The workshop on land degradation monitoring using QGIS and Google Earth Engine took place from February 10 to 13, 2025, at the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Morocco. EWALD is a project funded by the European Executive Research Agency of the European Commission.
Organized within the framework of the EWALD project (Earth Observation for Early Warning of Land Degradation at the European Frontier), funded by the European Union and coordinated by Lusófona University, the event brought together experts and researchers from various international institutions, including partners from the project’s consortium, to discuss innovative methodologies for using remote sensing and geospatial analysis to monitor land degradation. Deep Tech Lab’s staff participated in the workshop, representing Lusófona University.
Organized within the framework of the EWALD project (Earth Observation for Early Warning of Land Degradation at the European Frontier), funded by the European Union and coordinated by Lusófona University, the event brought together experts and researchers from various international institutions, including partners from the project’s consortium, to discuss innovative methodologies for using remote sensing and geospatial analysis to monitor land degradation. Deep Tech Lab’s staff participated in the workshop, representing Lusófona University.
The program began on February 10 with presentations on the opportunities and challenges of remote sensing for land degradation, led by Sophia Hueffmeier, and the importance of monitoring for the Sustainable Development Goals, presented by Nikhil Raghuvanshi. On February 11, participants engaged in a hands-on session applying the concepts presented, using QGIS and Google Earth Engine, under the guidance of Hanna Guehmann.
On February 12 and 13, the workshop concluded with a field trip to the Ouarzazate region, where participants had the opportunity to observe firsthand the impacts of land degradation and apply the methodologies discussed during the event. This experience provided a deeper understanding of the local environmental challenges and fostered knowledge exchange among researchers, strengthening international cooperation within the EWALD project.
The event highlighted the importance of advanced technologies in environmental monitoring and reinforced the need for scientific collaboration to address global challenges related to land degradation.
