Our innovative research in satellite observation and data modelling is making a difference from helping local environments and economies to informing national and international policies. Find out how we are monitoring environmental impacts, extreme weather and tackling climate change. Image Earth observation involves gathering information about the Earth's physical, chemical, and biological systems using remote sensing technologies such as satellites. We are leading the way in harnessing the potential of Earth observation in the era of big data, using drone and satellite observations. Through data-driven innovation, we are delivering new platforms, techniques and applications to analyse large Earth system datasets of varying size and veracity, analysed over different timescales to reflect differences in the timing of relevant decision-making. Our School leads the Space and Satellite Innovation Programme within the Bayes Centre as part of the University's Data-Driven Innovation Initiative within the Edinburgh Region City Deal. We also lead the SENSE Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) for Satellite Data in Environmental Science. SENSE encourages multidisciplinary approaches and collaboration featuring partners across academia, industry, and the third sector. We have won numerous awards for our data-driven research in space and satellites, including from the UK and European Space Agencies. Forests, landscapes and agriculture We have pioneered research in process-based modelling, data assimilation and remote sensing of forests. Our work has underpinned the development and implementation of national and international policies to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Carbon monitoring Our team of researchers are world leaders in techniques used to estimate global terrestrial carbon fluxes from satellite data. Our work is helping governments around the world to meet the UN Paris Agreement goals on carbon stocktakes. Ice-sheet and glacier melting Our researchers have spearheaded new methods to collect invaluable satellite data and developed new computer modelling techniques to monitor and predict changes in the Earth's ice-covered regions. Our work is providing key input to climate change decision-making worldwide. Weather and extreme events Through the use of better data for decision making, we can provide forecasts in near real-time. This work impacts the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, from everyday life and economies through to improving early awareness of catastrophic extreme weather events that can save lives. Start-ups Our staff and alumni have launched successful innovative start-ups that work closely with our School, University and industry partners. Many have employed students and alumni and are working on projects with organisations such as the United Nations, Google, the Scottish Government, the European Space Agency and more. Collaborate with us We work with various organisations in the private sector, from start-ups, consultancies and SME's to large multi-national corporations, facilitated through our Business Development Team. We have over 100 academics engaged in world-leading research that can help organisations address today's big challenges. Our academic staff regularly engage with organisations worldwide, providing independent advice and specialist expertise. Working with business and industry Want to know more? We've provided some useful links for you. To see the information, simply click on each heading below: Considering studying with us? Image Study with us, and join one of the largest and most successful groupings of geographers and geoscientists in the UK as we address the most compelling issues of our time. The following degrees may be of interest to you: Undergraduate study Geography Geophysics and Meteorology Earth sciences degrees Ecological and environmental science degrees Postgraduate study Earth Observation and Geoinformation Management Geographical Information Science (GIS) Carbon Management Postgraduate research Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Geology and Geophysics GeoSciences Check out more of our diverse undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees and help us change the world. Explore our degrees SENSE Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) for Satellite Data in Environmental Science Our School is leading this new Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), delivered jointly with the University of Leeds and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Space Agency. The Centre will train 50 PhD students to tackle cross-disciplinary environmental problems by applying state-of-the-art data science methods to the deluge of satellite data collected each day. Graduates will be supervised by a consortium of world-leading UK scientists, with topics co-developed with the UK's most innovative spatial data companies. Visit the SENSE CDT website The Bayes Centre The Bayes Centre is the Universityʼs innovation hub for data science and artificial intelligence. The Centre is a community of over four hundred internationally recognised scientists, PhD students, leading industry experts and innovation support professionals in the mathematical, computational, engineering, and natural sciences. Through Dr Murray Collins, our School leads the Space and Satellite Innovation Programme within the Bayes Centre, which is part of the University's Data-Driven Innovation Initiative. Visit the Bayes Centre website Research institutes, groups and networks Research institutes Our research is carried out across our three interdisciplinary research institutes. There are also a number of research groups within each institute. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our research, academic staff may belong to one or more groups across the institutes. Each of the following research institutes is a major centre of expertise: Global Change Institute Geography and the Lived Environment Institute Earth and Planetary Science Institute External centres and networks Our research enables people from different institutes within the School, other departments within the University as well as external partners and organisations to work together to address local and global challenges. External centres and networks This article was published on 2024-07-01
