ZEF Public Lecture Special: "Earth's Eye on Wars: Remote Sensing for Armed Conflicts Monitoring"

July 4, 2024 | 13:00 h - 14:00 h

We'd like to invite you to a special edition of ZEF's Public Lecture.

Topic: "Earth's Eye on Wars: Remote Sensing for Armed Conflicts Monitoring"

Speaker: Dr. He Yin, Assistant Professor of Geography at Kent State University, Head of the Remote Sensing and Land Science Lab

How to join

The lecture will be held in hybrid mode (zoom and in-person at ZEF). 
You can join us in-person at ZEF, ground floor, Conference Room, Genscherallee 3, 53113 Bonn,
or online via Zoom: https://uni-bonn.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/u5Mrf--rqT0oEtMIJUZgckJhTeIz6Kf0yQkX

Abstract

Wars are destructive but are often analyzed retrospectively. This is unfortunate because timely assessment is much needed for essential aid and reconstruction efforts. Recent advancements in remote sensing offer a great opportunity by enabling prompt monitoring in conflict zones, where physical access is much limited. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the impacts of war, partly due to restricted access to data, especially very high-resolution commercial data, difficulties in analyzing multi-modal remote sensing imagery, and partly due to the challenge of connecting remote sensing observations of land use changes to the effects of conflicts. I will present the latest research on using remote sensing techniques for monitoring the impacts of wars on various land use classes at different scales, drawing upon recent studies conducted in Chechnya, Syria, and Palestine.

Speaker

Dr. He Yin is an Assistant Professor of Geography at Kent State University. He obtained his PhD degree in Geography from Humboldt University of Berlin. Before joining Kent State in 2020, He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on understanding the dynamic changes in land systems using remote sensing techniques and interdisciplinary approaches. Dr. Yin serves as the principal investigator on projects funded by various organizations such as NASA, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His research spans a diverse range of topics, including armed conflicts, cropland abandonment, grassland management, forest mapping, and issues on equity and environmental justice (EEJ). His recent research examining the impact of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War on agricultural lands in Gaza has been featured in media outlets such as CNN, BBC, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, France 24, and others. He received an Early Career Award from NASA in 2021, and the New Faculty Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award” from Kent State in 2024.