Summer School: Introduction

The summer school is to be held in conjunction with IGARSS 2025, and is sponsored by the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS). It is entitled "Australian Challenges" and is aimed at students and young professionals who have great interest and enthusiasm in utilising data from Earth Observation (EO) platforms. It is designed to equip participants with knowledge and techniques on EO exploitation, machine learning (ML) and open data, towards supporting the wider community. Distinguished experts from various Australian Academic and Research Organisations will share their expertise and provide participants with theory and insights, tailored training, and hands on experiences, serving as inspiration and motivation for further engaging in the field of EO.

The summer school is designed around the specific thematic priority domains of international challenges such as fire and reef mapping. Participants will have the opportunity to attend introductory lectures on various aspects of remote sensing, sensors, and data analysis to enhance their understanding of the EO field and its practical applications. In addition, multiple hands-on sessions will be offered, providing practical experience in the use of novel instrumentation and on data processing techniques.

To further enhance the learning experience, a "challenge" activity will be assigned during the course of the summer school. It will be focussed on different aspects of EO, allowing participants, working in groups, to apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge through hands-on application. Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange of ideas will be pursued during the "challenges", and each group will present its deliverables and findings.

The dates of the summer school are Thursday 31 July to Saturday 02 August 2025.