Last week (September 29-30), the annual meeting of the Arbeitskreis Fernerkundung took place at the Department of Geography of Ruhr University Bochum under the theme “Urban-Rural Interlinkages - Navigating through Tipping Points in Coupled Human-Environment Systems.”
For the first time, the conference was held in English to also reach non-German-speaking researchers who are part of the German remote sensing community.

Around 60 participants - ranging from students presenting their theses to experienced researchers and practitioners - came together to discuss how Earth observation can help identify critical tipping points and promote a just and sustainable balance between humans and the environment.

The event was organized by the research groups Urban Remote Sensing (AG Graw) and Interdisciplinary Geoinformation Science (AG Rienow) and was held for the first time under the leadership of Jun.-Prof. Valerie Graw as a new spokesperson of the AK.

The keynote presentations ranged from “System Understanding in Agriculture through Multisource Earth Observation” by Dr. Gohar Ghazaryan (Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, ZALF), to “Remote Sensing at Night” by Prof. Dr. Christopher Kyba (GI), and “Pitfalls in Urban Thermal Remote Sensing” with Prof. Dr. Benjamin Bechtel (GI).

The first day offered a diverse program with sessions on agriculture and ecosystem monitoring, biodiversity and land dynamics, as well as education and innovation. The second day focused on climate and resilience, along with risk and asset management. This year also featured a dedicated session for early career researchers, providing space for networking and exchange. The meeting concluded with stimulating insights on “Critical Remote Sensing” by Ricardo Gellert Paris, which offered fresh perspectives and food for thought for future research.

We would like to thank all participants for the inspiring discussions, diverse perspectives, and great energy throughout the conference. The AK Fernerkundung continues to be a vibrant network within the German remote sensing community - we look forward to further exchange and to seeing everyone again at the next meeting in 2026 in Braunschweig!