Keynote Lectures

Geodesy and Geo-Informatics in Coastal and Marine Environment Applications
Ilias N. Tziavos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Greece

Smart Geographic Information Displays for Wise Decision Making
Sara Irina Fabrikant, University of Zurich - Irchel, Switzerland, Switzerland

Laser Scanning: From First Experiments to Operational Point Cloud Processing
Norbert Pfeifer, Technical University of Wien, Austria, Austria

Geodesy and Geo-Informatics in Coastal and Marine Environment Applications

Ilias N. Tziavos
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Brief Bio
Prof. Ilias N. Tziavos holds a Dipl.-Eng. degree in Rural and Surveying Engineering (1977) and a PhD degree (1983) from the Department of Geodesy and Surveying, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has more than 35 years research experience in gravity field modelling, satellite altimetry, and optimal combination of terrestrial, airborne and satellite data using spectral and stochastic techniques. He has worked as Visiting Researcher at the University of Calgary (1986-1987, 1989), Visiting Professor at the University of Hannover (1992, Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship) and University of Stuttgart (2016, Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship) and was a Visiting Fellow at the School of Spatial Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia (2000). He has served as Chairman of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) Special Study Group Regional Land and Marine Geoid Modelling (1998-2003), Vice-President of IAG Commission II – Gravity Field (2003-2007), member of the editorial board of the Journal of Geodesy (1999-2007, 2015-present), and is an IAG fellow since 1999. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications in international refereed journals and conference proceedings, which they have received more than 1500 citations. He is also editor or co-editor of 8 volumes of international conference proceedings. He is currently Professor at the Department of Geodesy and Surveying Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Head of the Laboratory Gravity Field Research and Applications - GravLab.

Abstract
The availability of large amounts of terrestrial and airborne data captured from advanced instruments and sensors along with the abundance of Earth observation data from satellite missions, significantly contributed over the last twenty years to a wide range of applications in coastal and marine areas. Efficient methods of Geodesy and supporting tools of Geo-Informatics have been used in the past and increasingly rely nowadays on the processing, analysis and modeling of the aforementioned data sources. The synergy between the two geoscientific branches, Geodesy and Geo-Informatics, results in the continuous monitoring and in depth investigation and understanding of processes that occur across the land-sea boundary or in open sea regions and finally affect the marine environment.
The scope of this lecture is twofold. The first part shall provide a synopsis of geodetic techniques and innovative information technologies towards the development of unified and easy to update geodatabases including Earth observation data along with a wide spectrum of relevant parameters. Such an integrated geodatabase can form the core component of a multi-level information system targeting to water systems of coastal and marine areas. The second part of the lecture will focus on the presentation and analysis of results achieved in the frame of research projects carried out by the Laboratory of Gravity Field Research and Applications (GravLab) at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). In this respect, the Eco-Satellite project is presented, primarily aimed at the development of an environmental monitoring system and designed to support decision and policy making processes. Then, a brief summary of GravLab scientific activities is concisely reported, directly connected with research projects in coastal and marine regions, which, between others, include: (a) Multi-resolution representation of the Earth’s gravity field at various spatial scales with high accuracy and resolution; (b) Exploitation and modeling of satellite data from recent altimetry (e.g., Sentinel) and gravity (e.g, GRACE/GOCE) missions for sea level monitoring; (c) Sea bottom mapping using GNSS and echo-sounding instrumentation in the context of a Geo-Informatics environment.
Finally, some recommendations are drawn along with a discussion on new ways to combine geodetic and information methodological tools and accomplishments towards a more effective implementation of specific studies of the system Earth in the marine environment.

Smart Geographic Information Displays for Wise Decision Making

Sara Irina Fabrikant
University of Zurich - Irchel, Switzerland

Brief Bio
Dr. Sara Irina Fabrikant is a Professor of Geography, leading the Geographic Information Visualization and Analysis (GIVA) group at the GIScience Center of the Geography Department at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA). Her research and teaching interests lie in geographic information visualization and geovisual analytics, GIScience and cognition, graphical user interface design and evaluation, including dynamic cartography. She is the appointed Co-Director of the Digital Society Initiative of the program committee co-chair of AGILE 2008, GIScience 2010, and COSIT 2015.

Abstract
Well-designed mobile, human responsive geographic information technology could improve the lives of millions who daily need to make time critical and societally relevant decisions on the go. However, what are the basic processes with which humans make visuo-spatial decisions when guided by responsive geographic information displays? I will highlight ongoing empirical research on human and context responsive geographic information displays used in the lab and in the wild, capitalizing on ambulatory human behavior sensing methods (i.e., eye tracking, galvanic skin response, and EEG measurements). Based on collected empirical evidence and supported by cognition and vision theories we are guiding the process of designing human, task, and context responsive geographic information interfaces for wise decisions of the future digital society.

Laser Scanning: From First Experiments to Operational Point Cloud Processing

Norbert Pfeifer
Technical University of Wien, Austria

Brief Bio
Norbert Pfeifer started his academic career in Vienna, continued at Delft University of Technology, moved then to the Centre of Natural Hazard Management in Innsbruck, and returned to Technische Universität Wien as Professor of Photogrammetry. His research interests are in the fields of sensor development and modeling, especially laser scanning and photogrammetric imaging, georeferencing and calibration, information retrieval from sensor data, and applications in topographic and environmental modeling. Projects in the research groups Photogrammetry are conducted with scientific partners, with industry and public authorities.

Abstract
Laser scanning started becoming operational for topographic acquisition 20 years ago. It provided the first high quality large area Digital Terrain Model of forested ground, but also changed corridor assessment, by measurement of power lines, which was not possible from airborne position before. Since then continuous advances in technology did not only lead to increase in accuracy and point density, but generated new types of geo-data, like full wavefrom recording, multi-spectral range measurements or direct 3D bathymetric depth. Alongside these technological developments, the point cloud became a product in its own, and its processing moved in the scientific focus. This goes beyond the first processing steps of geo-referencing and calibration, but visualization and especially point cloud classification are now active research fields.