Within the project msave we aim to develop novel methods for the monitoring of vegetation using satellite remote sensing. The project focuses on the use of data gathered at multiple times of the year (“multi-season”) and on the joint use of different sensors (radar, optical). The methods are to take explicit account of the fact that the appearance of even one and the same type of vegetation is never identical at different sites and at different times. This variability is both a curse and a blessing for the differentiation of vegetation and must be addressed anyway. The evaluation of methods is based on examples from nature conservation and agriculture.

The interdisciplinary research team includes geographers, ecologists, engineers, and physicists from the universities of Bonn (project lead), Osnabrück, and Würzburg (see the network section for more details on partner organizations). Funding is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology through the German Space Agency. The project will be conducted over a period of three years, starting from February 1st 2011.

Gefördert von der Raumfahrt-Agentur des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. mit Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Technologie aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages unter den Förderkennzeichen FKZ 50EE1032, 50EE1033, 50EE1034