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While we’ve been working to bring you ITC News 2008-2, the holiday sea- son has come and gone and we’re already halfway 2008. Your Managing Main features Editor is among the few members of the ITC staff who is not that fond of Automated map generalisation 2 globe-trotting. I prefer to keep my suitcase under the bed, and enjoy the Workshop e-learning 6 colorful stories of the members of the ITC Community. I do study maps and Enschede to deliver in 2008! 10 read about countries and cities I would visit if I was a globe-trotter. Like my imaginary journey this issue of ITC News starts with an article about maps. Facing the food crisis 13 More specific state of the art in automated map generalisation (page 2). Education news Inspired by articles in this issue of ITC News I give you some tips to plan your trip across the globe. Spatial information for disaster risk management 16 In Asia you could follow the Silk Route used by traders since 200BC. Make Applications of EO and GIS sure you stop over in Beijing, China. In 2008 Beijing not only hosts the in IWRM, Kenya 17 Olympics but also the 21st quadrennial ISPRS congress (page 20) and the Dragon Symposium (page 19). Well worth a visit are the Indian ocean corals. Research news Science Daily reported about a new model developed by WCS and ITC that New model predicts where predicts where corals can thrive (page 18). corals can thrive 18 From Asia you might travel to the east to Latin America where ITC organised Project news short course in Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile (page 16) and to Brazil Bob Su honoured at to stop by an ITC Alumna and holder of a copy of the Nobel Peace prize Dragon symposium 19 (page 27).

Events Are you more into Africa? Here are some suggestions for study trips to this ISPRS congress 20 continent: what about attending the GEOSS workshop in Ghana (page 24) or apply for the postgraduate course in Applications of EO and GIS in In memoriam: Integrated Water Resources Management in Kenya (page 17). Daniel Omondi Omolo 22 Your Managing Editor will spend her holiday break in Europe. I will not even leave my country. There is much to attract people to the Netherlands and to Announcements Enschede. As a matter of fact a group of international professional engaged UNESCO manual 23 in e-learning and distance education most recently came together here in GEOSS workshop 24 Enschede to share good practices in e-learning (page 6). This summer I will explore the city of Enschede which is in top gear and ready for the future. A Staff news 24 number of large (building) projects, including the rebuilded Roombeek dis- trict that was hit by the firework disaster in 2000, will see completion in the Life after ITC year 2008 (page 10). Carmen Lucia Midaglia 27 For those who have the privilege to go on holiday, enjoy! Zhengdon Huang 28 Alumni meet Myanmar 30 Janneke Kalf Alumni meet Sweden 30 Managing Editor Tutorial hyperspectral remote sensing 31 Martin Sekeleti 32 colofon ITC NEWS is published quarterly, by ITC, Enschede, the Netherlands

Managing Editor: Janneke Kalf Correspondence to: Managing Editor ITC NEWS Editing: Janice Collins P.O.Box 6 Design&PrePress: Henk Scharrenborg 7500 AA Enschede (Composer DTP service) Phone: +31 (0)53 487 44 11 Fax: +31 (0)53 487 45 54 Printing: PlantijnCasparie Zwolle E-mail: [email protected]

2008number 2 The views expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of ITC

ITC News 2008-2 1 MAIN FEATURES

ITC Leads Study on Stateof the Art in Automated Map Generalisation

Jantien Stoter [email protected]

Research in At the same time, it seems hard for vendors ments defined by NMAs. The project focuses to implement automated generalisation so- on large- to medium-scale generalisation, automated lutions in commercial software. Since na- since in this range more complexities are ex- generalisation of tional mapping agencies (NMAs) would ben- pected than in the smaller scales. It is impor- efit significantly from automated solutions, tant to note that the project does not aim to topographic data EuroSDR (European Spatial Data Research) publish details of the quality of individual embarked on a research into the state of the systems or rank the software tested. This is a (where small-scale art of automated generalisation imple- research project where the explicit aim is to maps are mented in commercial software. Within address what the industry proposes and of- EuroSDR, NMAs, research institutes and pri- fers in terms of automated generalisation, automatically vate industry work together on research and how this can be used by NMAs and by projects of common interest. research institutes to define future research derived from a directions. large-scale dataset) The project team in this instance (led by the author) consists of six NMAs, namely KMS Test Cases has resulted in (Denmark), ICC (Catalonia), IGN (France), A list of known complexities for map gener- IGN (Spain), OS (Great Britain) and Kadaster alisation related to specific feature classes many promising (the Netherlands), and three research insti- was generated. Based on this list, four test results. tutes, namely the University of Hannover cases were selected in such a way as to en- (Germany), the University of Zurich sure the inclusion of all interesting generali- (Switzerland) and ITC. The project started in sation situations (see Table 1). November 2006 and the final report is ex- pected by the end of 2008. This article de- Figure 1 shows the test cases of the project. scribes the project set-up and reports on progress so far. Software Tested It was decided to test commercial software Scope of the Project systems that were available in June 2007. The main objective of the project is to study Based on the defined case studies and the how commercially available software can project conditions, vendors were invited to

Table 1 Test cases selected produce a map according to map require- participate in the project. Four vendors for the EuroSDR project

Number of Type of area Source dataset Target dataset Provided by Main layers input layers Buildings, roads, Urban area 1:1250 1:25k OS Great Britain 37 river, relief, …

Mountainous area 1:10k 1:50k IGN France 23 Village, river, land use

Small town, land use, Rural area 1:10k 1:50k Kadaster 29 planar partition Village, land use (not mosaic), Coastal area 1:25k 1:50k ICC Catalonia 74 hydrography

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ICC starting dataset (1:25k) OSGB starting dataset (1:1250)

IGN France starting dataset (1:10k) Kadaster starting dataset (1:10k)

Figure 1 Source datasets in the EuroSDR generalisation project (maps reduced in size)

agreed to participate: ESRI (ArcGIS), 1Spatial enables a user to succeed in a given task (Clarity), Axes Systems (Genesys) and the such as exploring, route finding, observing. University of Hannover (Change, Push, The difficulty is to specify these types of re- Typify). quirements into such a format and knowl- edge level that they can steer the automated Defining Map Requirements generalisation process. For the project, map How to define map requirements in a way requirements were defined as a list of con- that can be unambiguously understood by straints by the four NMAs. Constraints are testers was the next challenge. This is impor- conditions expressing what the generalisa- tant since it should be perfectly clear what a tion output should look like without ad- tester should express in the tested system. dressing how this result should be reached Specifying map requirements for the gener- by describing the sequences of generalisa- alisation of topographic maps is not straight- tion operations (such as aggregation, simpli- forward. In general terms, expectations for a fication) to be applied. satisfying generalisation solution (e.g. reduc- ing the details to discern regional patterns) To have a uniform way of expressing con- can be defined as follows: a map that re- straints, the project team developed a tem- veals or conceals information inherent plate to define the constraints for the four among a set of abstracted data; a map that test cases. The template distinguishes be-

ITC News 2008-2 3 MAIN FEATURES

tween constraints on one object (e.g. mini- human interpretation. When specifying the mal area of a building), on two objects (e.g. project constraints, the impossibility of for- minimal distance between road and build- malising all cartographers’ interpretations ing), and on a group of objects (e.g. the (e.g. interpretation needed to handle the building pattern should be similar to that in constraint “the generic characteristics of the the input data). terrain should be kept”) was realised. In other cases, it was realised that we might The NMAs in the EuroSDR project studied need better, more detailed specifications their current specifications and processes in than the available map specifications meant order to specify their map requirements in a to be interpreted by humans. This project set of constraints. Well-defined requirements will give insight into those aspects. were not directly available since none of the NMAs has implemented automated generali- Test Process sation. At NMAs, requirements are available The tests were performed on commercially in documents (i.e. specifications), software available out-of-the-box versions by project code or even in human minds. These re- team members from June 2007 till March quirements are available only at the human 2008. Every system was tested two or three knowledge level since they are meant to be times on four datasets. At the time of writ- used by cartographers in current interactive ing, 26 outputs have been delivered (exam- (semi-automatic) processes that allow some ples given in Figure 2).

ICC target dataset (1:50k) OSGB target dataset (1:25k)

IGN France target dataset (1:50k) Kadaster target dataset (1:50k)

Figure 2 Example of outputs generated by automated generalisation in the EuroSDR project (maps reduced in size)

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To ensure that the results would not be lim- • an automated constraint-based evalua- ited by the software experience of the tion. In this process the outputs are also testers or limited to June 2007, vendors compared with their specifications but the were invited to do parallel tests with as differences with the expected specifica- much customisation as they wanted (includ- tions are quantified by means of automat- ing developing new algorithms) as long as ically computed indicators. they reported on this. • a comparative evaluation where the out- puts obtained for a given generalisation In every test, the tester tried to translate all problem by the different software and defined constraints into a form understand- testers are compared. able by the specific software. It was impor- tant for the generalisation process to be trig- All three methodologies are set up in such a gered either by a class of objects (theme) or way that they are complementary. For exam- by spatially indicated areas (partitions) (i.e. ple, the expert evaluation is used to assign the tester was not allowed to trigger opera- values from “bad”, “medium”, “good” etc. tions on an object-on-object basis). to values calculated in the automated com- parison. In addition, comparing results of the Evaluation Methodology expert and automated evaluations can help Currently we are working on setting up the in detecting inconsistencies between the evaluation of the outputs. In the evaluation, two types of evaluation that need to be fur- several analyses will be performed to learn ther investigated (e.g. bugs or inappropriate as much as possible from the tests. Initial measuring tools in the automated evaluation evaluation has already begun. Apart from process, misinterpretation of what was assessing the outputs themselves, the evalu- asked of the experts, subjectivity of the eval- ation will provide insights into the complete uations). The automated generalisation may methodology to set up such a case study, also confirm or invalidate trends noticed since this is the first time that such an exten- through the comparative evaluation. In addi- sive study on the state of the art in auto- tion, the automated evaluation can identify mated generalisation has been carried out. aspects where a closer interactive analysis The main part of the evaluation stage con- could be needed in the comparative evalua- cerns evaluating the cartographic outputs tion. obtained with the software. Three parallel evaluation processes have been set up: As already mentioned, results are expected • an expert evaluation, where experts from by the end of 2008 the NMAs who provided the datasets as- sess the outputs. The outputs are interac- tively compared with expectations (i.e. with their specifications).

ITC News 2008-2 5 MAIN FEATURES

Sharing Good Practices in E-Learning

Liza Groenendijk [email protected]

From 11 to 13 June The organisation of the workshop was a The keynote address of András Osskó, chief combined effort of the International advisor at the Budapest Land Office and 2008, a group of Federation of Surveyors (FIG), Commission 2 chair of FIG Commission 7, focused on the international and Commission 7, and ITC. importance of changes in the education of The Netherlands Cadastre, Land Registry and land surveyors. Interest in traditional land professionals Mapping Agency sponsored the event. surveying is decreasing, whereas interest in land administration is increasing. Osskó engaged in The programme consisted of keynote speak- made a plea for lifelong learning, which is e-learning and ers, technical sessions, hands-on sessions, necessary not only for individuals but also demonstrations and guided discussions. The for institutions (so that the knowledge of distance education organisation received 30 accepted contribu- their staff may be kept up to date). tions, and 70 participants from 27 different came together at countries actively participated in the various Technical Sessions ITC for the workshop sessions. Based on the content of the accepted contri- butions, the following technical sessions international The workshop chair invited FIG President were offered: Professor Stig Enemark to deliver his open- • Good practices in e-learning and distance workshop Sharing ing address from Denmark, using video con- education Good Practices: ferencing. • Engaging in e-learning • Continuous professional development E-learning in Keynotes • International cooperation and/in The first keynote speaker welcomed was e-learning. Surveying, Dr Nicholas Frunzi, director of Educational Geo-information Services, ESRI, USA. Dr Frunzi gave an During the workshop dinner, the Best Paper overview of ESRI’s developments in educa- Award was presented to Dr Henny Mills of Sciences and Land tional services - from the instructor-led class- Newcastle University for her paper, co-writ- room training in 1988 to the ESRI virtual ten with David Barber, entitled “A virtual Administration. classroom of today and the blended learning surveying field course for traversing”. The with ESRI Press in the future. paper describes an innovative e-learning tool developed for a geomatics degree course. It Professor Bela Markus of the University of West Hungary, chair of FIG Commission 2, was the second keynote speaker. After intro- ducing the concept of e-learning, he dis- cussed the status, the trends, and the impor- tance of business models in e-learning. He stressed the importance of a business model for reusing and sharing resources to build sustainable courses within networking part- nerships.

The workshop chair invited FIG President Professor Stig Enemark to deliver his opening address from Denmark, using video conferencing

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lating discussion points, and for the ex- change of experiences. Each home group was guided by a moderator.

Questions for home group discussion Main issues What thoughts came up during the keynote addresses and other sessions? How do they Poster with the programme of the opening session relate to your experience?

Sharing experiences was considered an excellent example of how Do you have any recommendations or in- a virtual fieldwork tool can support student sights that you would like to share or discuss understanding and prepare for real field- with the others? work. Common themes and trends Hands-on Sessions Do you see any common themes or ques- One afternoon of the workshop was re- tions emerging from the workshop with re- served for the hands-on sessions, and partic- gard to e-learning in the field of surveying, ipants could choose from the following: geo-information sciences and land adminis- 1. Captivate® for animations and simula- tration? tions 2. Creating a Wiki Conclusions 3. Quick and easy lecture video recording The conclusions of the four home groups 4. Communicate. Collaborate. Educate with were presented during the closing session Elluminate®. and summarised by Chris Paresi, head of ITC’s Department of Urban and Regional The workshop on Captivate attracted the Planning and Geo-information highest number of participants. The work- Management. The outcome of the discus- shops were followed by a demonstration of sions is summarised below. the e-learning activities of the Netherlands Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping 1. The importance of partnerships Agency. Working together and sharing experiences and resources is considered of great impor- Discussion Sessions tance for the success and further develop- At the end of each day, participants came ment of e-learning in the field of surveying, together in so-called home groups. These geo-information science and land adminis- home groups were formed to create an in- tration. In this context, the term “thematic formal platform for discussions, for formu- network” and the e-learning concept “com-

Some e-learning professionals active during their presentations (Reinfried Mansberger, Sven Åke Bjørke, Mathilde Molendijk, Bela Markus and Nicholas Frunzi)

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munity of practice” were also proposed. • Online communication and collaboration In particular, the following points were men- tools for the exchange of experiences and tioned: mutual learning • Exploring cooperation between the pro- • Blended approaches preferred. fessional organisations FIG, ISPRS and ICA • Recognition of e-learning material and 3. E-learning to engage young surveyors courses An issue of concern within FIG is the de- • The importance of quality assurance creasing interest of university students in the • The need for a credit exchange system land surveying profession. Universities and • The role of open source professional training institutions need to re- • Sharing contents view their education according to new re- • Stronger partnership between academia quirements and student interests. E-learning and professionals may contribute to motivating students to • The need for an e-learning infrastructure join the profession. • Promoting a business model for reusing and sharing e-learning courses and The following points were mentioned by the courseware. groups: • Online communication and collaboration 2. E-learning as a tool for continuous pro- tools for interaction, group work, peer ex- fessional development change, supervision E-learning is considered an excellent tool for • Students used to digital learning and com- continuous professional development and munication lifelong learning, especially in the rapidly • Global interest of students changing working field of the land profes- • Online mentoring and support through sional. communities of practice • Preparing students for lifelong learning In particular, the following points were dis- • An opportunity for students from devel- cussed: oping countries. • Nano-units of (e-)learning: small focused training units for particular learning needs 4. Defining the field of e-learning within • “Immediate” implementation of learned FIG skills by professionals The workshop made it clear that a lot of • The changing meaning of learning and knowledge has been accumulated in recent how to achieve this years in the field of e-learning and surveying, • The strong link between e-learning and geo-information sciences and land adminis- knowledge management tration. Many lessons have been learned and it is now the right time to analyse these les- sons and publish the findings.

In particular, it was suggested that: • a FIG publication be prepared on the topic of e-learning • all the experts be brought together in a Wiki environment to write a reference book on e-learning.

Young surveyor Jennifer van Vooren from the KaHo Sint-Lieven in Ghent, Belgium, de- livering an excellent presentation on a home study package for land surveyors

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5. Some problems More Information Although many e-learning success stories • FIG International Workshop, Sharing were presented during the workshop, natu- Good Practices: E-learning in rally there were many critical issues to dis- Surveying, Geo-information Sciences cuss as well. Some of the identified short- and Land Administration. comings of e-learning are as follows: www.itc.nl/fig_elearning2008 • Language is a bottleneck. • Cultural differences in learning style and • FIG Commission 2. content can be a problem. www.geo.info.hu/fig2/ • E-learning is a tool and learning is the ob- jective. • FIG Home • E-learning is considered of limited use for www.fig.net/ practical teaching. • E-learning is not really rewarded by train- Proceedings ing institutions and universities. Proceedings with the full papers are • Developing e-learning courses and mate- available on CD-ROM. A paper publica- rial is demanding in time and expertise. tion of the Proceedings will be pro- duced in the second half of 2008, in- 6. Final Remark cluding the outcome of the discussion An award for e-teachers? They deserve it! sessions. All presentations can be found on the workshop website

Group picture of participants and resource persons in front of the ITC building

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In top gear and ready for the future Enschede to deliver in 2008!

Enschede Municipality [email protected]

The history of Furthermore, on 13 May 2000 the city was would be involved in the rebuilding as much hit by what has gone done in the annals of as possible. Ultimately, half the new Enschede has history as the firework disaster. More than dwellings in Roombeek have been erected known turbulent 40 ha of the city were completely devas- by private parties. In addition, attempts have tated. The concentration of efforts and co- been made to conserve the valuable ele- times, what with operation have been central to the rebuild- ments of Roombeek’s history. For example, ing of Roombeek. Even after this disaster, not only has the old pattern of streets re- the city fire of 1862, the residents of Enschede have regained mained the same, but the industrial premises the heavy control and summoned up the strength to have been reused, ensuring that the memory respond flexibly to the altered situation. This of Enschede’s history as a textile town is kept bombardments year the district will be symbolically handed alive. Even the water, the Roombeek, which back to its inhabitants. And a lot more be- had almost vanished from the picture, has during the Second sides is going on in the city. The year 2008 is been restored to glory through the rebuild- World War, and the the year of Enschede! ing. The year 2008 now sees 62 ha for resi- dential, entrepreneurial, recreational, hospi- decline of the Prior to 13 May 2000, Roombeek was a real tality, cultural, architectural and educational working-class district, characterised by work- purposes. What’s more, in 2007 the district textile industry. ing-class housing where textile workers used won an important award (Golden Pyramid to live. It was chiefly artists who felt at home 2007) for rebuilding and restructuring: a na- in Roombeek. Moreover, the many old fac- tional award for an inspiring commission. tory premises heightened the ramshackle ap- pearance of the district and even before the Rozendaal Centre and Restoration of disaster there were plans to renovate the dis- Roombeek trict. Roombeek is the artistic and cultural district of Enschede. One of the most prominent Rebuilding Roombeek buildings in the district is the former After the disaster, Roombeek had to be com- Rozendaal textile factory. This factory has pletely rebuilt, and a plan was needed been transformed into the Rozendaal cul- whereby those affected by the disaster tural complex and symbolises the rebuilding

Lonnekerspoorlaan in Roombeek: the heart of the district

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and specific characteristics of the district: art, that represents the story of the human ad- culture and architecture. The remains of the venture: a universal story that takes Twente old derelict textile factory have been incor- as its material. Attention is paid to archeol- porated into this building in a contemporary ogy, history, folklore, local dialect, nature, building style. At 21 Rozendaal, the landscape and much more. Rozendaal houses topical artwork, eight workshops, a museum café, an observatory, Besides the fascinating design of the dwellings, apartments and the TwentseWelle Rozendaal, Roombeek itself is quite excep- museum. The cultural complex was opened tional in terms of architecture. Over the past on 22 April by Queen Beatrix. years, Enschede has successfully engaged the services of several leading architects.

Enschede Delivers! Besides the completion and symbolic restoration of Roombeek to its inhabitants, a number of other large (building) projects in Enschede will see completion in the year 2008. Indeed the theme of Enschede this year will be “Enschede delivers!” And this refers to projects that will enrich life in the city. In addition to the Rozendaal and Roombeek projects, the following can be mentioned.

Music Quarter Enschede is characterised not only by art and architecture but also by its music culture. For years, many music organisations have been located in the city, and come November these will be housed in the Music Quarter in the city centre. This temple to music will pro- vide accommodation for the Twente Podium, the Twente Music School, Atak Poppodium, the Artez Conservatorium, the Orchestra of the East and the National Travelling Opera. Enschede may rightfully call itself a “music city”. Furthermore, with the coming of the One of the most prominent buildings in the district: the former Rozendaal textile fac- Music Quarter, going out in Enschede will tory become an even more glittering occasion.

Scholingsboulevard Besides art and culture, Enschede offers a wide range of education institutions. With the arrival of the Scholingsboulevard, three of these education institutions will be brought together in one building. The Scholingsboulevard is characterised not only by its unique education system but also by The TwensteWelle Museum is an amalgama- its challenging architecture. In an inspiring tion of the Van Deinse Institute, the Jannink environment, pupils will challenged to give Museum and the Enschede Natural History of their best. With this boulevard, Enschede Museum and places the developments in is writing education history and absolutely Twente in a wider context. Here nature and everything will be done to prevent pupils culture are woven into a unique concept from leaving school prematurely.

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The Prismare facility complex in Roombeek (situated near the Rozendaal)

Twente Ice Rink and Arke Stadium Further, from October sports enthusiasts can head for the Twente Ice Rink. This fully cov- ered ice rink is the second in the Netherlands. The Twente Ice Rink is being built near the Arke Stadium. The home base of the FC Twente football club is undergoing considerable expansion this year, with the re- alisation of a second tier. Following this ex- pansion, the Arke Stadium will have seating capacity for over 24,000 people. The new Roomweg in Roombeek: the water in the district has re-emerged Metamorphosis Enschede All in all, Enschede is undergoing a radical metamorphosis in the year 2008. Over the past years, this student city has already ac- quired a completely renovated centre, the Van Heekplein. The coming of the Alpha Tower, the tallest residential building in Overijssel, likewise contributes to this reno- vated centre. The Alpha Tower is part of the Boulevard project and consists of five build- ings. The tower is a real eye-catcher and can be seen from every corner of Enschede. The Boulevard architecture richly complements the new construction work round the Van Heekplein.

In short, Enschede has much to offer in terms of architecture as well as art and cul- ture. The appearance of Enschede has dra- matically changed in the course of the years

View of Enschede from the Alpha Tower (104 m and the city is well on the way to becoming high): in the foreground the new Van Heekplein and a high-principled city of quality. The old tex- the Klanderij shopping precinct tile town has made way for a city that has something to offer everyone. More informa- tion can be found at www.enschede.nl.

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Facing the Food Crisis

Eric Smaling [email protected]

Is There a Food Crisis? tect their markets to some extent. Of partic- The year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of ular importance is the fact that countries the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. and regions are allowed to maintain certain Included in article 25 is the “right to food”. food stocks. Now that the stocks at world Nobody has failed to notice that this right is scale are so small, prices tend to fluctuate severely jeopardised by the current, spectac- alarmingly. ular rises in food prices. Many reasons for this phenomenon have been given, including It also seems that the role of the World Food the competition between food and biofuels, Program (WFP) will become increasingly sig- recurrent droughts and bad harvests, the nificant. From a UN centre for emergency re- high prices of fossil fuels, the changing diets lief, it has turned into a world food distribu- of a growing population, and speculation. tion centre. As the world grows towards Many Asian governments have banned the nine billion inhabitants, it seems necessary export of rice and lowered import tariffs, for WFP to indulge in even more strategic clearly showing the fear of food shortages thinking on future food production. At this and riots in cities. Such measures show the time, WFP has problems in buying food sur- extremely strategic value of food. If you have pluses, clearly showing the urgency of the no car, you walk; if you have no television, situation. WFP will increasingly need state- you listen to the radio; but if you have no of-the-art expertise and technology in food, you simply perish. Most African coun- drought monitoring, early food deficit and tries are net importers of food, and face a surplus detection, and models describing re- worsening trade balance. Millennium lations between food needs, infrastructure, Development Goal 1 (halving hunger and and transport and delivery times. poverty by 2015) will never be met if no ac- tion is taken. What the crisis clearly shows is Feeding Nine Billion People that dependence on a completely liberalised It will be a hell of a job to feed nine billion market is dangerous. There should be a people. Even though technological develop- focus on regional and local production, al- ment has allowed us to step up agricultural lowing countries with food deficits to pro- productivity, we have a tough job ahead of

Soybean farms in Mato Grosso, Brazil, can be as large as 10,000 ha (picture Eric Smaling)

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us. Although it may potentially be possible ever, enthusiasm has dwindled. Large areas to feed even 20 billion people, it is clear at would be necessary if any impact were to be this time that no forests or savannas will sur- made. Moreover, biofuels are not really vive. Soybean and livestock are pushing back CO2-neutral, and they compete with other the Amazon forest, oil palm production is a land uses, food being the most prominent. major threat to Southeast Asian forest habi- Finally and less obvious, they take away soil tats, and the European Union (EU) is going fertility, whereas they are grown for their to abolish its current “set-aside” regime and carbon only. Nonetheless, there is room for its quota system on milk production. Trade- biofuels. In the tropics, jatropha plants can offs between agriculture, pasture and nature do well on land that is not used for other will be in the limelight more than ever be- purposes, and this may be a catalyst for local fore. A major investment in agriculture is development. necessary, in such a way that natural land is safeguarded as much as possible. Land use A Regional Approach in Africa? planning and negotiation will soon be back What would be a way out for Africa? The at the top of the agenda. Furthermore, peo- International Food Policy Research Institute ple will have to change their diets. Meat (IFPRI) thinks a regional approach may work. consumption over the past 15 years has Let’s have a look at West Africa for example, risen from 200 to 300 million tons. The focusing on the 15 countries that make up Chinese have moved from a consumption the ECOWAS region. Wouldn’t it be nice for level of 20 kg meat/person in 1985 to 50 kg this region if it was allowed to develop some in 2007. To produce a kilo of meat, some- kind of Common Agricultural Policy? - the where between 5 and 8 kg of plant material way we have in Europe. ECOWAS and the is needed. Over the past years, importation EU meet regularly, but agriculture is not of soy meal from South America has in- often on the agenda. If you forget about all creased massively. At the same time, the the borders in the region, you remain with newest soybean farms in Brazil are over roughly three zones: the Sahel, the savanna, 10,000 ha in size, offering work to only a and the humid zones along the southern few people per unit land. coast, where all the big cities are and where you find most consumers. The following The EU intends to have 10% of total trans- questions now come to mind. What is the port fuels derived from biofuels by 2020. current and future food demand in the re- This is very ambitious, and goes back to the gion? How do diets change? How can pro- time when first-generation biofuels were still duction of preferred food stuffs such as rice seen as an environment-friendly solution to and meat be increased in the region? Where the looming fossil fuel shortage. Today, how- are the best soils? Do they need a bit of

Tea pluckers in Assam, India (picture Eric Smaling)

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Sikasso, Mali: farmer groups take decisions for the new planting season (picture Eric Smaling)

the duplication of efforts? Why should Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger do the same type of research with too little money? Why not pool resources? The Dutch govern- ment has development programmes in Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali - why not also include Togo and treat these five neighbour countries as a region?

Meanwhile, countries and regions such as ECOWAS are forced to venture into eco- nomic partnership agreements that at the end of the day allow the EU to enter their markets. This is not what the countries and regions need. Europe, the USA, China and Japan, all have protected their home mar- kets for a long time in order to develop the

Kaya, Burkina Faso: large cattle herds are a common feature in Sahelian countries agricultural sector. Once this has been suc- (picture Eric Smaling) cessful, other sectors have also developed well as a result of better-fed populations with increased purchasing power. And who is in the best position to help these African phosphorus as a corrective application? (The economic regions to build their own agricul- P reserves abound in the region, so this tural sector? The EU of course. It knows should not be too difficult.) What has to re- everything about successful agricultural de- main as natural land and forest? How can velopment! we help producer organisations to invest and organise themselves? How can tariffs between member states be streamlined and how can the countries improve their tax rev- enues? How can we make the R&D agendas of member states more effective by avoiding

ITC News 2008-2 15 EDUCATION NEWS

education news

Spatial Information for Disaster Risk Management in Latin America

Michael McCall [email protected] Bas Wesselman [email protected]

In October and November of 2007, The principal topics covered were rine inundation and hurricane dam- ITC organised four short courses in concepts of hazard, vulnerability, risk, age. The fieldwork in Mexico was Latin America for CYTED-UTEEDA coping mechanisms, and prepared- conducted on the UNAM campus and on GeoSpatial Information in Disas- ness; DRR (disaster risk reduction) in- the hazards concerned related to ter Risk Management for Agricul- stitutions and agencies in Latin storm damage, pollution from waste, ture and Natural Resource Manage- America; geospatial information for safety/security, and insane bicyclists ment. The first two were given by hazards and vulnerability; and DRR on the new bicycle paths. Michael McCall at UNAH (National decision-making levels and institu- Agricultural University of Havana), tions in agriculture and natural re- The courses were given in a combina- La Habana, Cuba, and UNAM, Mex- sources management. Field trips (with tion of Spanish and English, with ico DF; the other two by Bas Wessel- field exercises) were organised by the most PowerPoint presentations in man at the Institute for Climate and counterparts to hazard and risk man- Spanish but many documents in Water (INTA), Argentina, and the agement sites to define real spatial English. University of Chile, Chile. information needs, and these were followed up by presentations on the Participant numbers were higher than CYTED (Ciencia y Tecnología para el geo-information sources and applica- expected: 35 in Cuba, 24 in Mexico, Desarrollo), an Ibero-American net- tions. 25 in Argentina and 30 in Chile. work that includes UTEEDA (Uso de Among the participants were disaster las Tecnologías Espaciales para la The participants were very responsive risk specialists, geologists, agricultur- Evaluación, Monitoreo y Manejo de to the courses, particularly in Cuba, alists, meteorologists, social scientists, Desastres Naturales en la Agricultura), where external training courses are ecologists and land use planners, rep- is coordinated by Professor Dámaso less common. Frequently highlighted resenting a wide range of specialisa- Ponvert-Delisles of UNAH. by the participants were: tions and skills. The basic content of • the basic objectives and content the topic dealing with the spatial in- The five-day courses were all directed (since many participants were from formation needed for risk reduction towards developing skills in geospa- the CYTED network) management provoked much inter- tial information for disaster manage- • the breadth of training materials est, while the group work was mixed ment, specifically in the fields of agri- and documentation (particularly to stimulate interdisciplinary discus- cultural and natural resource useful in Cuba) sions and competing views. management in Latin America, in line • software accessibility with the primary mission of CYTED- • the ITC-style of training, with its Among the participants were people UTEEDA. mix of practice and theory active in the CYTED Red network, • group work staff and students from the host uni- • the lively interactive discussions of experiences among and between participants and staff • the fieldwork, a chance to practise techniques and see an actual risk situation.

The fieldwork trips were highly appre- ciated. In Cuba, it was a full-day ex- cursion to the south coast, and in- cluded discussions at the Oficina Municipal de la Defensa Civil de La Defensa Civil, Cuba Batabanó, and visits to areas of ma- CYTED group, Batabanó, Cuba

16 ITC News 2008-2 EDUCATION NEWS

versities (UNAH and UNAM), in areas, etc. Cuba does not as yet have Mexico professors from the University an institute like ITC or a Netherlands of Colima and the University of Baja alumni association, and this has made California, and in Cuba professionals it more difficult to organise courses and scientists from CUJAE and the and has limited ITC networking in the fields of meteorology, protected area.

CYTED group, UNAM, Mexico DF Mapping hazards on UNAM Campus, Mexico DF

Joint Postgraduate Certificate Course in Applications of Earth Observation and GIS in IWRM Successfully Launched

Arno van Lieshout [email protected]

Friday, 25 January 2008, was the big of Egerton and Addis Ababa, and Initiative and the ITC-United Nations day for the participants and interna- ITC. The course has an application- University School for Disaster Geo- tional staff involved in the four- oriented focus. The use of earth ob- Information Management. month postgraduate certificate servation and GIS techniques for vari- course Applications of Earth Obser- ous aspects of water resource The course is scheduled to run each vation and GIS in Integrated Water management is demonstrated. year in the months January to April Resources Management (IWRM). Groundwater, surface water and for a total of 16 weeks. For the second time, the course was management issues and IWRM con- officially opened by Professor Rose cepts are addressed. The experience A. Mwonya, deputy vice-chancellor, of ITC and Egerton University in Lake Academic Affairs, Egerton Univer- Naivasha enables the lecturers to sity, in the presence of Dr Wilbur focus on real-life issues and problem- Otichillo, director of the Regional solving methods. Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) and Arno A total of 16 candidates enrolled for van Lieshout, course director of ITC. this year’s course. Sponsorship for the The official opening was followed participants is offered by various by refreshments and lively informal sources, including the Nile Basin interaction. Measuring the flow velocity of the Gilgil river in Kenya

The course has an interesting set-up. For more information: It is partly conducted in Nairobi at www.itc.nl/education/courses.aspx RCMRD and Egerton University (Njoro Arno van Lieshout, ITC ([email protected]) campus), and the teaching staff are Dr Tesfay Korme, RCMRD ([email protected]) drawn from RCMRD, the universities Professor Japheth Onyando, Egerton University ([email protected])

ITC News 2008-2 17 RESEARCH NEWS

research news

New Model Predicts Where Corals Can Thrive

Science Daily www.sciencedaily.com

The Wildlife Conservation Society Corals have been devastated in large Reference: Joseph Maina, Valentijn (WCS) and the International Insti- areas across the world. Disappearing Venus, Timothy R. McClanahan, tute for Geo-Information Science at rates up to 5.4 percent per year Mebrahtu Ateweberhan. Modelling and Earth Observation (ITC) have over the past 30 years, they are susceptibility of coral reefs to environ- developed a new scientific model among the earliest victims of climate mental stress using remote sensing that accurately maps where coral change. Bleaching, which climate data and GIS models. Ecological reefs are in the most trouble and change exacerbates, occurs when Modelling. Volume 212, Issues 3-4, identifies regions where reefs can corals become so stressed that they 10 April 2008, Pages 180-199. be protected best. The model, which eject the beneficial algae that give is being applied in areas throughout them their color. This eventually Adapted from materials provided by the Indian Ocean, is described in a causes large sections of the reefs to Wildlife Conservation Society recent issue of the journal Ecologi- lose much of their biodiversity. (www.wcs.org/), via EurekAlert! cal Modelling. (www.eurekalert.org/), a service of “Despite the large areas in high and AAAS. The model synthesizes several ocean severe stress, the model suggests that conditions, such as seawater temper- there are some reefs with less stress- Source: Science Daily / University of atures, photosynthetic and ultraviolet ful conditions and more reasons for Toronto light, winds and currents, and the hope,” said WCS researcher Dr. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/ concentration of microscopic plank- Timothy McClanahan, one of the 04/080416165732.htm ton on the ocean’s surface. These study’s authors. data were factored into previous re- ports of coral stress or bleaching and were then used to map the distribu- tion of these inhospitable conditions.

The researchers found that much of the northern Indian Ocean contains very stressful environments for corals and that half of its marine parks with the strictest regulations are found within these harsh areas.

Areas of the Maldives and the Seychelles fall in the middle of the most severe conditions; these include some of the best coral reef parks and diving spots. In an area east and just north of Madagascar lie the least- stressed reefs, which include those off the islands of Mauritius, Rodriques, and Reunion. These are now among the reefs the model identifies as the highest priority for conservation. Acropora red coral (credit: Tim McClanahan)

18 ITC News 2008-2 PROJECT NEWS project news

Professor Bob Su Honoured at Dragon Symposium, Beijing

Bob Su [email protected]

At a symposium held in Beijing, P.R. The Dragon 2 programme, which will China, from 21 to 25 April, to pres- last four years, is targeted towards ent the final results of the Dragon 1 land, ocean and atmospheric investi- programme (2004-2007) and kick off gations in China and is expected to: the Dragon 2 projects, Professor • promote the use of ESA, TPM Bob Su received an award for an (Third Party Mission) and Chinese outstanding contribution (drought earth observation data for scientific monitoring and prediction research and application development and the scientific coordination of • stimulate scientific exchange in three advanced thematic training earth observation science and ap- courses) to the Dragon 1 programme plication by the formation of joint Bob Su receiving the receiving the award for an out- from the hands of Mr Zhang Sino-European teams standing contribution to the Dragon 1 programme Guocheng, director of the National • publish co-authored results of the Remote Sensing Centre of China research and applications develop- (NRSCC), and Mr Karl Bergquist, ad- ment at the mid-term stage and at ministrator of the European Space the end of the programme Agency (ESA). ESA and NRSCC, an • provide training in processing, al- entity that falls under the Ministry gorithm and product development, of Science and Technology of China, using ESA, TPM and Chinese earth have cooperated in the field of observation data in land, ocean earth observation application devel- and atmospheric applications. opment for the last 10 years. ITC staff will continue to be involved The work realised in Dragon 1 con- in several themes of the Dragon re- tributed to, and benefited, research search: application development in 16 the- • drought monitoring matic application projects related to • prediction of, and adaptation to, land, ocean and atmospheric moni- climatic changes toring. Within the framework of the • estuarine, inland and coastal water Dragon programme, ESA and NRSCC quality monitoring, using earth ob- provided a series of advanced the- servation data. matic training courses on remote sensing applications, which were Professor Bob Su will again be in- hosted by university and research in- volved in a series of advanced train- stitutions in China. The first of these ing courses, starting with the first courses was held in 2004 on ocean Dragon 2 advanced training course applications, the second in 2005 on on land remote sensing. This will take land remote sensing, and the third in place from 13 to 17 October 2008 2006 on atmospheric remote sensing. and will be hosted by the State Key In 2007 another advanced course Laboratory for Information was held on ocean remote sensing Engineering in Surveying, Mapping applications. ITC-WRS staff provided and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS) of technical assistance for the last three Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. courses. The Dragon 2 programme, which will last four years, is targeted towards land, ocean and atmospheric in- vestigations in China

ITC News 2008-2 19 EVENTS

events

2008 ISPRS congress and ITC alumni meeting in Beijing, China

Marja Verburg [email protected]

Beijing, China has been this year’s Don’t expect to read a full and scien- Prizes and awards host for the 21st quadrennial ISPRS tific based report on the congress Participants of the congress received congress. The theme of the congress outcome; for that I’ll refer to the a well filled and very practical confer- “Silk Road for Information from Im- congress web site: www.isprs2008- ence bag. After a quick inspection of agery” symbolizes the transfer from beijing.org/ the contents, my attention was the last ISPRS congress in Istanbul, drawn to a small booklet entitled 2004 to Beijing in 2008 following Worthwhile mentioning is, that the “ISPRS awards” and I wondered how the Silk Road used by traders since Congress adopted a “Beijing Declara - many of them are, in one way or the 200BC. It also recognises the global tion” that, among other issues, called other, related to ITC. aspects of the congress in terms of for support from international com- bringing nations and cultures to- munities: The Otto von Gruber Award is do- gether. 1. to commit adequate investment nated by the ITC fund and consists of and active engagement in scientific a medal and a monetary grant, pre- The conference was organised by the research and development, educa- sented to an author under 40 years State Bureau of Surveying and tion and training, and capacity and of age for a paper of outstanding Mapping in China and sponsored by infrastructure building merit in the photogrammetry, remote the Chinese Society of Geodesy, 2. to promote the sharing of imagery sensing and spatial information sci- Photogrammetry and Cartography. technology and data for scientific ences over the four years prior to the research and peaceful applications Congress. The opening ceremony included an 3. to encourage constructive dialogue This year’s winner of the award was opening address from the president and close cooperation and collabo- Matthias Butenuth from Germany. of the Chinese Society of Geodesy, ration between scientists, govern- Photogrammetry and Cartography ments, public and private sectors, Then there is the Willem Schermer- and ITC alumnus Prof. Yang Kai; fol- non-governmental organizations, horn Award, named after Willem lowed by the welcome address by the and international organizations Schermerhorn, the founding father of Vice Minister of Ministry of Land and and institutions. ITC, sponsored by Geo-Information Resources, Director General of the Netherlands (GIN), awarded to ITC State Bureau of Surveying and The Congress further calls for a con- alumna Sisi Zlatanova (Netherlands) in Mapping Mr. Lu Xinshe and the wel- tribution from everyone to establish recognition of her excellent perform- come address by the ISPRS President and operate a new silk road for im- ance as Chair of ISPRS working group Prof. Ian Dowman. agery, leading to a people-centered IV/8: Spatial Data Integration for and development-oriented society. Emergency Services.

Overseas congress registrations: 1516 - full registration 1035 - day registration 64 - students and seniors 244 - free registration 173 Domestic participation: 1280 - full 460 - part-time 670 - VIP’s 50 Accompanying persons: 50 In total: 2946 (ITC participants: 32) Sisi Zlatanova

20 ITC News 2008-2 EVENTS

The Samuel Gamble Award, spon- Alumni reception sored by the Canadian Institute of In the evening of 8 July, during a very well organized alumni reception, ITC also Geomatics in honour of Dr. Samuel commemorated 30 years of cooperation between ITC and SBSM. Rector of ITC G. Gamble, former President of ISPRS Professor Martien Molenaar and Deputy Director General Dr. Wang Chunfeng of and Director of the 1972 Congress SBSM exchanged gifts on this special occasion. Around 170 alumni, students was presented to three winners, two and staff attended this festive gathering; they met with old and new friends and of them ITC alumni. They al meet the enjoyed a delicious dinner. criteria that the recipient of the award should be a person who, like Dr. Gamble, contributed significantly to the development, organization or professional activities in the field of photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences, at na- tional or international level. The win- ners of the Award are: Wilber K. Ottichilo (Kenya), Jide Kufoniyi (Nigeria) both ITC alumni and Li Deren (China). Unfortunately, Wilber Ottichilo wasn’t able to come to the congress so he missed out the presentation cere- mony.

Furthermore ITC staff member Sander Oude Elberink won one of the ISPRS Prizes for Best Papers by Young Authors (sponsored by donor organi- From the ITC Booth zations and by ISPRS to authors who As a first time ITC booth assistant, I enjoyed every minute of my time, trying to are less than 35 years old and who help out and provide information to a lot of visitors. Due to the fact that ITC is are the sole author of a high quality well known in the RS field, the main interest of the visitors to the booth was paper presented at the Congress). how to obtain a PhD at ITC... There were however also questions like ‘what is This 2008 award have been spon- the distance from Enschede to the Keuken hof? Specific questions on, for exam- sored by ISPRS, Dr. Sherman Wu and ple cooperation with ITC, were addressed to Martien or Sjaak, who in between the European Science Foundation. sessions came to the booth to meet with these special visitors

Not all prizewinners or award winners Maathuis won the third prize with And last but not least, the Rector of were known at forehand. In the Com- the GEONET cast toolbox based on ITC Martien Molenaar was unani- puter Assisted Teaching Competition ILWIS. He received the bronze medal mous elected president of ISPRS (CATCON), held for the fifth time during the closing ceremony. Commission VI as successor of Prof. since 1996, ITC staff member Ben Cho for the period 2008 – 2012.

Li Deren and Jide Kufoniyi Sander Oude Elberink Ben Maathuis

ITC News 2008-2 21 IN MEMORIAM

In Memoriam: Daniel Omondi Omolo (29 July 1976 – 16 July 2008)

Janneke Kalf [email protected]

The ITC Community is shocked by ITC community. On 22 July in the death of Daniel Omondi Omolo presence of his brother and cousin a from Kenya, PhD student in the memorial service was held in the department of Natural Resources. Jacobus Kerk in Enschede. The me- Without any warning Dan suddenly morial service was attended by Her passed away during the weekly ITC Excellency Professor Ruthie Rono, run in all probability by a cardiac Ambassador of the Embassy of the arrest. Republic of Kenya in the Netherlands, ITC students and staff. We would like As from September 2002 onwards, to extend our deepest sympathy to Daniel became a familiar face in the Daniel’s family.

Eulogy for the late Daniel Peter Omolo Enock Titus Adhola, Dan’s brother ([email protected])

The late Daniel Peter Omolo was formance and great rapport with his mark smile that was so contagious! born on 29 July 1976 in Kisumu City, professors, Dan was to return to ITC He was the kind of person who Kenya to the late Jack Omolo in August 2007 – for the third time would be standing when people are Oketch and Esther Adoyo Omolo. and again under an NFP fellowship – seated. When people would be He was the second born in a family to start his Doctoral studies within standing, he would standout; when of five children that composed four the research theme of Biodiversity in people stood out, he would be out- brothers and a sister. Fragmenting Landscapes (BIOFRAG). standing; when people were dared to At the time of his death, he had fin- be outstanding, then Dan would be He started his early education at ished about one third of his PhD pro- the very standards to be used! Xaverian Primary School and com- gramme. Academically and professionally, he pleted his high school education at was a highflier, a trailblazer, always Kisumu Boys High School in 1994. He Career wise, Dan was a committed aiming for the sky. He was a dedi- joined Kenyatta University under a conservationist who dedicated his ca- cated Christian who led his life by ex- government scholarship in 1996 for reer to environmental matters. In par- ample and always motivated family his undergraduate studies, and grad- ticular, he used his knowledge and and friends alike to better their best. uated in 2000 with a Bachelors de- skills, especially in Geographic gree in Environmental Sciences. In Information Systems (GIS), and As a family, words alone cannot de- 2002, he won a Netherlands Remote Sensing to advance conserva- scribe our deep sense of loss and sad- Fellowship Programme (NFP) scholar- tion related research for biodiversity ness at Dan’s unexpected and sudden ship to pursue a 12 month conservation. Among the places he demise and we forever hold him dear Professional Masters in Natural worked include the National in our hearts. Even though he will Resource Management at the Museums of Kenya (NMK), Nature never be replaced in our lives, we will International Institute for Geo- Kenya, and the International always treasure every moment we Information Science and Earth Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), all shared with him. We thank The Observation (ITC) in the Netherlands in Kenya, and BirdLife International in Almighty God for Dan Omolo’s won- where he graduated in 2003. A year Cambridge, UK. Dan’s contribution to derful, fulfilling and richly blessed life. later, in August 2004, he was these institutions and to conservation awarded an 18 month Erasmus in general was outstanding. Kenya May the almighty God rest his soul in Mundus MSc fellowship which will miss a truly dedicated conserva- eternal peace. brought him back to ITC until March tionist. 2006 when he graduated. However, To his friends and work colleagues, owing to his sterling academic per- Dan was a charmer who had a trade-

22 ITC News 2008-2 ANNOUNCEMENTS announcements

UNESCO Publishes New Manual on Applications of Remote Sensing to Groundwater Studies

Use of satellite remote sensing for The manual also refers readers to var- groundwater studies is particularly ious sources where satellite images challenging because most of the can be downloaded free of charge useful information identified by and to internet sites offering open satellites is revealed indirectly (e.g. source software for remote sensing through surface vegetation or frac- and GIS. ture zones). The manual was published on CD- Contact: The manual Remote Sensing Applica - ROM and in hardcopy by UNESCO at Dr Annukka Lipponen at tions to Groundwater seeks to help the end of 2007. Courtesy of UN- [email protected] interested people learn skills in deci- ESCO, a hard copy will be sent to phering groundwater information each of the TIGER principal investiga- For more information: using remote sensing. It has been tors, using the addresses listed in the www.unesco.org prepared in collaboration with the ESA project database International Institute for Geo- (http://www.tiger.esa.int). The investi- Information Science and Earth gators are advised to notify the per- Observation (ITC) within the frame- sons below of any change in their ad- work of UNESCO’s International dress. Hydrological Programme and as a contribution toward the TIGER initia- Other interested parties can request a tive. It has been written from a hydro- free copy by sending an e-mail to geologist-practitioner perspective and Mr Vincent Leogardo assumes no prior knowledge of re- ([email protected]), with a copy mote sensing. to Dr Annukka Lipponen ([email protected]), specifying Professor Allard Meijerink, together their preference: hardcopy or CD ver- with co-authors, has written the sion. A pdf file web version will also manual. Part I deals with image pro- be made available at cessing methods useful for ground- http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/index.s water studies and contains chapters html. on the use of thermal and radar im- ages in hydrogeology. Part II discusses Source: UNESCO, International and illustrates the hydrogeological in- Hydrological Programme terpretation of images of the main types of geological terrain, with ex- amples from warm climates. Part III concentrates on the use of remote sensing for groundwater manage- ment, modelling, aquifer recharge management, and various cross-cut- ting themes such as evapotranspira- tion, vegetation, soil moisture and new sensor technologies.

ITC News 2008-2 23 ANNOUNCEMENTS

GEOSS Workshop for Water Security and Governance in Africa

Venue: Alisa hotel, Accra, Ghana Date: 24-26 October 2008 Time: Registration at 8 am on 24 October Fee: No fee; open participation (registration required)

This three-day AARSE2008 pre-con- For more information, please visit: ference workshop focuses on human www.itc.nl/news_events/archive/general/GEOSS_Workshop.asp capacity building for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems or contact one of the organisers: (GEOSS) and will provide the latest • Harold Annegarn [email protected] update on the implementation of the • Ian Dowman [email protected] GEOSS information infrastructure. • Roger King [email protected] Special attention will be given to • Chuck Luther [email protected] ways of developing operational end- • Chris Mannaerts [email protected] user applications and actively working • Jay Pearlman [email protected] with end users to secure informed • Tsehaie Woldai [email protected] decision making for water security • Rob Lemmens for 52North [email protected] and governance. The workshop will provide a forum for discussing the development and operational issues of water security and governance for Africa.

staff news

Welcome Ms L.B. Oosterhold Staff member Service Unit (Bookshop) Facility Management (per 21 April 2008) to ITC Dr M.W. Straatsma Assistant Professor Earth Systems Analysis (per 1 June 2008 Prof.dr. J.A. Zevenbergen Professor Urban Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management (per 1 June 2008) Dr. M.K. Hazarika Researcher Earth Systems Analysis (per 25 June 2008)

Staff Prof.dr.ir. M.G. Bos Department of Water Resources (per 1 April 2008) leaving Ms. M. Meester Department of Earth Observation Science (per 1 April 2008) Ms. M.J.H.J. Geurts Communication department (per 1 June 2008) J.H.M. Hendrikse Department of Water Resources (per 1 June 2008) Dr. A.A. Abkar Department of Natural Resources (per 1 June 2008) Ing. A. van den Noort IT department (per 1 June 2008)

24 ITC News 2008-2 LIFE AFTER ITC life after itc

Copy of Nobel Peace Prize Award Certificate for Carmen Lucia Midaglia

Janneke Kalf [email protected]

Carmen Lucia Midaglia (midaglia 50,000 inhabitants in São Paulo produced by SMA/SP-Environment 07671@[email protected]) - ITC alumna State and over 100,000 inhabitants State Secretariat (http://www. Rural and Land Ecology Survey 1987 in Brazil (identified sanitary dumps ambiente.sp.gov.br/prozonesp). - has received a copy of the award for methane gas emission estima- certificate for the Nobel Peace Prize tion and assisted in storing infor- Carmen has also written an article bestowed on the Intergovernmental mation in databases). about the effects of climate change Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in • organising the international IPCC on the Netherlands. It is a review of 2007. expert meeting on Good Practice in many articles that deal with the possi- Inventory Preparation: Emissions bility of the Netherlands being under The credit for this prestigious award from Waste, which was held at water in the future. Carmen hopes goes to Carmen and other colleagues CETESB, São Paulo, Brazil, from 26 the article may help to inspire both who have admirably contributed to to 29 July 1999, and was pro- Brazilian public politics in this area the work of the IPCC. Only those moted by the United Nations and students in water management. who have contributed substantially to Development Program, the The full article (in Portuguese only) the work of the IPCC over the years International Energy Agency and can be found at since the inception of the organisa- the Organization for Economic http://cecemca.rc.unesp.br/ojs/index.p tion have been given a copy of this Cooperation and Development. hp/climatologia/article/view/677/710 award. • contributing to concept develop- ment and research, as well as the Nowadays Carmen is working at As a surveyor, Carmen collaborated distribution of Ozônio: A Proteção CETESB on water quality issues and is with the IPCC National Inventory Wue Envolve a Terra, a textbook responsible for the geographical co- (Brazil) in: for teenagers on the importance of ordination of the São Paulo inland • elaborating the First National saving the ozone layer, which was water monitoring network. Inventory of Greenhouse Gases from Methane Emissions - Sector Waste from (CH4) Industrial Sources in accordance with IPCC methodology, coordinated by PNUD/MCT (Brazilian Ministry of Sciences and Technology) and exe- cuted by CETESB - São Paulo Environment Agency (http://www.mct.gov.br/index.php/ content/view/20378.html). • coordinating the 3rd Partial Project Activities Report (Bra/95/G31) Enabling Brazil to Fulfill Its Commitments to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, under an agreement with PNUD/CETESB (study focused on Carmen Lucia Midaglia holding a copy of the the infrastructure needed to meet award certificate for the Nobel Peace Prize programme goals). • participating in the national survey of domestic solid waste disposal in Copy of the award certificate for the Nobel Peace Prize cities with populations higher than

ITC News 2008-2 27 LIFE AFTER ITC

Operational Aspects of Research: Challenges in Scientific Life after PhD at ITC

Zhengdong Huang [email protected]

Since my graduation in 2003, I have director at the High-Tech Develop - worked as a university teacher, an ment Zone, Nanchang city. My mis- urban planning consultant for local sion mainly concerned the strategic government, and an organiser of a spatial development of the whole dis- large-scale investigation campaign trict (213 km2). The mission was car- involving university students. Basi- ried out satisfactorily, and at the end cally, my research career has not of 2005 I returned to Wuhan been interrupted, and the PhD life University as a full-time professor. at ITC has contributed much to my research activities. Actually, life de- In 2006, the dean of SUD initiated a voted to scientific research is as hard large-scale campaign to explore the as life in many other professions. In human settlements and architectural the scientific sphere, the biggest styles along the national border. This challenge in many cases is how to was known as “Marching along the compete for research projects. Border of China”. I was appointed to Major operational issues related to the organising team as acting direc- this challenge may include determin- Dr Zhengdong Huang tor, responsible for coordinating activ- ing the devotion to a scientific life, ities in scenario development, for looking for a suitable position, mak- the School of Urban Design (SUD) in team construction and training, and ing appropriate use of institutional re- 2005. During my PhD study under the for seeking sponsors. The programme sources, and fostering a competent supervision of Professor Ian Masser was composed of 108 students, di- research team. These issues might dif- and Professor Henk Ottens, I focused vided into 18 teams, who travelled fer considerably from one PhD’er to my research on information support some 60,000 km in 38 days during another, and might also be influenced for urban transport planning. My PhD the summer holiday of that year. It by the practical working environ- career lasted exactly four years, with was a successful programme, and re- ment. Also, different activities are ac- one year in Wuhan for data collection ceived an award from the national tually interconnected and contribute and some teaching activities at the youth committee for being an excel- to scientific research in one way or university. On graduation, I went back lent holiday programme. another. Based on my personal expe- to Wuhan to continue my career as a riences, as well as the observations of university teacher. But the scientific research goes on. I several other PhD’ers from ITC, some have completed several peer-re- details of the operational aspects My Career viewed papers and have taken part in challenging scientific life are pre- The cooperation between ITC and some academic conferences. sented below. Wuhan has lasted for almost 20 Academic life in China is not as sim- years, and I have witnessed the whole ple as it used to be. Looking for re- Introduction process. There were three major eco- search projects has become a major On 28 March 2003, I defended my nomic financing periods: 1986 to task. In 2006, I wrote a proposal for dissertation and gained a PhD title at 1990, 1992 to 1996, and 1998 to the National Science Foundation Utrecht University. This defence also 2003. Interestingly, I was an under- (NSFC) and it was approved. The pro- concluded my four-year life as a PhD graduate student of urban planning posal dealt with optimising urban student at ITC, which was sponsored during the first period, I was ap- public transport travel with the sup- by the DSO Sino-Dutch project. The pointed an MSc student at ITC during port of a multi-tier transit data model project was implemented between the second period, and I worked for - so also an extension of one part of ITC and the then School of Urban my PhD during the third period. Now my PhD work. While the NSFC em- Studies, Wuhan Technical University there is a joint MSc programme be- phasises theoretical improvements, of Surveying and Mapping (WTUSM), tween SUD and ITC. the high-tech 863 development pro- China. WTUSM was merged with gramme emphasises innovative inven- other universities to form the new Eight months after my return to tions using modern technology. Wuhan University in 2000, and the Wuhan, the university assigned me to Transport is a sponsored field in this School of Urban Studies was renamed a two-year part-time post as deputy programme, and public transport

28 ITC News 2008-2 LIFE AFTER ITC

School of Urban Design, Wuhan University

plays a role. In 2007, I wrote a pro- ability to build a good research team. • Strength: We can deliver a strong posal on optimising the transit route Therefore, when it comes to looking academic output based on the re- network from the perspective of tran- for a job, it is always a good idea to search context. sit planning and deployment. This find an institute with profound scien- • Weakness: We may need to travel was also approved, but with chal- tific activities and outputs. for at least two hours before set- lenging requirements. As an urban ting our feet towards efficient link- planner, it is important to take part in Research problems exist at different ages with some advanced research activities of the planning society. In levels: for example, within the inter- bodies. 2007, I passed the test to become a national, the national and the local • Opportunity: Through the ITC plat- certified urban planner in China. context. The concerns at international form we have access to the huge level might be quite different from ITC alumni network, as well as an My current job also involves tasks those at national and local levels. international network. such as the qualification and develop- Normally, a Request For Proposals • Threat: This relates to the connec- ment of the urban planning discipline, (RFP) or proposal guide will identify tions with the ITC research agenda. and the application of PhD certifica- the major focal points. These need to Some candidates may come with tion. These are time-consuming yet be carefully analysed before fingering good ambitions but may not satisfy fundamental issues that will promote the keyboard. the ITC research context. Extra ef- the future development of the school. forts are needed to cope with this Reflections situation. Challenges in Scientific Life My story seems to demonstrate that There are quite a few challenges in there are close connections between Suggestions to Fellow PhD Students scientific research, such as competing PhD research at ITC and the scientific Many routine suggestions can be for research projects, building a re- life afterwards. These connections are made to the average PhD candidate search team, training students and reflected in the following aspects. with regard to tracing the frontiers of collecting data. Of these issues, the First, to a large extent a PhD research research: for example, take part in ac- biggest challenge is to construct a is a process of improving scientific ademic conferences and read confer- competent research team. This is very thinking. A critical attitude and a sys- ence proceedings and papers in re- difficult in some cases because of the tematic concept have to be formed. cent journals. But two more issues poor ability of the institute or the lack Second, effective cooperation and are also worthwhile pursuing: (i) be- of suitable professionals. Some good communication among our colleagues come more involved in the Dutch ac- ideas might be thwarted by the in- is indispensable. Third, gaining a PhD ademic network, especially the re- is also a process that improves scien- search schools, (ii) start building some tific techniques such as GIS, quantita- international connections through the tive and qualitative methods. Last but ITC platform, particularly connections not the least, a heart with ambition is with advanced institutes with whom always necessary. there might be cooperation after graduation. In addition, candidates Let’s be more specific and make a should be relaxed enough to enjoy SWOT analysis of being a PhD stu- the academic life in the Netherlands. dent at ITC:

Dr Zhengdong Huang received his PhD degree from Utrecht University and ITC in 2003. He is now a professor at the School of Urban Design, Dr Zhengdong Huang with his promotor, Professor Ian Masser, during a visit to China Wuhan University, and a registered urban planner in China.

ITC News 2008-2 29 LIFE AFTER ITC

ITC Alumni Meet in Yangon Just before Devastating Cyclone Struck Myanmar

Marjan Kreijns [email protected]

Just three days before the devastat- cumstances. According to the state vest of this year has been completely ing cyclone struck Myanmar (Burma) media in Myanmar, more than destroyed, and Burma faces a serious on Saturday, 3 May, a group of ITC 22,000 people were killed in the short-term and possible long-term alumni brought together by Mr U storm and more than 40,000 others problem in feeding its people. “This Thein Lwin and Marjan Kreijns, ITC are missing. The authorities say that disaster is going to last,” said one representative for Southeast Asia, many lost their lives in a huge tidal European diplomat. “It’s not some- met for dinner at the Traders Hotel surge that swept inland during the thing that is going to be over in a in Yangon. Most of the 159 regis- storm. The international community couple of weeks or months. It will tered ITC alumni were trained at ITC in Bangkok reports that the death toll have far-reaching consequences until in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when Myanmar is probably much higher, and it is al- the next harvest.” was still eligible under the Nether- ready being seen as the worst natural lands Fellowship Programme (NFP). disaster in East Asia since the tsunami Five days after the disaster, Marjan of 2004. Kreijns was able to get in contact It is extremely sad that these natural with Mr U Thein Lwin, who reported disasters strike in countries where Millions have been left homeless and the chaos in Yangon. people already live under difficult cir- without food and water. The rice har-

ITC alumni (1974) with Ms Marjan Kreijns Group of ITC alumni Mr U Thein Lwin and Ms Marjan Kreijns

“Young” and “old” ITC students meet in Stockholm

Jacqueline Mol [email protected]

The Working Week of the Interna- Professor Paul van der Molen, as well tional Federation of Surveyors (FIG) On Tuesday 17 June an alumni recep- as Bas Kok President of the GSDI from 14 to 19 of June 2008 in Stock- tion was organized In the lobby of Association was highly appreciated by holm, with its conference theme In- the Conference Hotel the ITC alumni everybody. tegrating Generations, was an excel- were welcomed by ITC Master and lent opportunity for ITC to invite PhD students and staff. The presence “young” and “old” ITC students and of the President of FIG, Professor Stig staff for an informal get-together. Enemark, and Vice-president

30 ITC News 2008-2 LIFE AFTER ITC

Apply now for the one-day tutorial

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing

Spectroscopy, calibration, validation, mapping and modelling high spectral resolution images for environ- mental studies

On Thursday, 13 November 2008, be covered in the tutorial. Elective are charged. Participants need to parallel to the ACRS 2008 in case studies will serve to instruct par- arrange and finance their own travel Colombo, Sri Lanka, ITC will organ- ticipants in the use and application of and accommodation. ise a one-day tutorial. Of the 20 hyperspectral data, covering real-life places available, 15 are reserved for examples from the fields of geology ITC alumni. and exploration, environmental sci- ence, geoengineering, vegetation sci- Hyperspectral remote sensing deals ence, agriculture and water quality with data from instruments acquiring studies. reflectance images in a large number (>40) of narrow (<0.01 to 0.02 µm in For Whom Is This Tutorial Relevant? width), contiguous (i.e., adjacent and This tutorial is designed for students, not overlapping) spectral bands, en- researchers and practitioners in the abling the mineralogy of objects to field of remote sensing who have a be derived or obtaining information background and interest in earth on soil, water and biochemical com- and/or life sciences and who want to position. learn the basics and prospective ap- plications of hyperspectral remote What Is This Tutorial About? sensing. Basic knowledge of remote Participants in this one-day tutorial sensing is required. will be exposed to the basic physics of spectroscopy and learn how to in- Costs terpret spectra derived in the labora- The course is fully sponsored by ITC tory and field and integrate these and no tuition fee or additional costs with image data. The full processing chain, from data acquisition through For more information and registration: calibration to thematic mapping, will www.itc.nl/news_events/archive/alumni/_registration_sriLanka/default.aspx

The presence of Professor Paul van der Molen, Professor Paul van der Molen, Director of the Prof Stig Enemark, President of the International President of the GSDI Association Bas Kok and UNU-ITC School for Land Administration Studies Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and vice President Prof Stig Enemark was highly appreciated (left) FIG (2nd from right)

ITC News 2008-2 31 LIFE AFTER ITC @ Letter to editor From: [email protected] Dear Janneke Sent: 18 March 2008 13:17 To: [email protected]; There is one thing that has kept me came from the project world and his [email protected] connected to ITC all the time since I lecture provided me with one of my Subject: RE: ITC Update 2008-01 left the Netherlands in March 2004: best times at ITC. Besides the aca- the ITC News magazine. I am very im- demic work with Emile at ITC, we pressed that it is available online be- shared some sporting moments, and cause now I may not have to miss a a beer of course, during many ITC or- single issue. ganised events. Isn’t that a lovely way to get along with students? By far, he Since I left ITC, I have changed postal is one of the people that have influ- address more than three times and enced my work and I want to thank ITC has had only one address update. him for his character and effort. This means in many instances the Please pass on my heartfelt congratu- hard copy of the ITC News goes miss- latory remarks to him. ing along the way and I also lose touch with ITC for that moment. Besides the award-winning members of ITC staff, I know there are so many Through the online version, I read more people at ITC who work very about Saskia Groenedijk winning the hard to make other people’s lives Henk Scholten award for 2007. In my comfortable. I know this from my ex- own view, Saskia’s winning of the perience as a member of the ITC award was long overdue. She simply Student Association Board (SAB). I deserves the award and I am sure my came to know a lot of people who fellow alumni will totally agree with are very humble, selfless and commit- me. Not only is she hard-working, she ted, and together they keep the ITC is also charming and makes the stu- spirit alive and moving. Examples are dents feel well attended to and easily the organisers of Run4fun, SAB ex- at home away from home. Through cursions, the spring party, gradua- this mail, I would like to say: Saskia, tions, the end-of-module parties and congratulations and keep on promot- fieldwork, as well as the staff at the ing the “we” spirit of ITC! It is not ITC restaurant and helpdesk. easy but you can also stimulate oth- ers to believe in it and act in such a Janneke, thank you for the good manner that gives a feeling of one- work you are doing, and I shall al- ness and of being home. ways keep in touch with ITC through the ITC News magazine. One of my best lecturers was Emile Dopheide. He just made me feel Best regards good in many aspects, both in and Martin Sekeleti outside class. I remember his lessons Former SAB President 2003 in project planning, especially the log frame analysis and project funding. I

32 ITC News 2008-2