The NEODAAS & FSF Earth Observation (EO) training course, held from 13th to 16th May at Space Park Leicester, provided early-career researchers with a comprehensive introduction to working with EO data in environmental research. The course combined engaging lectures with practical, hands-on sessions aimed at building participants’ skills in remote sensing, EO data selection, processing, and field data collection. The training was led by experts from NEODAAS and the NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility, using the NEODAAS MAGEO computing cluster to deliver much of the practical content.
Over 70 researchers applied for the course, with 24 participants selected to attend—14 in person and 10 online. The diverse group came from various disciplines, including oceanography, artificial intelligence, glaciology, ecology, and agriculture, with the majority being PhD students from a range of DTPs and CDTs. The first day of the course focused on the fundamentals of EO, providing participants with the knowledge of how to choose and access EO data for different applications. Guest speakers Lauren Biermann (Plymouth University) and Steven Hancock (FSF) shared their expertise on how EO data is used in real-world research scenarios.
The second day explored EO data processing and atmospheric correction to provide participants with the technical skills needed to process EO data effectively. The third day shifted to fieldwork support for EO, delivered by FSF, where attendees learned to collect and analyse data using field spectrometers, a key tool for validating EO observations. On the final day, participants were introduced to AI techniques for EO data analysis, a session that was highly appreciated and featured prominently in feedback from participants.
At the end of the course, participants demonstrated their learning by presenting EO workflows designed to tackle different research questions These presentations showcased their ability to integrate EO data and machine learning techniques into their research. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with all respondents rating the course 4 or 5 out of 5 and expressing a strong likelihood to recommend the training to others. Many highlighted the well-balanced mix of theory and practical exercises, with particular praise for the hands-on coding sessions. One participant commented:
“I thought the course was incredibly well structured. I really like the practical’s as it provided an opportunity to apply the concepts taught. I thought a lot of the code in the practical’s being written already enabled us to focus on learning these new concepts instead of troubleshooting code which was appreciated as someone who doesn’t know loads of Python yet.” Course Participant
This course is held annually, if you are interested please contact the NEODAAS helpdesk at helpdesk@neodaas.ac.uk and ask to be put on the mailing list for training opportunities.