As part of their regular study obligations, master students in geodesy and geoinformatics participated in a four-day professional excursion in Italy during the first week of May. Already the route to the target destinations, which were Frascati with the Earth observation centre of the European Space Agency and L’Aquila with the university, offered many touristic and professional content related to cadastral land management, urbanism, spatial development.
The aim of the visit to the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation Centre ESRIN (https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESRIN) was to learn about the latest programs and solutions of the European Union in the field of satellite-based Earth observation. The hosts presented the current programs of the ESA’s Earth observation activities and the ESRIN centre, focusing on technological challenges and application areas. The visitors were further acquainted with the opportunities for student training and research for young researchers in ESRIN. However, we must also mention the highly innovative and entertaining approaches to promoting space and geoinformation technologies in their demonstration centre.
The next day, our root took us through the mountainous area to the interesting city of L’Aquila, also known for its strong seismic activity. The hosts from the University of L’Aquila (https://www.univaq.it/en/) presented an interesting project in the field of geoinformatics, supporting urban development and reconstruction of the city after the earthquake – Territori Aperti (https://territoriaperti.univaq.it/), including modern pilot approaches of spatial statistical analysis and 3D modelling of cities and landscapes to support spatial planning.
On the way to Ljubljana, especially in the area between San Marino and Bologna, we remembered the ancient Roman land divisions, the so-called centurions, whose influence on land division is still noticeable today.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our hosts at ESRIN and at the University L’Aquila for their extraordinary hospitality.
Participants in the excursion in the ESRIN campus with the host, Dr. Francesco Sarti
Participants in the excursion at L’Aquila University with hosts, prof. Eliseo Clementini, prof Donato Di Ludovico