STSMs

#STSM cahnnel has the most recent information about STSMs

This is the first post-pandemic open call for the Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM). 

STSM within this call should not exceed two months and should be finished by the 15th of October 2021.

The application details can be found here.

To complete the online application form, you have to log in into e-COST and submit
the required documents (https://e-services.cost.eu/stsm/apply/new).

In case of questions, please, contact Dr. Enrico Tomelleri, etomelleri@unibz.it

This call is opened by means of creating this exchange platform to publish STSM opportunities themed by hosts.

STSMs should be planned to take place in a period before the end of GP-2 (30/04/2020).

The Senseco MC has allocated funding for 12 STSMs in the Work and Budget Plan.

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

Contact: Monica Garcia, e-mail: mgarc@env.dtu.dk;

Hosting institution:  Denmark Technical University, Dept of Environment (DK);

Title: Quantifying water and carbon footprints using UAS synergies between optical and thermal datasets

Description: •The researcher will use an existing set of ground and drone hyperspectral data collected in the VNIR (CUBERT), thermal infrared (FLIR) and multispectral (MCA), and RGB (Sony) over two flux sites in Costa Rica and/or one in Denmark in the context of AgWit project http://ecohydro.ires.ubc.ca/agwit

•The researcher will work on assessing vegetation water use and carbon assimilation. This can ultimately help to quantify water and carbon footprints.

Specific aspects of the stay include: image orthorectification and radiometric correction based on our protocols, estimate biophysical variables related with plant hydraulic traits using VIs and RTM, combine information from different spectral domains  to improve GPP and evapotranspiration models using an energy balance framework.

•This STSM can start at any time but shall have a minimum duration of 2 months.

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

!!!!filled!! 

Contact: Uwe Rascher, e-mail: u.rascher@fz-juelich.de;

Hosting institution:  Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE);

Title: RTM inversion scheme and sensor fusion approaches to quantify vegetation attributes and traits  !!!!filled!!

Description: •In the frame of this STSM the candidate will use an existing set of ground and
airborne data of hyperspectral data that have been collected in the VNIR (HyPlant),
TIR (Hyper-Cam LW and TTASI) as well as fluorescence data that were acquired
during recent ESA FLEX campaigns at different sites in Europe. He/she will use
RTM inversion scheme and sensor fusion approaches to quantify vegetation
attributes and traits. Based on this he / she will be able to develop guidelines for
multi sensor approaches and the retrieval of vegetation traits through RTM inversion.
• This STSM can start at any time but shall have a minimum duration of 2 months.

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

Contact: Lammert Kooistra, e-mail: lammert.Kooistra@wur.nl;

Hosting institution:  Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen (NL);

Title: Gap filling approaches combining satellite and UAV data sources

Background: To develop robust methods and tools for gap-filling of remote sensing time-series, combination of satellite and UAV observations in time becomes increasingly an option. Available methods need to be identified and evaluated, but this will also require to take into consideration the biases observed in the data. Potential applications would be agricultural monitoring and natural vegetation mapping.

Description: Possible activities are literature review on existing approaches and make first comparison of selection of methods for selected datasets available at the host institute.

•The exact content of the STSM can be discussed.

•This STSM can start at any time but shall have a minimum duration of 2 months

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

Contact: Enrico Tomelleri, e-mail: etomelleri@unibz.it; Giustino Tonon, e-mail: gtonon@unibz.it

Hosting institution: Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, South-Tyrol (IT);

Title: Set-up of a wireless sensors network for monitoring windthrows caused by the "VAIA" storm in the dolomites region 

Background: On October 29, 2019, the Vaia storm hit the North-Eastern regions of Italy by wind gusts exceeding 200 km/h. The forests in these regions have been seriously damaged. The growing stock volume of fallen trees was about 8.5 millions m³.

Description: we plan the estabilishment of a IoT network within the windthrow areas in the dolomites region. Innovative sensors will be installed and the network has to be set up for long term monitoring and integration with remote sensing. The successful applicant will take part in the initial installation. Details can be discussed with the hosting istitution.

The STSM has to take place between February and April 2020. The duration should last ideally between 2 and 4 weeks. 

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

Contact: Sofia Cerasoli sofiac@isa.ulisboa.pt; João Silva: joaosilva@isa.ulisboa.pt

Hosting institution: Istituto Superior de Agronomia, Lisboa (PT);

Title: Long term NDVI and PRI temporal trends provide information on the impact of climatic drivers on phenology and productivity in cork oak woodlands 

Background: in the frame of the SPECNET network and MEDSPEC project, in-situ spectral automated sensors have been measuring, since 2016, NDVI and PRI in the understorey and over the canopy of a cork oak woodland in Portugal. The temporal series obtained will contribute to understand how phenology and productivity are influenced by precipitation and temperature changes in trees and in understorey vegetation.

Description: The activities will include data collection, calibration and gap filling of time series. If the applicant will stay longer than 3 weeks, the comparison with satellite data and/or the analysis of the impact of climate drivers on the observed trends will be included. 

The STSM can start at any time but shall have a minimum duration of 3 weeks.

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

Contact: Helge Aasen Helge.Aasen@usys.ethz.ch

Hosting institution: ETH Zurich (CH);

Title: Synergies and differences of time-series fromUAVs and satellites for agricultural monitoring

Background: At the Plant Research Station of the ETH, Zurich, Switzerland, the PhenoFly team of the Crop Science Group has carried out ~weekly multispectral UAV flights across several agricultural fields during the year 2018 and 2019. 

Description: This STSM aims at combining this dataset with satellite remote sensing data to assess the similarities and differences between time series of both data sources as well as identify eventual synergies. During the STSM you will work together with the members of PhenoFly team and be able to get an insight into UAV remote sensing for agricultural monitoring 

•The grantee should have a solid understanding satellite data processing from sources such as Sentinel 2

•The exact content of the STSM can be discussed.

•This STSM can start at any time. The duration is set between the partners to make sure that the aims can be met (minimum duration 2 month?)

-----------------------------29.10.2019 

 !!!!filled!!

Contact: Abdelaziz Kallel, e-mail: abdelaziz.kallel@crns.rnrt.tn

Hosting institution: Digital Research Center of Sfax, Tunisia

Title: Coupled 3-D radiative transfer and fluorescence simulation from leaf to canopy scales

Background: The remote sensing for smart agriculture team of the Digital Research Center of Sfax is developing a new 3-D radiative transfer model at both leaf and canopy scales. After validation, the model code will be shared with other researchers in vegetation remote sensing.

Description: The researcher will use the 3-D radiative transfer model at leaf and canopy scales that allows simulating fluorescence. 

At leaf scale, we plan to compare our model to Fluspect-B in order to evaluate the impact of 3-D modelling at this scale in terms of scattering and fluorescence.

At canopy scale, we plan to study the impact of taking into account leaf bidirectional scattering and fluorescence distribution functions. 

This STSM can start at any time but shall have a minimum duration of 2 weeks.

-----------------------------29.10.2019

Contact: Offer Rozenstein, e-mail: offerr@volcani.agri.gov.il

Hosting institution: ARO, the Volcani Center, Israel.

Title: Time-series analysis from VENµS and Sentinel-2for monitoring desert phenology and separating vegetation components

Background: At the Volcani Center, Israel. We have field observations of vegetation components and weather data from several study sites in the Negev desert and VENµS data access. 

Description: This STSM aims at succeeding for the first time to use satellite remote sensing data to separate the “greenness” signal from biological soil crusts, annual herbaceous vegetation, and perennial shrubs. This was previously demonstrated by field spectroscopy but clear sky satellite imagery at the critical times during the season were not available until recently. During the STSM you will work together with the members of the Rozenstein lab to perform the image processing, analysis of links of remote sensing with the field and weather data, and write a paper. 

•The grantee should have a solid understanding satellite data processing from sources such as Sentinel 2

•This STSM can start at any time. The duration is set between the partners to make sure that the aims can be met (minimum duration 2 months)

-----------------------------02.11.2019

Contact: Andreas Hueni, e-mail: ahueni@geo.uzh.ch

Hosting institution: University of Zurich, Dept. of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories

Title: Uncertainty in field measurements

Description: No measurement is complete without an uncertainty statement. This STSM is concentrating on propagating uncertainties of field spectroradiometric measurements to the estimated reflectance factors. Data and metadata is available in our in-house spectral database SPECCHIO, covering dozens of field campaigns to support the CAL/VAL of the APEX airborne imaging spectrometer. Join our team for a few weeks to compute uncertainties on reflectances, learn about uncertainty propagation and implement some code interfacing the spectral database.

Duration 4-8 weeks

-----------------------------02.11.2019

Contact: Andreas Hueni, e-mail: ahueni@geo.uzh.ch

Hosting institution: University of Zurich, Dept. of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories

Title: Establishing the uncertainties of the ASD leafclip

Description: The ASD leafclip is often used to establish the leaf reflectance and transmittance. These data are then used to parameterise radiative transfer models.

Join our team for some innovative and experimental approaches to estimate the uncertainty and biases of leaf clips in comparison to integrating sphere approaches.

Includes the implementation of uncertainty propagation to the retrieved reflectances and transmissions. Data processing based on the spectral database SPECCHIO.

Duration 3-6 weeks

-----------------------------

Contact: Andreas Hueni, e-mail: ahueni@geo.uzh.ch

Hosting institution: University of Zurich, Dept. of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories

Title: Quality indices on timeseries in FLUOSPECCHIO

Description: The FLoX instruments are currently deployed across the planet to learn more about the workings of SIF (Sun induces Fluorescence). Our database contains a large number of FLoX measurements with a ton of metadata. Join our efforts in thinking about new ways of database centric compilation and implementation of timeseries quality indicators.

Duration 4-8 weeks

-----------------------------27.11.2019

Contact: Lucie Homolová (homolova.l@czechglobe.cz)

Hosting institution: Global Change Research Institute - Dep. of Remote Sensing (Czech Republic)

Title: Multi sensor airborne remote sensing for crop monitoring

Description: Reseacher will use an existing dataset of multisensor airborne remote sensing data (visible, shortwave infrared, thermal infrared and lidar) from our experimental crop site with ongoing crop management and ferilization experiment. The applicant will analyze the multi sensor data togher with field measurements of crop properties and evaluate differences between the experimental fields under various treatmets.

The exact content of the STSM can be discussed. The STSM can start at any time and the duration should last ideally between 3-6 weeks.

-----------------------------18.12.2019

Contact: Marco Celesti (marco.celesti@unimib.it); Roberto Colombo (roberto.colombo@unimib.it)

Hosting institution: University of Milano-Bicocca (Milan, Italy)

Title: Sentinel-2 reflectance-based metrics to track SIF heterogeneity at FLEX spatial scale

Background: Within the context of the future ESA FLEX mission, a number of activities are being performed to better understand and exploit the solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) signal. In the last years, a large amount of airborne reflectance/fluorescence data has been collected during several campaigns across Europe and the US, over large areas in a variety of different ecosystems. This dataset offers a great chance to investigate the spatial heterogeneity of SIF in natural and agricultural landscapes and to address key question towards the FLEX calibration/validation activity.

Description: In the frame of this STSM the candidate will use an existing set of airborne hyperspectral reflectance/fluorescence data collected within recent ESA-FLEX campaigns, together with Sentinel-2 L2a surface reflectance data. 

The main aim of the project will be to test Sentinel-2-based metrics that can explain the fluorescence spatial heterogeneity at medium spatial resolution (e.g., 300m x 300m, 2km x 2km), within the context of the FLEX mission cal/val activities. 

The candidate should have experience in handling spatial data and in basic geostatistics. Programming skills for batch data processing would also be beneficial.

This STSM can start at any time but shall have a minimum duration of 2-3 months.

-----------------------------18.12.2019

Contact: Shari Van Wittenberghe (Shari.Wittenberghe@uv.es); 

Hosting institution: Laboratory of Earth Observation, University of Valencia (Valencia, Spain)

Title: Leaf spectral dynamics’ monitoring in response to stress

Background: Leaf reflectance, transmittance and emitted fluorescence measurements are essential ground measurements for understanding the top-of-canopy signal from vegetation. The signals allow us to obtain information on how energy is absorbed in the photosynthetic active radiation range (PAR, 400-750 nm) and further used. The Laboratory of Earth Observation (LEO) of the University of Valencia has a strong background in the protocols for measuring the leaf radiative fluxes by means of the FluoWat leaf clip with attached high-spectral resolution spectroradiometers. 

Description: Depending on the research aims of the STSM candidate, different measuring protocols can be set or developed. A leaf spectroscopic experiment can be carried either under solar or artificial light conditions to study the dynamics of light harvesting, fluorescence emission and regulated heat dissipation at leaf level. The main aim is (1) to investigate the full spectral information and the diurnal dynamics due to light acclimation and/or a specific type of stress, and (2) to propose guidelines for the monitoring of dynamic spectral changes due to stress, taking in consideration data quality and metadata requirements.      

The candidate is familiar with the basic understanding and concepts of leaf spectroscopy, photosynthesis and photoprotection. Programming skills are beneficial for data processing.

This STSM can start from March 2020 and shall have a minimum duration of 1-2 months.

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If you are interested in posting opportunities please contact the STSMs coordinator (Enrico Tomelleri, etomelleri@unibz.it).