Utilizing Earth Observation Data in Reaching Sustainable Development Goals

Dr. Aqil Tariq is a Research Associate in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, USA. His research interests are 3D geoinformation, urban analytics, spatial analysis to examine land use/land cover, geospatial data science, urban planning, crop identification using SAR and optical satellite imagery, agriculture monitoring, forest fire, forest monitoring, forest cover dynamics, spatial statistics, multi-criteria algorithms, ecosystem sustainability, hazards risk reduction, statistical analysis and modeling (Google Earth Engine, HEC-RAS, FlowR, RAMMS, GeoClaw, COSI-Corr, SfM) using Python, R, and MATLAB. He is a member of different international science communities, i.e., Individual Membership of ISPRS, International Water Resources Association, International Association of Geodesy, and the Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI). He has attended more than 30 training workshops from the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) ARSET program.

Dr. Iqbal is an Associate Teaching Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University, and is a leading expert in multi-sensor systems, focusing on robotics and navigation systems. As a dedicated educator, Dr. Iqbal has expertly designed curricula addressing the diverse needs of today’s engineers. He has taught over 25 courses spanning electrical engineering to innovative design thinking. His recent achievements include a prestigious $1.48 million NSF grant and Dr. George Adebyi Award for Outstanding Teaching. Additionally, Dr. Iqbal’s editorial work with leading academic journals and his roles as faculty advisor for the Mississippi State University EcoCAR EV Challenge team and Chair of the Physics and Engineering Division at the Mississippi Academy of Sciences highlight his leadership and commitment to the scientific community.

Dr. Artan Hysa is a Lecturer at Epoka University, currently working on exploring new methods of land use/ land cover (LULC) data utility for nature-based solutions. His focus is on assessing the quality and inter-connectivity of the blue-green infrastructure as a crucial resource for providing various ecosystem services. In the scope of the doctoral research, he has explored transdisciplinary research methods and digital techniques leading to holistic findings in spatial management and planning. More precisely, he is working on using land use/land cover data in various sustainable spatial planning and management decision-making processes.