June Webinar: Tackling Barriers to the Use of Earth Data in Flood and Drought Response

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Webinar

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Earth Observation NASA
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06/18/2025, 12:00am
Visible

EOTEC DevNet, GEO Knowledge Hub, UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER

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Wuhan University (WHU) in China

China
Asia
China
China
Regional Support Offices UN-SPIDER
Regional Support Office
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Wuhan University (WHU) stands as a global leader in remote sensing science and technology. Since 2017, its remote sensing discipline has consistently ranked No. 1 in the world according to the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU), a testament to its academic excellence and research prowess. The university hosts a multidisciplinary team of over 100 experts specializing in forest, agricultural, urban, and geological remote sensing, driving innovation across diverse sectors. Since 2015, WHU has successfully designed and deployed six remote sensing satellites, encompassing both optical and radar imaging technologies. This achievement underscores its commitment to advancing space-based observation capabilities. In 2024, Prof. Deren Li—a distinguished authority in the field—was awarded China’s highest scientific honor, the National Top Science and Technology Prize, for his pivotal contributions to the development of high-resolution satellite systems.

On 22 April 2025, WHU further solidified its global leadership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to establish the China Regional Support Office (RSO) of the UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER). Leveraging WHU’s cutting-edge satellite constellation and remote sensing expertise, the RSO will actively support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Through this partnership, WHU aims to enhance international collaboration in space-based solutions for disaster resilience, environmental monitoring, and sustainable development worldwide.

Fields:

  • Disaster rapid mapping
  • Night-time light imagery analysis
  • High resolution imagery interpretation
  • SAR imagery analysis
  • Remote sensing of economy

Experts: 

  • Prof. Deren Li, LIESMARS, Wuhan University
  • Prof. Xi Li, LIESMARS, Wuhan University
  • Prof. Mian Yang, Economics and Management School, Wuhan University
  • Prof. Ailong Ma, LIESMARS, Wuhan University

Currently, the China Regional Support Office (China RSO) can provide remote sensing imagery from the Luojia-4 Satellite and Qimingxing Satellite. The Luojia-4 Satellite offers 20-meter resolution hyperspectral imagery and night-time light data, while the Qimingxing Satellite provides 20-meter resolution hyperspectral imagery. These data can support detailed observations in fields such as environmental monitoring, disaster risk assessment, and urban sustainable development planning.

The China Regional Support Office (RSO) possesses a robust portfolio of training resources in remote sensing and its applications for disaster risk reduction. Since 2011, the International GeoInformatics Summer School (IGSS) has been hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS) at Wuhan University. Held annually each July, IGSS delivers a one-week intensive program comprising theoretical and hands-on courses in Geoinformatics, attracting over 100 participants worldwide each year.

In addition to IGSS, the RSO can leverage other institutional resources, such as the foreign aid training programs organized by Wuhan University on behalf of China’s Ministry of Commerce. These programs have a proven track record in delivering high-quality capacity-building initiatives. Building on Wuhan University’s extensive training expertise, the RSO is well-positioned to design tailored training curricula specifically aimed at cultivating remote sensing professionals in disaster reduction. These courses will integrate cutting-edge technologies and global best practices to address the urgent needs of disaster management in the region and beyond.

Dr. Xi Li
Professor, State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing , Wuhan University

Deputy Director, Office of International Affairs, Wuhan University
Research team Webpage: http://nightlight.whu.edu.cn/en 

Head, China Regional Support Office, UN-SPIDER

Lead of GEO Initiative - GEO Night Light, Group on Earth Observations

E-mail: li_rs [at] 163.com (li_rs[at]163[dot]com), lixi [at] whu.edu.cn (lixi[at]whu[dot]edu[dot]cn)  

Address:

Room 403A, Xinghu Building, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China

Living Planet Symposium Tutorial: Using UN-SPIDER Recommended Practices and Digital Twin for Effective Flood Hazard Depiction

This is event is available for participation on an ongoing basis
Living Planet Symposium (c) esa

Mapping for Disaster Risk Management: Using UN-SPIDER Recommended Practices and Digital Twin for Effective Flood Hazard Depiction

Effective flood mapping and modeling are crucial for disaster risk management, enabling authorities and communities to better prepare for and respond to extreme weather events. The SPEAR Project, by the Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces (ZFL) at the University of Bonn and UN-SPIDER, works to support disaster risk management activities through innovative Earth Observation methods, with a regional focus on the African continent.

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esa
Living Planet Symposium
ZFL
Disaster Floods
No certificate issued or not known
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06/23/2025, 12:00am
Visible
Mon, 23 Jun 2025, 9 - 10:20 am CEST in Room 1.61/1.62, Austria Center, Bruno-Kreisky-Platz 1, 1220 Vienna
Vienna
Austria

European Space Agency

Session hosts: The Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces (Zentrum für Fernerkundung der Landoberfläche - ZFL), UN-SPIDER

Wuhan University Joins UN-SPIDER Network to Advance Space-Based Disaster Management

UNOOSA Logo

UN-SPIDER Expands Global Network with New Regional Support Office in China
 

On 22 April, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through the UN-SPIDER programme, officially established a new Regional Support Office (RSO) at Wuhan University in China. This milestone was marked by the signing of a cooperation memorandum between UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini and the President of Wuhan University, Zhang Pingwen.

China

ESA launches biomass satellite to track forest carbon

BIomass separates from Vega-C, (c) esa

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched its flagship Biomass satellite on 29 April 2025 at 06:15 local time (11:15 CEST) from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aboard a Vega-C rocket. Developed by Airbus Defence and Space, the satellite separated from the launch vehicle under an hour after liftoff. Shortly thereafter, ESA's operations center in Germany received the first signal from Biomass, transmitted via a ground station in Antarctica, confirming its healthy status in orbit.

South America

UNOOSA attends the Inauguration of the African Space Agency

AfSA Headquarters, (c) AfSA, esa

African Space Agency is now operational

Africa achieved a historic breakthrough in its space ambitions on April 20, 2025, with the formal launch of the African Space Agency (AfSA) at its new permanent headquarters in Cairo’s Space City, Egypt. This milestone event concludes nearly ten years of careful planning and collaboration, which began in January 2016 when the African Union Assembly endorsed the African Space Policy and Strategy at its Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Session, creating the foundation for a continent-wide space initiative.

Northern Africa

Myanmar Earthquake: UN-SPIDER's Disaster Response

Regional Seismicity and seismic intensities from 28 March 25, M 7.7 Myanmar

Disaster Overview

The March 28, 2025, M7.7 earthquake near Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), occurred as the result of strike-slip faulting between the India and Eurasia plates. Focal mechanism solutions indicate that slip occurred on either a north-striking, steeply-dipping, right-lateral fault or a west-striking, steeply-dipping, left-lateral fault. The finite fault solution indicates a north-striking right-lateral fault.

Myanmar

Living Planet Symposium 2025: From Earth Observation to Climate Action and Sustainability

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Living Planet Symposium (c) esa

Held every three years, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Living Planet Symposia are among the world’s leading events on Earth observation. The upcoming Living Planet Symposium 2025 (LPS25) will focus on the urgent need to transition from observation to climate action and sustainability in light of the growing climate crisis.

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esa
European Space Agency (ESA)
Living Planet Symposium
climate
global sustainability
Vienna
No certificate issued or not known
0.00
USD
06/23/2025, 12:00am - 06/27/2025, 12:00am
Visible
Austria Center, Bruno-Kreisky-Platz 1, 1220 Vienna
Vienna
Austria

European Space Agency

https://lps25.esa.int/

ESA Space Environment Report 2025

Distribution of space debris in orbit (Image ESA)

Spacecraft orbiting Earth play a vital role in monitoring climate change, enabling global communication and navigation, and advancing scientific research. However, many of these orbits are becoming overcrowded and increasingly filled with hazardous debris from old satellites and rockets, posing a serious threat to the future of space operations.

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