The Program

Opening

10:00 - 11:00 | Sitzungssaal | German

Keynote

11:00 - 11:30 | Sitzungssaal | German

Opening keynote for Data Week 2025 - Live translation available in English.

Prof. Dr. Miguel D. Mahecha Institute for Earth System Science and Remote Sensing

Vita

Miguel Mahecha is Professor of Environmental Data Science and Remote Sensing at the University of Leipzig and the Remote Sensing Centre for Earth System Research. His main scientific interest is understanding ecosystem responses to climate extremes and human-environment relationships during climate extremes. He also works on understanding macro-ecological dynamics and ecosystem functioning. His research is based on data-driven methods and high-dimensional Earth observations. In recent years, he has co-developed the concept of the Earth System Data Cube, which combines empirical methods with theoretical understanding to understand complex interactions in the Earth system. Miguel Mahecha is a member of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and PI in the Centre for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. He is a Fellow of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems.

Earth watching from space: how remote sensing reveals water and vegetation changes

12:30 - 14:00 | Sitzungssaal | English

Almudena García-García (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ), Dr. Daniel Doktor (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ), Prof. Dr. Jian Peng (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ) and Dr. Maximilian Lange (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ)

We will present how cutting-edge remote sensing technologies are improving our understanding of Earth’s water cycle and vegetation dynamics. This session will unveil how satellite observations provide unique insights from tracking changes in soil moisture, evapotranspiration to monitoring vegetation health under climate extremes. We will discuss how these advancements empower us to predict changes, support sustainable resource management, and enhance ecosystem resilience in a changing climate.

Data That Shapes Cities – Foundations for Smart Urban & Rural Development - Live translation available in English.

14:30 - 16:00 | Sitzungssaal | English

Dr. Christoph Schubert (City of Leipzig/Digital City Department) and Enoh Tabak (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH)

How can cities and rural communities worldwide kick-start Smart City use cases? What data and software are available – public, private, civic? And where are the gaps? This session brings together international partners, the International Smart City Network (ISCN), and the knowledge transfer team of the Connected Urban Twins project (CUT) to explore how open data, open source, and IoT-based civic participation can drive smart urban and rural development – from major cities to small municipalities across the globe