Presenting research at 8th Geoinformation Science Symposium, Indonesia

Day 1 at the 8th Geoinformation Science Symposium, Indonesia 🌍

Today marked the opening of the international conference organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada, and I’m thrilled to be attending virtually. The theme of “Geoinformation Science for a Sustainable Planet” has never been more relevant, and the sheer global participation underlines that.

One personal highlight was witnessing my master’s professor, Prof. Menno-Jan Kraak from Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente grace the event as a keynote speaker.

Diving into the technical sessions, the talks by Prof. Chris Roelfsema (University of Queensland) and Prof. Muhammad Kamal (University of Gadjah Mada) were particularly enlightening. Prof. Roelfsema enlightened us about the collaborative efforts behind the ‘Allen Coral Atlas’, a comprehensive global coral reef mapping database freely available for research (link). Hearing about their ambitious next steps to map the world’s seagrass, despite its unique challenges, was truly inspiring. Meanwhile, Prof. Kamal’s insights into mangrove mapping techniques offered an extensive look into the advancements in the field 🌊

I also presented my research on the impact of vegetation and its spatial configuration on land surface temperature in Indian cities in my individual capacity. Thrilled to share the insights! 🤝

To my colleagues at the National Centre for Coastal Research, I cannot stress enough the relevance of these sessions. I strongly recommend taking a moment to watch the talks here.

Wrapping up Days 2 & 3

As the conference unfolds, each day offers new kernels of wisdom and revives old memories. Particularly, Prof. Menno-Jan Kraak’s session on maps, cartography, and data visualization challenges was a delightful throwback to my academic days at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente.

Another standout was Prof. Yuichi Sakai from Utsunomiya University, Japan, who took us on a fascinating journey into numerical models for large-scale landslides based on digital elevation models.

Day 3 Highlights 🌟

Our team from the National Centre for Coastal Research presented two critical research topics to the international audience:

Remote sensing-based assessment of Varkala Cliff Retreat in Kerala, India. Authors: Reshma K.N.; Jeffy Soly John; Sai Ganesh V, Mridula G M, SATYA KIRAN RAJU ALLURI, Ramanathan V, RAMANA MURTHY V MALLAVARAPU

An Integrated GIS Methodology for identifying High-Risk areas due to damaged coastal protection structures: A case study of Kollam district in Kerala, India. Authors: Sai Ganesh V, Noujas V, SATYA KIRAN RAJU ALLURI, Ramanathan V, RAMANA MURTHY V MALLAVARAPU

The feedback we received was invaluable and deeply encouraging 🙏 . We’re also thrilled to announce that both papers have been nominated for ‘Best Paper GSS 2023’ - results are awaited 🤞

Participating in this conference has been an invigorating experience. The variety of perspectives and the quality of research shared make it a rich ground for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Here’s to future opportunities and continually pushing the boundaries of geoinformation science for a sustainable planet! 🌱