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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
Urban ReLeaf - Citizen-powered data ecosystems for inclusive and green urban transitions
Open-Earth-Monitor Cyberinfrastructure (OEMC)
Staff
Linda See
Principal Research Scholar (NODES)
Anto Subash
Research Software Engineer (NODES)
Dmitry Shchepashchenko
Principal Research Scholar (NODES, AFE)
Inian Moorthy
Senior Research Scholar (NODES)
News
05 May 2026
Amazon understory forests show short-term boost in CO₂ uptake – but this comes at a cost
Tropical forests are one of the planet's most important carbon sinks – often also called "the lungs of the Earth". But their future in a high-CO₂ world remains uncertain. IIASA researchers contributed to a new study, which suggests even small understory trees in the Amazon may initially buffer climate change more strongly. Their long-term capacity to store carbon could, however, be restricted by nutrient availability, highlighting the vulnerability of these ecosystems under future climate conditions.
17 April 2026
IIASA and OSCE explore collaboration on emerging technologies and security challenges
Earlier this week, IIASA welcomed a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to Schloss Laxenburg for a high-level exchange on advancing collaboration at the intersection of science, policy, and emerging technologies.
23 February 2026
Roadmap for Europe’s biodiversity monitoring system
IIASA contributed to a new European roadmap for biodiversity monitoring through its involvement in the Horizon 2020 project, EuropaBON. The study, proposes a comprehensive roadmap to build a modern, integrated Biodiversity Observation Network (BON) for Europe that could become a global model for biodiversity monitoring in the 21st century.
Events
ESA-ESRIN, Frascati - Italy
Earth Observation for Official Statistics and policy indicators reporting Conference
Gainesville, FL, USA
ForestSAT 2026
Focus
22 December 2025
The Public Policy Lab: A new interactive stakeholder engagement tool
IIASA recently introduced its latest innovation to country teams of the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium: the Public Policy Lab (PPL), an interactive platform designed to help stakeholders explore, develop, and assess national food and land-use pathways together.
17 December 2025
EvoLand’s new STAC Catalogue: Open data for exploring planetary change
If you’ve ever tried to piece together from academic publications how our planetary landscapes are shifting – from forests greening to croplands drying – you know it can feel like trying to assemble a puzzle when each piece comes from a different box. EvoLand’s new STAC Catalogue changes that. It aims to offer a simple, open doorway into the vast world of land-monitoring data, making it easier than ever to understand how our planet is evolving.
Publications
Berger, K., Requena Suarez, D., Szantoi, Z., César de Sá, N., Fritz, S. , Milenkovic, M., Maso, J., Heinrich, V., & Herold, M. (2026). Towards a FAIRer future: insights from Europe's geospatial community. European Journal of Remote Sensing 59 (1) e2676254. 10.1080/22797254.2026.2676254.
Duncanson, L., Montesano, P.M., Neuenschwander, A., Zarringhalam, A., Thomas, N., Minor, D.M., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Guenther, E., Feng, T., Leitold, V., Hancock, S., Armston, J., Puliti, S., Mandel, A.I., Shah, S., Silva, C., Purslow, M., Bruening, J., Breidenbach, J., Næsset, E., Saarela, S., Hunka, N., Kellner, J.R., Healey, S.P., Shchepashchenko, D. , Wallerman, J., Neigh, C.S.R., Carvalhais, N., & Dubayah, R. (2026). Global and boreal estimates of woody aboveground biomass for 2020: Filling GEDI'S northern data gap with ICESat-2 and harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2. Remote Sensing of Environment 340 e115406. 10.1016/j.rse.2026.115406.
Wehn, U., Fraisl, D. , Pau, J.M., Gharesifard, M., See, L. , Hager, G. , Oliver, J.L., Crystal, T., Ajates, A., Bilbao, A., Butkevičienė, E., Biraghi, C.A., Campbell, J., Durieux, L., Gervasini, E., Gold, M., Kragh, G., Matheus, A., Mac Feely, S., Mocek, L., Muniafu, M., Shanley, L., & Yousefi, A. (2026). Consolidating Dispersed Knowledge About Citizen Science and Citizen Observatories: Experiences from the Four WeObserve Communities of Practice. Environmental Management 76 (5) e172. 10.1007/s00267-026-02442-z.
Neumann, M., Raichuk, A., Potapov, P., Lesiv, M. , Overlan, M., Rey, M., Rajakumar, R., Conserva, M., Stanimirova, R., Sims, M., Carter, S., Goldman, E., Jiang, Y., Scheibenreif, L., Georgieva, I. , Shchepashchenko, M. , Fritz, S. , Clinton, N., Stanton, C., Morris, D., & Purves, D. (2026). Global forest typology at 10-meter resolution for forest and land-use monitoring. EarthArXiv preprint 10.31223/X58R27. (Submitted)
Fraisl, D. , Sturn, T., Karanam, S., & Fritz, S. (2026). Citizen Science, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Urban Monitoring Framework: Linking Local Action to Global Impact. In: World Urban Forum 13, 17–22 May 2026, Baku, Azerbaijan.