Bridging Pixels and People
The Swedish Competence Centre for Satellite-Enabled Social Science Analytics (SESAC) represents a landmark collaboration between Sweden’s leading research institutions. Our mission is to dissolve the traditional boundaries between advanced Earth Observation (EO) technology and social science research.
By integrating high-resolution satellite data with sophisticated social indicators, we provide the evidence base needed to tackle the defining challenges of our time, from urban inequality and climate risk to global development. Below are the experts, researchers, and innovators driving this interdisciplinary frontier.
Collaborative Ecosystem
Uniting Lund, Chalmers, Linköping, Karlstad University and Länsförsäkringars to build a national bridge between space technology and social science.
Interdisciplinary Innovation
Blending Earth Observation (EO) with AI and Social Indicators to create new, open-source methodologies for modern research.
Real-World Impact
Transforming raw data into actionable insights for sustainability, public health, resilience, and crisis management across Sweden.
Meet the dedicated experts driving SESAC
Dr. Ola Hall
Associate Professor (Docent), Prefekt, Department of Human Geography, Lund University, Guest Professor in Urban Analytics at OsloMet
Ola’s research focuses on urban and regional development, GIS, and Earth Observation (EO), with particular emphasis on poverty, inequality, segregation, and sustainability. Hall works at the intersection of social science and geospatial data science, developing methods that combine satellite imagery, register data, and AI/GeoAI for large-scale spatial analysis.
He is involved in building national research capacity at this interface, including leadership roles in initiatives that aim to make EO-based methods accessible, transparent, and reusable for researchers and public-sector users. His work draws extensively on Sweden’s unique population registers and historical cartographic archives to enable longitudinal and comparative analysis. In addition to research leadership, Hall is actively engaged in teaching, supervision, recruitment, and academic governance, and regularly collaborates with universities, public authorities, and other societal partners in Sweden and internationally.
Dr. Lina Eklund
Associate professor (Docent), Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lund University
Lina specializes in land system dynamics in the context of migration and armed conflict, using mainly earth observation and spatial analysis. She is specifically interested in the Middle East and has been doing research primarily on Israel/Palestine, Iraq, and Syria. She is associated with the strategic research areas, The Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW) and Biodiversity and Ecosystems in a Changing Climate (BECC). Her research interests include climate security, more specifically climate climate-induced migration and armed conflict. She also studies the environmental impacts of armed conflict, and is particularly interested in land use/land cover change and fire dynamics.
Dr. Stefanos Georganos
Associate Professor (Docent), Geomatics, Karlstad University
Dr. Stefanos Georganos is an Associate Professor (Docent) in Geomatics at Karlstad University and currently serves as the President of the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL). He is also a scientific affiliate with the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium.
His research stands at the intersection of quantitative human geography, remote sensing, and machine learning, with a dedicated focus on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Earth Observation (EO) to address global sustainability challenges.
Dr. Markus Grillitsch
Professor, Department of Human Geography, Lund University
Markus Grillitsch is a professor at the Department of Human Geography, Lund University
Dr. Adel Daoud
Senior Associate Professor, Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University
Adel Daoud, P.h.D, heading the AI and Global Development Lab, member of the Young Academy of Sweden, and recent fellow (2023/24 cohort) at the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, USA. Professor in Computational Social Science, Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, Sweden, and Affiliated Associate Professor in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for the Social Sciences, Division of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Creator of the Journeys of Scholars, available on YouTube and Spotify.
Dr. Lia Antoniou
Research Leader, LF Research Foundation
Dr. Lia Antoniou serves as Research Leader at LF Research Foundation, responsible for the Foundation’s think tank. Her career spans both academia— previously holding positions at the University of Essex and Södertörn University — and research leadership roles in the UK and Sweden.
Lia’s research has explored the intersections of transformation and transition processes, policy development and implementation, and science and education, frequently from a comparative country perspective. She has collaborated with and advised governments, policymakers, industry, and the business sector.
Ms. Tilly Laestander
Project Assistant, Department of Human Geography, Lund University
I am a researcher working at the intersection of sustainability, climate impacts, and social-ecological systems, with a focus on innovative and collaborative research approaches. I am currently affiliated with the Swedish Centre for Impacts of Climate Extremes (CLIMES) and the Swedish Competence Centre for Satellite Enabled Social Science Analytics (SESAC), where I contribute to interdisciplinary work on climate extremes, data-driven analysis, and societal resilience. My research centres on structural transformations such as the green transition, and how these shifts shape political, economic, and social dynamics across Scandinavia and beyond. I have worked extensively with horizon scanning and co-production methods to explore the future of the Sustainable Development Goals, engaging both academic and non-academic stakeholders. My publications address global sustainable futures, co-production in sustainability science, and justice in local energy and climate transitions, with the aim of producing research that is both critical and grounded in real-world challenges.
Mr. Sai Ganesh Veeravalli
Doctoral Researcher, Risk & Environmental Studies / Geomatics, Karlstad University
Sai Ganesh Veeravalli is a doctoral student at Karlstad University and leads the DEPRIMAP project, where he integrates geospatial science, urban morphology, and machine learning to map and model deprived urban areas. His research explores how urban forms contribute to socio-economic risks, aiming to build scalable, data-driven models for sustainable urban development. Sai brings a wealth of technical expertise to SESAC, including geospatial workflows, UAV applications and GeoPython. He is also a dedicated science communicator, using satellite imagery and storytelling to translate complex environmental data into accessible insights for researchers, students, and policymakers. Additionally, he manages the design and technical maintenance of the SESAC website and its digital presence on other social media platforms.
Universities & Institutions Involved
Lund University
Department of Human Geography, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Karlstad University
Geomatics, NEOGEO Research Lab, Centre for Societal Risk Research (CSR)
Linköping University
Institute for Analytical Sociology
LF Research Foundation
Chalmers University
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for the Social Sciences
SESAC is funded by Rymdstyrelsen (Swedish National Space Agency)
