it_team4_FOREst 14 July 2026After months of preparation, the IT4Forest team returned from AGIT 2026 – Conference for Geoinformatics in Salzburg with inspiring discussions, valuable feedback, and the opportunity to present our latest research to the international GIScience community. AGIT has long been one of the leading forums for geoinformatics in the German-speaking region, bringing together researchers, practitioners and public institutions working on innovative geospatial solutions.
This year, our delegation consisted of Prof. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund, Gulam Mohiuddin, and five students and recent graduates from HNEE. Together, we contributed four oral presentations and one scientific poster, covering a broad spectrum of applications in Earth Observation, remote sensing and spatial data science.
Our presentations demonstrated how freely available satellite imagery, cloud computing and machine learning can help answer pressing environmental questions across different ecosystems and regions of the world.
The delegation at AGIT 2026 in Salzburg: From left to right: Fokhruddin Bhuiyan, Mahbubul Alam, Rhythem Kaushal, Gulam Mohiuddin, Ayomide Akinfasoye, and Prof. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund.
Forests responding to climate variability
Taisiia Kalynych, a recent graduate from International Forest Ecosystem Management (IFEM) at HNEE, presented research on forest phenology monitoring using Sentinel-2 NDVI time series. The study investigated how seasonal vegetation dynamics respond to climate variability, demonstrating the value of dense satellite time series for monitoring changes in forest ecosystems and supporting climate adaptation strategies.
See more here: https://doi.org/10.25598/agit/2026-82
Taisiia Kalynych presenting her research findings.
Understanding mangrove ecosystem dynamics
Rhythem Kaushal, a MSc student of the Forest Information Technology (FIT) at HNEE, presented an integrated remote sensing framework for monitoring the structural and functional dynamics of the Indian Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem. By combining multiple Earth Observation datasets, the study provides new insights into vegetation change and ecosystem health in one of the world’s most important coastal forest landscapes.
See more here: https://doi.org/10.25598/agit/2026-71
Community forests through the lens of Landsat
Ayomide Akinfasoye, a recent graduate from Biosphere Reserves Management (BIOM) at HNEE, presented work on community forest monitoring in Cross River State, Nigeria. Using multi-temporal Landsat imagery and Random Forest classification, the research evaluated long-term forest dynamics and highlighted the potential of satellite-based monitoring to support sustainable forest management and conservation initiatives.
See more here: https://doi.org/10.25598/agit/2026-78
Mapping urban heat dynamics
Mahbubul Alam, a MSc student of the Forest Information Technology (FIT) at HNEE, presented research on urban land surface temperature dynamics, analysing long-term Landsat time series to identify persistent heat hotspots and temporal trends. The study illustrates how geospatial analysis can support climate adaptation strategies and evidence-based urban planning.
See more here: https://doi.org/10.25598/agit/2026-73
Poster: UAVs for climate-sensitive urban planning
In addition to the oral presentations, Fokhruddin Bhuiyan, a MSc student of the Forest Information Technology (FIT) at HNEE, presented a poster entitled “UAV-Based High Resolution Urban Heat Analysis and Land Contribution Index Mapping for Climate-Sensitive Urban Planning.” The work used high-resolution UAV thermal imagery to investigate local heat patterns on the campuses of HNEE and HTW Berlin. By introducing a Land Contribution Index, the study quantified the warming and cooling contributions of different land-cover types and highlighted the critical role of vegetation in mitigating urban heat.
All contributions were developed under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund and Gulam Mohiuddin. Seeing students and recent graduates confidently present their work, discuss methods with fellow researchers and receive constructive feedback was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the conference.
Beyond presenting our own research, AGIT provided an excellent opportunity to explore emerging developments in GIScience, remote sensing, geospatial AI and digital Earth technologies. We returned to Eberswalde with new ideas, new contacts and renewed motivation for future collaborations and research.
Congratulations once again to Rhythem Kaushal, Taisiia Kalynych, Mahbubul Alam, Fokhruddin Bhuiyan and Ayomide Akinfasoye for their excellent presentations, and thanks to everyone who visited our talks and poster. We are already looking forward to the next conference!
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