
NODES will mobilize the tools of citizen and data science combined with Earth observations to monitor, analyze, and foster progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To realize this vision, NODES will exploit novel data ecosystems in which several actors interact via infrastructure, analytics, and applications to produce, analyze, exchange, and consume data.
Three main cross-fertilizing pillars characterize the research focus of NODES:
- Advancing the field of citizen science: NODES will remain at the forefront of citizen science from conceptual advancements to innovations in citizen science practice, including the development of new means to acquire, analyze, and openly share citizen science data, as well as how citizen science can contribute to the SDGs and sustainability.
- Enriching Earth observation: NODES will utilize new types of Earth observation technology (e.g., high-resolution imagery, drones, and the Internet of things (IoT)) and develop applications that focus on the interplay between Earth observation and citizen science using Geo-Wiki tools, various forms of remote sensing, and on-site observation.
- Exploiting the digital revolution: NODES will harness the opportunities arising from the digital revolution by exploiting advancements in computing capabilities, data science (e.g., machine and deep learning), environmental informatics, and the geospatial sciences, among others, to enhance integrated systems science research and generate new and innovative data sets for further insights.
Projects
Staff
News

15 March 2023
Helping young Africans innovate for climate resilience

25 January 2023
Driving inclusive and green urban transitions

05 October 2022
Citizen science goes global
Events
27 June 2023 The EGG Congress and Meeting Center, Brussels, Belgium
Land & Carbon Lab’s 2023 Summit Conference
Focus
28 March 2023
The future of biodiversity monitoring in Europe


15 February 2023
From farm to space and back: adapting Austrian agriculture to climate change
Juan Carlos Laso Bayas and colleagues reflect on the outcomes of the SATFARM Services project, which set out to create models that demonstrate the potential of satellite data to track climate-smart agricultural practices and visualize indicators to track their success in a prototype web platform for Austrian farmers.
05 December 2022
Building trust in science for a sustainable future

Publications
Schulze, K., Malek, Ž., Shchepashchenko, D. , Lesiv, M. , Fritz, S. , & Verburg, P.H. (2023). Pantropical distribution of short-rotation woody plantations: spatial probabilities under current and future climate. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 28 (5) 10.1007/s11027-023-10066-5.
Williams, N.G., Lucash, M.S., Ouellette, M.R., Brussel, T., Gustafson, E.., Weiss, S.A., Sturtevant, B.R., Shchepashchenko, D. , & Shvidenko, A.Z. (2023). Simulating dynamic fire regime and vegetation change in a warming Siberia. Fire Ecology 19 (1) e33. 10.1186/s42408-023-00188-1.
Fraisl, D. (2023). Academia experience in collaborating with the National Statistics Offices for the SDGs: The case of citizen science data. In: UN World Data Forum 2023, April 2023, Hangzhou, China.
Fraisl, D. (2023). Building Trust in Citizen Science Data. In: UN World Data Forum 2023, April 2023, Hangzhou, China.
Fraisl, D. (2023). Citizen Science Global Partnership. In: C*Sci 2023, 22-26 May 2023, Phoenix, USA.