes 🎂. Today was a perfect example. Our EAGLE student...
EAGLE Innolab Presentation: “Gap-Filling Optical NDVI Using SAR-Derived Indices and Machine Learning”
On February 10, 2026, Mahnoor Nadeem will present her Innolab results on " Gap-Filling Optical NDVI Using SAR-Derived Indices and Machine Learning" at 12:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. From the abstract: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is...
EAGLE Internship Presentation: “Internship at Helmholtz Zentrum Munich”
On February 03, 2026, Agnes Zwick will present her internship "Internship at Helmholtz Zentrum Munich" at 12:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. From the abstract: From September to October 2025, the internship was completed at the Helmholtz Zentrum München...
EAGLE MSc Defense: “Assessing the potential of thermal UAS for spatio-temporal Arctic snow monitoring – A pilot study in Bjørndalen, Svalbard”
On February 24, 2026, Lena Jäger will present her Master Thesis on "Assessing the potential of thermal UAS for spatio-temporal Arctic snow monitoring - A pilot study in Bjørndalen, Svalbard" at 12:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. From the abstract: The...
Learning Earth Observation Data Acquisition in Real-World Conditions
As part of our course on Earth Observation data acquisition, EAGLE students experience first-hand that even the best planning is ultimately shaped by the weather. While flight plans, measurement strategies, and schedules can be carefully prepared in advance, field...
Snow Research at Schneefernerhaus, Zugspitze
Recently, our team carried out another successful field campaign at the Schneefernerhaus research station on the Zugspitze in the Alps. Together with our EAGLE students, we collected UAS-based environmental data alongside detailed in-situ measurements of snow...
EAGLE MSc Defense: “Detecting Snow Phases and Runoff Using Sentinel-1 SAR and Multispectral–Optical Data”
On December 09, 2025, Daria Ushakova will present her Master Thesis on " Detecting Snow Phases and Runoff Using Sentinel-1 SAR and Multispectral–Optical Data " at 13:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. From the abstract: Snow is a crucial component of the...