The invited speaker is Prof. Nataliia Kussul, a leading expert in artificial intelligence, satellite monitoring, and big geospatial data. She is a professor at the Department of Mathematical Modeling and Data Analysis at National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (NTUU “KPI”) and an associate research professor at the University of Maryland (UMD). Prof. Kussul has extensive experience working with international organizations, including NASA, GEO, the World Bank, and the United Nations.
In this session, we will explore the current challenges and opportunities of applying machine learning and deep learning to land use management. We will discuss both global trends and our own practical experience in integrating deep learning techniques with predictive models to enhance land use analysis and decision-making.
A key focus will be the development of Earth System Digital Twins, which are transforming how we model and analyze the interaction between natural and human-driven factors in land use changes. Prof. Kussul will introduce the main objectives of the Ukrainian-Swiss “Land Use Change Digital Twin” project, which aims to create a digital twin to monitor land use changes in response to climate challenges and socio-economic transformations.
Additionally, we will explore opportunities for international collaboration in Earth Intelligence, a field that combines satellite data, artificial intelligence, and advanced modeling to support data-driven decision-making for sustainable development.
Dr. Nataliia Kussul
NTUU “KPI”, University of Maryland
Earth intelligence for land use management and sustainability
The discussion considered areas for potential collaboration with other scientists and institutions and emphasized the importance of international collaboration to solve complex satellite monitoring problems and the need to unite large teams to obtain significant results in this field.