The focus of the Earth Observation lab is on developing and applying remote sensing methods to better understand global change related to land systems. We map land cover and land use and related spatio-temporal change patterns. Applications extend from agriculture (both cropland and grassland), over forest ecosystems to urban areas. The analysis of long and dense time series from Landsat and Sentinel data is core for our research - from landscape to continental scales. Hyperspectral image …

The GFZ spectroscopy laboratory supports advances in optical and thermal remote sensing for the definition of new sensors for spaceborne missions, for the development of methodologies toward improved surface properties characterization, and for the development of standards and protocols. We are focusing on the geosphere applications (minerals and soils), agricultural areas, and arid regions of the world (deserts, arctic) that are subject to erosion and degradation under climate change.