SESAC Open Sessions
SESAC Open Session 1 – 27 March 2026
Lunch Seminar on Social Science, Earth Observation & Global Impact
The session will begin with a brief introduction from Dr. Ola Hall, head of SESAC, followed by short reflections from:
- Dr. Lina Eklund (Lund University) on using satellite data to study land use in conflict-affected regions.
- Dr. Stefanos Georganos (Karlstad University) on combining AI and remote sensing to support sustainable development.
We will also be joined by Jesper Sundewall, who recently stepped into a new role as Head of Research Relations at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). He will share insights from his work in international research-practice collaborations and how initiatives like SESAC can help bridge science and real-world impact.
SESAC Open Session 2 – 29 April 2026
Lunch Seminar on Earth Observation, Wellbeing & Welfare
The session brings together leading researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of social science and geospatial data:
John Östh, Ola Hall, and Alexandros Sopasakis will open the session with insights on wellbeing, exploring how spatial and analytical approaches, along with tools like the Human Development Index (HDI) and Earth observation, can deepen our understanding of quality of life.
Alvaro von Borries will follow with a presentation on wellbeing in relation to register data, highlighting how large-scale datasets can be used to study social conditions.
Finally, Florian Sallaba, CEO of Green Urbansights, will provide a practitioner’s perspective on applying satellite data in real-world contexts related to urban environments.
SESAC Open Session 3 – 29 May 2026
Lunch Seminar on Local Agency and Regional Development in the Nordics and Earth Observation
Satellite data holds vast, untapped potential for understanding our world, but only if we know how to look at it. What happens when we bring together economists, geographers, data scientists, and policymakers? We warmly invite you to the third instalment of the SESAC Open Session series, where we will cross traditional disciplinary boundaries to explore how Earth Observation (EO) can find entirely new applications in analysing human society and regional development.
The session will feature three distinct presentations:
Linda Stihl, Lund University. Linda will discuss her research on local agency and regional development.
Thomas Niedomysl, Research Director at Nordregio. Thomas will provide an applied policy perspective. Drawing on his extensive work with regional analytics, he will discuss data needs from a Nordic perspective and how satellite data might provide unique opportunities.
Sebastian Hafner, Earth Observation Researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Sebastian will present Digital Earth Sweden (DES), a platform that provides access to analysis-ready Earth observation data and processing tools, enabling users to build their own workflows and applications on top of it.