Aim
Aim of this course is to provide you with an overview on geographic processes of urbanization, the related demographic and structural changes of cities, and data analyses methods using remote sensing data for applications in urban geography.
Content
Humankind is within its largest migration ever: from rural areas into cities. The drivers of this global process of urbanization from demographic to economic and the related structural changes cities are facing will be discussed in this course. Remote sensing is one crucial data source in this dynamic transformation and its products are highly relevant for urban planning, as well as environmental management. Within this course different approaches and techniques are covered focusing on deriving relevant information about urbanized areas on different levels of detail. Uni-temporal-, multi-temporal-, and time series based image classification, segmentation, the analyses of point patterns, GIS analyses to assess spatial context and dependencies, as well as analyses in the 3D domain will be addressed in this course. This will be done providing and discussing example applications from different regions globally (e.g. urban sprawl analysis of megacities, the development of new dimensions of urban landscapes such as mega-regions, the rearrangement of business districts within the urban landscape, etc.). You will learn what capabilities Earth observation data, methods and products have for urban research and applications and how to design remote sensing based urban analysis, how to avoid caveats, troubleshoot errors and interpret the results.
General Course News and Updates
EAGLE MSc Defense “Modeling Urban Heat Exposure and Vulnerability Integrating Citizen Science and VHR Remote Sensing”
On October 22, 2025, Ariana Sofía Argüello Cordero will present her Master Thesis on " Modeling Urban Heat Exposure and Vulnerability Integrating Citizen Science and VHR Remote Sensing" at 10:15 at the EORC Meeting Room (1st floor), John-Skilton-Str. 4a From the...
EAGLE Internship Presentation “Gobabeb Namib Research Institute”
On October 21, 2025, Farimah Abdolzadeh will present her internship at " Gobabeb Namib Research Institute " at 12:30 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. Farimah has just completed her internship at the Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, located in the heart of...
EAGLE Innolab Presentation “Modeling Tree-Level Beech Leaf Loss in Bavaria Under Climate Stress with Multimodal Deep Learning Architectures”
On October 21, 2025, Henning Riecken will present his Innolab results on " Modeling Tree-Level Beech Leaf Loss in Bavaria Under Climate Stress with Multimodal Deep Learning Architectures " at 12:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. From the abstract: European...
Welcome to our new EAGLEs – Embarking on an Earth Observation Journey
As the autumn term begins and the leaves turn golden across Europe, we are pleased to welcome a fresh cohort of EAGLEs—our new MSc students in Earth Observation and Geoinformatics. This year’s group brings together curious minds from diverse academic and cultural...
New EAGLEs take off into the Winter Term 2025/26
As in previous years, the next generation of EAGLE Master's students from around the world gathered at the Earth Observation Research Center (EORC) on the first day of the winter term to begin their studies at the University of Würzburg. Prof. Dr. Tobias Ullmann...
EAGLE MSc Defense “Coastal Urban Flood Detection and Analysis Using SAR and CNN-Based Methods: A Case Study for Central Vietnam”
On September 23, 2025, Elly Schmid will present her Master Thesis on " Urban Flood Detection and Analysis Using SAR and CNN-Based Methods: A Case Study for Central Vietnam" at 12:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a. From the abstract: With over half of the...
EAGLE MSc Defense “Utilizing deep learning and Earth Observation data to predict land cover changes in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda”
On September 16, 2025, Jean de Dieu Tuyizere will present his Master Thesis on "Utilizing deep learning and Earth Observation data to predict land cover changes in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda" at 12:00 in seminar room 3, John-Skilton-Str. 4a From the abstract:...
Mapping Fire from the Sky – Anna Bischof’s MSc Thesis on Savanna Fire Patterns
Wildfires are an essential ecological process in African savannas, shaping landscapes, influencing biodiversity, and playing a key role in nutrient cycling. Understanding their dynamics is crucial for both science and management – and this is where EAGLE MSc student...
Exploring the Desert: Farimah’s Internship at Gobabeb in Namibia
We’re excited to share that our EAGLE MSc student, Farimah, is currently spending her internship at the renowned Gobabeb Namib Research Institute, nestled in the heart of the Namib Desert—one of the oldest and most unique desert ecosystems in the world. Farimah’s...
M.Sc. Student Clara Vydra Begins Thesis Field Work on Alpine Water Resources
We’re pleased to share that our M.Sc. student Clara Vydra has recently begun her thesis field work in the Austrian Alps in collaboration with the German Alpine Association (DAV) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Her research focuses on the impacts of climate...