Terra em Foco: Portuguese Space Agency puts Earth in Focus again
The second edition of the National Earth Observation Conference arrives at the University of Minho, in Braga, in September. This year's event will feature practical sessions and workshops, which will run parallel to plenary sessions. Registrations are already open.
In September, the Minho region will be the meeting point for the national community of Earth Observation technology users. The reason is the second national Earth Observation conference by the Portuguese Space Agency. The now-called Terra em Foco (successor to the Copernicus National Conference, which took place in Évora in 2022) is scheduled for September 12th and 13th, at the Gualtar Campus of the University of Minho, in Braga.
The event, which maintains the biennial frequency started with the first conference, will continue to provide sharing and exchange of knowledge and experiences in plenary sessions, but will also offer the opportunity to participate in practical sessions and workshops this year. The conference also continues to serve as a showcase for new products, services, and funding opportunities, expanding its scope to the technological component (upstream).
Organized by the Portuguese Space Agency in cooperation with the School of Engineering of the University of Minho (EEUM), Terra em Foco “aims to establish itself as the national conference of excellence for the Earth Observation community, bringing together academia, industry, and public administration,” says Carolina Sá, manager of Earth Observation projects at the Portuguese Space Agency. “The event aims to serve as a meeting point between users and developers of services and technologies, aligning interests so that the entire value chain emerges strengthened from Terra em Foco“, she adds.
“In a time when the planet is undergoing accelerated change and our intervention seems increasingly urgent, this conference, which involves issues related to the atmosphere, oceans, and continental ecosystems, will be an additional step for us to reflect on the tools that may enable us to think about a better and more sustainable future,” says Pedro Arezes, president of EEUM.
With a view to sharing knowledge and offering personalized information, the Terra em Foco conference will feature several simultaneous sessions divided by thematic areas. “In this way, we allow conference attendees to focus on the topics that interest them the most. We have designed an agenda that stimulates more dynamic and active participation, without confining participants to a single room for two days, and this includes practical sessions on data processing and visualization,” explains Carolina Sá. The preliminary agenda of the event is already available for consultation (in Portuguese).
The submission period for communications is also ongoing. Carolina Sá explains that these will be evaluated by a “scientific committee composed of experts in various areas of Earth Observation, from applications in various themes such as atmosphere, oceans, or forests but also in systems engineering, new sensors, and constellations.”
Participation in the event is free, with registrations open on the official Terra em Foco page. The deadline for submission of communications, as well as for workshop proposals and stand reservations, is May 27th, with results announced by July 1st. General registration closes on July 26th.
