Terra em Foco 2026 brings together almost 300 participants in Coimbra for its biggest edition ever

Terra em Foco (TEF) has once again asserted itself as a fundamental moment for the national Earth Observation community. The Portuguese Space Agency’s biennial conference brought together 280 participants in Coimbra over two days (17 and 18 March), making it the largest edition to date.

With an agenda featuring the highest number of oral communications and posters submitted to date, Terra em Foco 2026 presented a programme rich in knowledge sharing, practical sessions, and opportunities for creating synergies at the Department of Civil Engineering of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC).

Coming just a few weeks after successive storms left a trail of destruction in many areas of the country’s central region, the use of space technologies for monitoring emergencies and extreme phenomena gained particular relevance at Terra em Foco.

The Secretary of State for Science and Technology, Helena Canhão, reinforced this idea in a video message addressed to the conference participants, pointing to “the role of Earth Observation technologies in increasing the resilience of regions and the country”. “Terra em Foco takes place at a particularly demanding time for the management of the territory, different types of infrastructure, and natural resources, and at a time when we must all be prepared to respond to climate change,” noted Helena Canhão.

The event’s agenda also pointed to other dimensions, such as the development of space infrastructure and constellations or the convergence between Artificial Intelligence and high-performance computing. There was also room for sessions focused on the use of satellite data to meet the challenges of the Portuguese territory, with sessions dedicated to land use, forests and forestry, agriculture, and biodiversity, but also to the marine environment and sustainability.

For Ricardo Conde, president of the Portuguese Space Agency, the variety of sessions at TEF also demonstrates a “great capacity of the national community, whose solutions are part of the response to the concrete challenges and needs of the present”.

During the event, 58 oral communications were presented, divided into 11 thematic sessions, and 35 posters, with three invited keynote speakers. “Throughout these three editions, we have observed a growing interest from researchers, companies, and public administration in showcasing their work at Terra em Foco. This expressive response proves the national relevance of the event and its importance to this community, but also the growth and robustness of the sector,” points out Carolina Sá, Earth Observation programme manager at the Portuguese Space Agency.

Following the 2024 edition, the Portuguese Space Agency once again presented the Terra em Foco Career Award. This year, the distinction was given to Mário Caetano, principal researcher at the Directorate-General for Territory (DGT) and professor at the NOVA Information Management School, in recognition of his contribution over the years to the adoption of Earth Observation techniques in Portugal, within the public sector, academia, and international representation. At the DGT, he has promoted the use of satellite data in the Land Use Monitoring System (SMOS). He has also contributed to training and inspiring new generations of professionals. Nationally, he has defended Portuguese positions and participation within the context of international Earth Observation programmes.

Carlos Álvaro, from the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, won the Award for Best Communication presented by a student with the work “Municipal Carbon Monitoring System: Quantification and Inventory through proxies obtained by Remote Sensing”. The high quality and diversity of themes also led to honourable mentions for the presentations made by Nissrine Maad, from the University of Porto and CEiiA, and Pedro Marques, from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD).

Beyond the auditoriums

TEF 2026 featured, for the first time, an area reserved for bilateral meetings in a space promoted by AED Cluster Portugal. Carolina Sá considers that this partnership was a “successful experience”, with the potential to be improved and continued in future editions. On the other hand, the presence of nearly a dozen exhibitors “demonstrates the interest that companies and institutions have in being present at Terra em Foco”, not limited to the auditoriums where the plenary sessions take place. “Bringing these moments of knowledge sharing together in an area where we also have posters on display creates a great dynamic and enriches the event”, as do the workshops held at the end of the conference, “which are always in high demand and very useful for participants to gain practical experience or delve deeper into their topics of interest,” she concludes.

The conference ended with a round table centred on the integration of space solutions in non-space sectors, with the participation of the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region, GEOSAT, EDP, and Spotlite, moderated by Vieira d’Almeida and AED.

In the closing session of Terra em Foco 2026, Ricardo Conde announced the creation of a competition aimed at Higher Education institutions interested in hosting the 2028 edition of the conference at their facilities, with details to be announced shortly.

Terra em Foco is an initiative of the Portuguese Space Agency, which in 2026 was organised in collaboration with FCTUC, the Centre of Competence for Geospatial Information of the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region, Instituto Pedro Nunes, and AED Cluster Portugal. It also had the support of Development Seed and Geosat.