GIScience News Blog

  • Staying Safe in the Heat: Routing App for Heidelberg

    Staying Safe in the Heat: Routing App for Heidelberg

    As summer temperatures soar, the health risks associated with heat stress become increasingly significant. This issue is particularly pronounced in urban areas such as Heidelberg and other cities, where dense building structures and limited green spaces exacerbate the problem. Vulnerable population groups such as the elderly, children and people with pre-existing conditions are especially susceptible…

  • Proactive Disaster Management: Pioneering Forecast-based Financing Across Global Challenges

    Proactive Disaster Management: Pioneering Forecast-based Financing Across Global Challenges

    Forecast-based Financing (FbF) is an innovative approach to disaster management that focuses on taking early action based on meteorological forecasts and risk assessments to mitigate the impacts of potential disasters. Instead of waiting for a disaster to strike and then responding, FbF enables preemptive measures that can significantly reduce the negative consequences on affected populations.…

  • Deep learning with simulated laser scanning data for 3D point cloud classification

    Deep learning with simulated laser scanning data for 3D point cloud classification

    Esmorís, A.M., Weiser, H., Winiwarter, L., Cabaleiro, J.C. & Höfle, B. (2024): Deep learning with simulated laser scanning data for 3D point cloud classification. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. 215, pp. 192-213. DOI: 10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2024.06.018 3D point clouds acquired by laser scanning are invaluable for the analysis of geographic phenomena. To extract information…

  • GIS for Disaster Response: A Field Trial by the University of Heidelberg

    GIS for Disaster Response: A Field Trial by the University of Heidelberg

    Two weeks ago, as part of a seminar on GIS for Disaster Risk Reduction led by HeiGIT employees, students from Heidelberg University tested several HeiGIT services in a field test. The focus was on the following applications: openrouteservice, the disaster portal and the Sketch Map Tool. In cooperation with the THW local branch in Heidelberg,…

  • Our Contribution to the State of the Map Europe 2024 Conference in Łódź

    Our Contribution to the State of the Map Europe 2024 Conference in Łódź

    This year, two of our colleagues will participate at the State of the Map Europe 2024 Conference, which will take place from July 18-21, 2024, in Łódź, Poland. The annual event is a cornerstone for the European (OpenStreetMap) OSM community, attracting developers, scientists, designers, social activists, companies and enthusiasts worldwide to enhance mapping practices and…

  • Enhancing school safety with openrouteservice: the digital school route planner

    Enhancing school safety with openrouteservice: the digital school route planner

    The OpenStreetMap (OSM) and openrouteservice (ORS) provide free geospatial data that serve a multitude of research and practical applications. OSM thrives on its community-driven approach, ensuring its data is always up-to-date and versatile. ORS takes this a step further by providing sophisticated routing services for various modes of transport, including walking, cycling, driving, and wheelchair…

  • OSM Landuse Data is available in HeiData

    OSM Landuse Data is available in HeiData

    We are excited to announce that the data displayed on OSM – Landuse is now freely accessible. These data sets offer valuable insights and can be utilized for various applications. Urban planners will find the data useful for development projects and zoning regulations, while environmental researchers can study land use changes and their impact on…

  • HeiGIT’s 5 Years Milestone: Looking Back at our Achievements

    HeiGIT’s 5 Years Milestone: Looking Back at our Achievements

    HeiGIT is celebrating its fifth anniversary today, July 1st! To commemorate this occasion, we invite you to join us on a little walk down memory lane. As we reflect on our achievements and the milestones we have reached, we want to express our deepest gratitude to the partners, projects and people that have made our…

  • Reflections on the 2024 YouthMappers Leadership Fellows Workshop

    Reflections on the 2024 YouthMappers Leadership Fellows Workshop

    The YouthMappers network recently held its 2024 Leadership Fellows Workshop, an inspiring event that brought together a top cohort of university students from around the globe. This year’s workshop, held in Bangkok, Thailand, was a dynamic seven-day program dedicated to exploring three critical Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Sustainable Cities and Communities…

  • Mapping With Communities workshop at AGILE 2024

    Mapping With Communities workshop at AGILE 2024

    HeiGIT and Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC) hosted a successful international workshop entitled ‘Mapping with Communities’ at the AGILE 2024 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Responding to the conference theme of ‘Geographic Information Science for a Sustainable Future’ two teams facilitated activities with researchers from various European GI Science research centers. The Glasgow workshop followed the first event…

  • Quantifying CO2 Emissions from Land Use Changes

    Quantifying CO2 Emissions from Land Use Changes

    The role of land use changes in generating CO2 emissions is a crucial aspect in the fight against climate change. These emissions are the second-largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, following energy production and usage. Given the urgent need to meet climate targets, especially the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040, detailed quantification of…

  • Use Case: ORS for Modeling Health and Well-Being

    Use Case: ORS for Modeling Health and Well-Being

    Open-source tools that incorporate open geospatial data, such as openrouteservice (ORS), prove to be beneficial for both academic research and practical applications. These tools enable researchers to pursue innovative approaches aimed at addressing complex societal challenges and beyond. A great illustration of this is presented in the journal paper titled “Modeling health and well-being measures…

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