Category: Research
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3D Sensor Practical
In June 2025, Ronald Tabernig and Hannah Weiser, researchers in the 3DGeo Research Group (Prof. Bernhard Höfle), held the annual 3D sensor practical, a two-day practical field course which took place in two exciting study sites close to Heidelberg: Our students learnt: Since we surveyed the same study sites last year, students will be able…
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New paper: Mapping energy poverty indices in urban scale: A case study of Santiago de Chile
This study evaluates the applicability of macro-scale energy poverty indices in an urban context, using Santiago de Chile as a case study. Energy poverty (EP), understood as the inability of a household to meet its basic energy needs, is a global challenge exacerbated by rising energy prices, inflation, and economic instability. Accelerated urbanization and climate…
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4DGeo Release: v1.0.0
First release of our 4DGeo Dashboard: https://github.com/3dgeo-heidelberg/4dgeo 4DGeo is an open-source, modular, super lightweight, web-based interactive dashboard application for visualizing 3D geodata time series. 🌐 Demo: https://3dgeo-heidelberg.github.io/4DGeo/💻 GitHub: https://github.com/3dgeo-heidelberg/4dgeo📖 Documentation: https://3dgeo-heidelberg.github.io/4DGeo/docs/ Play around with one of our use cases: Bees, a moving tree branch or a rockfall! Or fork the repo, try it out with…
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HELIOS++ Release: v2.1.0
We are happy to release a new minor version of HELIOS++: https://github.com/3dgeo-heidelberg/helios/releases What’s new in this release? We present a fully revised implementation of the Risley beam deflector that supports up to three prisms. What does this mean? You can now simulate scanners such as the DJI Zenmuse 2 and the Livox Mid Series in…
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New Paper: Method for monitoring landslides in forested area
Tabernig, R., Albert, W., Weiser, H., Fritzmann, P., Anders, K., Rutzinger, M. & Höfle, B. (2025): Temporal aggregation of point clouds improves permanent laser scanning of landslides in forested areas. Science of Remote Sensing. Vol. 12, pp. 100254. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2025.100254 In our brand-new study ‘Temporal aggregation of point clouds improves permanent laser scanning of landslides…
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Flood risks in Honduras
The Sketch Map Tool was used in a joint effort between the Honduran Red Cross and the municipal government to update the municipal response plan and develop an annex focused on anticipatory actions. Participants were asked to map local knowledge about areas affected by flooding and critical infrastructure. The Sketch Map Tool was used during…
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New release of ohsome-planet: Even faster processing of OSM history data in GeoParquet format
A new version of ohsome-planet (codename “Sjælland”) has been released. It is the newest version of HeiGIT´s command line tool, which transforms OpenStreetMap (history) PBF files into into an analysis-ready data format. We illustrate what ohsome-planet can do by assessing how many OSM edits used Bing Imagery as reference source. What is ohsome-planet? Working with…
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New Paper “Utilizing large language models to simulate parking search”
A study published on ScienceDirect evaluates the capability of LLMs to mimic human-like decision-making patterns in parking scenarios. Through experiments, researchers reproduce realistic trade-offs between cost, distance, and availability, while reflecting sociodemographic influences and bounded rationality. Parking behavior research traditionally focuses on how drivers choose parking locations, types, and search strategies, distinguishing between static and…
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Release of QGIS plugin ORSTools v.2.0.0 & QGIS User Conference
What is ORSTools? With ORSTools, most of the functionalities of openrouteservice are directly accessible in QGIS. The plugin offers a toolset, including routing, isochrone generation and matrix calculations. These functions can be used interactively in the map canvas or applied to point files within the processing framework. Output files come with rich attribute data such…
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Heat perception of Heidelberg residents using the Sketch Map Tool and KoboToolbox
Students of the Institute of Geography at Heidelberg University explored local perceptions of urban heat in Heidelberg’s old town as part of a 2024 seminar on GIS for Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian Aid. The project, supported by Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT), tested participatory mapping using the Sketch Map Tool combined with KoboToolbox. The…
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LaVerDi Project: Integrating OSM and satellite data for landscape monitoring
This project explores how OpenStreetMap data can complement satellite imagery for tracking land cover changes in Germany. Using a small test area, we compare datasets over time to better understand how real-world changes are reflected in OSM—and how this knowledge can support automated monitoring. The Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) has partnered with…
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New Paper “Lessons in Traffic: Nairobi’s School Term Congestion and Equity Challenges”
This study, published at African Transport Studies, investigates the impact of school sessions on traffic congestion in Nairobi, highlighting how children’s mobility needs are often overlooked in transport planning. The paper explores how poor integration of school-related travel into urban transport planning contributes to traffic congestion in Nairobi. While the conventional response to congestion has…