Scope and topics
The recent proliferation of Earth Observation (EO) data and tools, backed by outreach strategies from space agencies such as ESA and NASA, as well as from national agencies in the global south, has led to widespread adoption of Remote Sensing (RS) methods across diverse disciplines. Examples of this expanded access include open data repositories, cloud computing, readily available pre-processed datasets, and AI-assisted coding, fostering its use across fields such as development, security, and policy analysis. However, this rapid democratization of EO data has often outpaced critical engagement with the foundational assumptions of RS. There is a pressing need to interrogate the epistemologies and ontologies of EO, i.e., to question the logic behind its knowledge production and the worldviews it renders visible or obscures.
Beyond the technical process of data acquisition, EO practices are loaded with socio-political narratives that frequently overlook their real-world ethical implications. Key questions include whose places are depicted and for whose benefit. This session aims to foster a critical dialogue about RS as a research practice. We will examine its limitations, its visible and hidden impacts, and reflect upon ways to mitigate unethical practices and unforeseen social consequences.
Participants in the session are invited to discuss critical perspectives on the entire EO research cycle: the geopolitics of spatial missions and multilateral cooperation; data accessibility and literacy; multi- and transdisciplinarity in RS research; co-participation of research beneficiaries; ethical concerns; action-oriented research, among other related topics. Contributors are invited to present theoretical reflections, practical experiences, and case studies, with particular emphasis on the cross-disciplinary nature of EO.
Organisers
PhD Ricardo Paris – Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
Prof. Dr. Andreas Rienow – Ruhr University Bochum, Germany