General description

The Department of Geoinformatics, an interdisciplinary centre (35 scientific and technical staff) established at Paris-Lodron University Salzburg (PLUS), is dedicated to applied research, outreach activities, professional education and training. PLUS focuses on interoperable GIS usage, spatial modelling, satellite remote sensing, image analysis, digital cartography and GI-based communication. It fosters new technologies for spatial decision support and policy implementation and contributes to more effectively visualizing, understanding, managing and communicating policy-relevant information in a spatially explicit manner.

Key competences and facilities

Computer-based methods and tools applied and adapted to landscape and urban analysis, water and environmental management, crisis and conflict prevention; integration of existing geo-spatial data and up-to-date satellite-derived information; Centre of Excellence for object-based image analysis (OBIA). PLUS promotes a systemic understanding of multi-scale, multi-dimensional spatial phenomena by targeting its research on both environmental integrity and human security; novel methodology for spatial vulnerability assessment and policy relevant spatial units (Geons).

Key persons

Peter Zeil (geophysicist, flood modeling)

Stefan Kienberger (geographer, risk assessment)

Previous training programs and research

G-MOSAIC, FP7-CP: GMES Services for Management of Operations, Situation Awareness and Intelligence for regional Crises. ENERGEO, FP7-CP: Energy observation for monitoring and assessment of the environmental impact of energy use, WP leader dissemination and training. RESPOND ISVG, ESA-GMES: validation concept for GMES services, validation exercises emergency response. FP 7 MOVE: Improvement of methods for vulnerability assessment in Europ; several TEMPUS programmes, UNIGIS distance learning (www.unigis.at), continuous summer school (www.edu-zgis.net).

Website

http://www.uni-salzburg.at/portal/page?_pageid=142,67214&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

ESRs/ERs

ESR-02: host

ESR01: secondment