The heatwaves of summer 2026 and the associated excess mortality highlight one aspect of the dramatic nature of climate change. Over the years, we have carried out a great deal of research on the topic of 'urban heat islands' (see below for related works) – but...

Urban tree classification is still a challenge for remote sensing, particularly in heterogeneous urban environments where tree genera are highly diverse and existing inventories often provide incomplete coverage. In our new study, we explore the potential of very...

The Cobalt Magnet: Rapid Urbanization and MigrationAn incredible amount of the technology we rely on every day – from smartphones to lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles – depends heavily on one single metal: cobalt. With more than 60% of the world's...

What began with a diploma thesis by Nicolas J. Kraff on the physical structure of slums in Mumbai, India, in 2011 has now culminated in a globally distributed dataset of building footprints covering 44 poverty and informal settlement areas across four...

Urban and regional planning increasingly relies on geospatial technologies to support evidence-based decision-making. Within the European research project FUTURAL – Empowering the Future of Rural Regions, researchers at the Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the...