(17-12-2024) In this episode, host Liselotte Erauw talks with Nico Van de Weghe (Ghent University) about GeoAI—the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that elevates geographical analysis. They explore practical applications, challenges related to data and ethics, and the evolving role of geographers in an AI-driven world.

3 reasons to listen:

• Discover how GeoAI is transforming the future of geography.
• Learn how AI contributes to better insights while understanding where human control remains essential.
• Be inspired by practical examples and sharp insights.

Curious about the full discussion and how GeoAI is reshaping geography? Listen to the podcast and share your vision on GeoAI!

Note: This episode is Dutch-spoken.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Fx3ZUyV2kXv6zoLQfU1C6?si=f2-QpaLmRRWhZU9859WHHg

(25-11-2024) "My Digital Ecological Library" is an international project aimed at integrating environmental education into curricula and creating innovative educational materials. Within the scope of the project, eight partners from Belgium (EUROGEO), France, Lithuania, Romania, Spain and Turkey are working together. The project is carried out in cooperation with universities, associations and schools. The main goal of our project is to increase environmental awareness and enable teachers to use innovative methods in their classrooms by providing the necessary educational materials for a sustainable future.

The first step was developing a new curriculum on environmental education. As a result, a learning line was developed with topics that grow in complexity over the years. The next step is to develop materials for each of the topics. To test out that material, pupils from the French, Lithuanian, Romanian, Turkish and Spanish project partners met in El Ejido, Almeria Spain, at the end of September. The feedback from the pupils will help to better develop the material.

(16-10-2024) We are thrilled to announce that this amazing group of students officially graduated their Master of Science in Geography and Geomatics last weekend! We couldn’t be prouder of the dedication and hard work each of you has shown throughout your journey. As you take the next steps in your careers, we wish you great success in all the exciting challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

(07-10-2024) Ghent University's Department of Geography is seeking to fill a full-time position for an Assistant Professor in Human Geography, with a specialization in sustainable socio-spatial transitions in land use.

More details about the position and how to apply, see:

https://jobs.ugent.be/job/Ghent-Professor-in-Human-Geography-9000/804585002/

(01-10-2024) Last week, another enthusiastic group of new students started their Geography and Geomatics courses. The new academic year has now really started. We wish all new students good luck and pleasure with this new challenge.

(24-09-2024) On 23 September classes begin again at the University. Our department traditionally celebrates the end of the old and beginning of the new academic year with a BBQ.

To this, our newly graduated students were also invited. We wish you all every success in your further careers.

(10-09-2024) On Tuesday 3 September 2024, Emnet Negash successfully defended his PhD: “Climate and Conflict as Spatial Drivers of Agroecosystems in Ethiopia”.

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Kwinten Van Weverberg (UGent and RMI), Prof. dr. Bert Van Schaeybroeck (UGent and RMI), Em. Prof. dr. Jan Nyssen (Ugent) Examination Committee: Prof. dr. Alain De Wulf (Ugent, Chair), Prof. dr. Lina Eklund, (Lund University, Sweden), Prof. dr. Emiru Birhane, (Mekelle University, Ethiopia), Prof. dr. Tim Van de Voorde (Ugent) , Prof. dr. Piet Termonia (Ugent and RMI).

Congratulations Emnet!

(05-09-2024) On August 22, 2024, SEG members met with colleagues from NUAA. During the meeting, introductions were made, mutual research ideas were exchanged, and the existing collaboration with NUAA was reviewed and extended.

Were present from NUAA side:

• HU Minghua, Professor, Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of Air Traffic Management System, NUAA
• WANG Zhongye, Director of Administrative Committee of Jiangjunlu Campus , NUAA
• BU Jian, Assistant Professor of College of Aerospace Engineering, NUAA
• WANG Yanjun, Professor, College of Civil Aviation, NUAA
• PENG Ying, Assistant Professor, College of Civil Aviation, NUAA
• TIAN Wen, Associate Professor, College of Civil Aviation, NUAA

(21-08-2024) Did you know that through our programme you can also become a Surveyor Expert? Many people don't really know what a Surveyor can and does. In this short clip below, colleague Lander and former student Seppe explain what a Surveyor does during his job:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn-n_UZVK8Q

(03-07-2024) On Tuesday 25 June 2024, Zhicheng Zhan successfully defended his PhD: "Analyzing Crowdsourced Indoor Route Descriptions to Facilitate Indoor Navigation".

Supervisors: Prof Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Prof Haosheng Huang (UGent).

Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof Alain De Wulf (UGent), Prof Georg Gartner (Vienna University of Technology), Prof Philippe De Maeyer (UGent), Dr Pepijn Viaene (HoGent), Dr Laure De Cock (UGent).

(26-06-2024) On Thursday, June 6, professor emeritus Philippe De Maeyer explained the 3D reconstruction of the so-called Mercator globes on the morning Espresso program on Klara. Such 3D reconstructions are typically done by frequently photographing an object from different angles. The modeling came about through a collaboration between the CartoGIS and 3D Data Acquisition research groups, with the help of Dr. Cornelis Stal and Prof. Alain De Wulf. You can re-watch the radio broadcast in question here.

(06-06-2024) Landscape is both a physical reality and the representation we make of it. It constitutes a set of natural and anthropological elements and evokes feelings and emotions. The European Landscape Convention emphasizes that when taking measures to protect, manage and plan landscapes, all dimensions must be considered.

With this in mind, GEOLAND - an Erasmus+ KA2 Higher Education project - focused on NATURA 2000 sites with the aim of creating a learning path for students and professors in landscape monitoring and protection, using digital tools such as GIS and participatory techniques.

The project was rated final by Europe with a score of 96%.

https://www.geolandproject.eu/

(06-06-2024) From March 10 to 15, 2025, the second project meeting + learning and teaching training (LTT) of the project “My Digital Eco Lab” took place at the department. The department is the only university partner in this project and consequently the content leader of the project, Luc Zwartjes is involved. During this training, the project partners learned to work with all kinds of GIS-related tools.

(06-06-2024) On May 15-16, the 3rd project meeting of the “My Digital Eco Lab” project took place at the Lyceé Gabriel Peri in Chambery (near Paris). The department is the only university partner in this project and consequently the content leader of the project, Luc Zwartjes is involved. Besides time to get to know the school and work on the project, there was also time for a short trip to Montmartre.

(06-06-2024) On Thursday, May 30, Prof. Nico Van de Weghe gave a keynote at the EUROGEO 2024 congress “Compromised geography: spreading a new world.”

His talk on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and GeoAI was much enjoyed by the congress members. After the keynote, a few slots went into more depth on GeoAI.

(06-06-2024) On Tuesday, 28 May 2024, Anik Juli Dwi Astuti successfully defended her PhD: "Connectivity Perspectives on Water and Sediment Flows in the Gumara and Rib Catchments (Ethiopia).”

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Amaury Frankl (Ghent University), Prof. dr. Jan Nyssen, (Ghent University)

Examination Committee: Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (Ghent University) (Chair),Dr. ir. Stefaan Dondeyne (Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel),Prof. dr. Kristine Walraevens (Ghent University), Prof. dr. Ann Van Griensven (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Dr. Tesfaalem Ghebreyohannes, (Mekelle University, Ethiopia).

(28-05-2024) On Wednesday 22 May 2024, our colleagues from the CartoGIS proudly hosted the inaugural GeoAI Research Center Kick-off Event, which brought together more than 50 (inter)national participants. This gathering featured a series of insightful lightning talks followed by engaging discussions, showcasing the dynamic and evolving nature of GeoAI research. While the event marked a significant milestone, it also highlighted the extensive work that lies ahead for our research community. We are committed to continuing this momentum and furthering our collaborative efforts in GeoAI. Stay tuned for future developments and opportunities to get involved!

(22-05-2024) On Monday 21 MAY 2024, prof. Mingshu WANG from Glasgow University visited the Department and gave a lecture on “Graph Convolutional Networks for Street Network Analysis”.

Prof Wang is a Senior Lecturer (Tenured Associate Professor) in Geospatial Data Science at the University of Glasgow. He is also a Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) and a visiting researcher at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on developing and applying GIScience methods and big data analytics to understand urban systems and development. Empirically, he investigates the relationship between urban structure and city performance at the macro-scale and the relationship between the built environment and collective human behavior at the micro-scale. He has received research grants from Dutch Research Council (NWO), Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Microsoft. He is an Editor of Asian Geographer and an Associate Editor of ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, and Regional Studies, Regional Science.

(21-05-2024) We are proud to announce that two researchers will join the Department of Geography as postdocs of the Research Foundation Flanders - FWO:

• Dr. Sofie Annys will study the socio-hydrological resilience of Farmer-Led Irrigation Developments in Ethiopia and Ghana. She received a Senior Fellowship from the Interdisciplinary Panel and will be supervised by Prof. Amaury Frankl.

• Dr. Tanhua Jin will focus on people’s experienced social segregation in daily activity spaces in Belgium and Estonia. She received a Junior Fellowship from the Science and Technology Panel W&T9 and will be supervised by Prof. Frank Witlox.

Wishing both of them the best of luck in their new endeavors!

(06-05-2024) In this webinar Prof. Amaury Frankl delves deeper into our relationship with nature from a soil-focused perspective and explore the unequal challenges the world faces as land degrades. He employ the lens of "tipping points" and discuss both negative and positive trends.

The discussion series is a joint activity of the Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES) global research project of Future Earth, the Earth Commission Working Group 1 Earth and Human Systems Intercomparison Modelling Project (EHSMIP) under the Global Commons Alliance, and the Safe Landing Climates Light House Activity of World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).

Watch the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xij7ESjOR3Q

(09-04-2024) The Bicycle Chair at Ghent University (Department of Geography) is looking for a full-time scientific collaborator with demonstrated interest and ability to conduct research, communicate in the field of bicycle mobility in order to contribute to the start-up of the new chair.

More information at: https://jobs.ugent.be/job/Gent-Wetenschappelijk-medewerker-9000/792010802/

(11-03-2024) On Thursday, 29 February 2024, Adugnaw Birhanu Zegeye successfully defended his PhD: "Hydrological study of Mount Guna , a shield volcano on the Ethiopian Plateau".

Supervisors: Prof Kristine Walraevens (UGent), Prof . Dr Jan Nyssen (UGent).

Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof Dr Haosheng Huang (UGent), Prof Dr Margaret Chen (VUB), Prof Dr Stefaan Dondeyne (VUB), Prof Dr Amaury Frankl (UGent), Prof Dr Thomas Hermans (UGent), Dr Alemau Yenehun Beyene (UGent).

(02-02-2024) "Belgium has a cycling professor for the first time: Meredith Glaser. Today is her first working day at Ghent University. She tells you all about her unique job and why she is so passionate about cycling."

Interview on VRT Radio 1 with Dr. Meredith Glaser, expert in sustainable mobility and since 1 February 2024 chair holder of the new Bicycle chair at UGent (Department of Geography).

Listen to the interview on the website of Radio1 (in Dutch).

Photo credits: (c) DMOW

(31-01-2024) Dr. Meredith Glaser, an expert in sustainable mobility, will start at UGent on Feb. 1, 2024 as chair holder of the new Bicycle Chair. The chair should strengthen the ambitious Flemish cycling policy with academic knowledge and insights.

The importance of the bicycle as a means of transport has been rising sharply in recent years. Cycling has never been more popular in Flanders, nor has investment in cycling infrastructure. In order to further support this positive evolution with scientific research, a new chair is being established at UGent, with financial and substantive support from the Flemish government. The academic work that the chair will produce will contribute to mobility policy and the social debate on bicycle mobility in Flanders. Dr. Meredith Glaser, who was chosen as chair holder, will take up a role in various training units at UGent and work closely with the many actors involved in Flemish cycling policy.

Read the full press release (in Dutch).

(22-01-2024) On Monday 15 January 2024, Yuting Jang successfully defended her PhD: " Navigating Polycentric Urban Regions: Economic Consequences and Methodological Insights".

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Ben Derudder (KU Leuven and UGent), Dr. Freke Caset (UGent and VUB).

Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent), Pro. dr. Yingcheng Li (Southeast University), Dr. Evert Meijers (Utrecht University), Dr. Angelika Münter (Institute for Regional and Urban Development, Dortmund), Prof. dr. Frank Witlox (UGent)

Congratulations Yuting Jang!

(04-01-2024) On Wednesday 13 December 2023, Chenchen Xu successfully defended her PhD: "Passenger Behavior in Airplane Emergency Evacuations: From Time Perception to Exit Choice".

Promoters: Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (UGent), Prof. Dr. Quan Shao (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics). Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof. Dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent). Prof. Dr. Kurt Fuellhart (UGent & Unison Consulting, Inc.), Prof. Dr. Giovanni Circella (UGent), Prof. Dr. Ben Derudder (KU Leuven), Prof. Dr. Genserik L.L. Reniers (Delft University of Technology).

Congratulations Chenchen!