Southampton Geospatial is a new initiative to promote the University of Southampton’s interdisciplinary expertise in geospatial science applications and create new opportunities for working together. Aiming to connect geospatial expertise across the institution with industry partners, it will be focusing on geospatial research, enterprise and education.
The initiative is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Impact Acceleration Accounts (EPSRC IAAs) which are strategic awards providing funding to research organisations.
It was formally launched on 19 October 2022 to highlight the current and ongoing geospatial activities at the University and to create a new hub for collaboration within and outside the University. This event was run in a hybrid mode and was attended by more than 150 participants interested in geospatial data and analytics.
The event was inaugurated by Professor Phillip Wright, Senior Vice-President (Academic), who emphasised the importance of geospatial technology in addressing major societal challenges and the unique interdisciplinarity of the University’s Geospatial activities to provide solutions.
The event outlined the early activities and plans, including presentations from our first round of funded projects, which developed and strengthen external partnership and covered a wide range of topics from tracking animal movement to mapping the condition of the seabed at Dorset Coast.
Hachem Kassem, Lecturer in Ocean and Earth Science said “The Southampton Geospatial Initiative enabled a close partnership between the University and the Studland Bay Marine Partnership, providing an evidence base to inform seagrass habitat conservation within the Marine Conservation Zone, and facilitating knowledge exchange and engagement with local stakeholders. We were able to collect state-of-the-art data showing the effectiveness of eco-moorings in protecting the seagrass beds without restricting recreational boating activities or adversely impacting the ecosystem. It also provided an opportunity to communicate with the wider community about the role of seagrass conservation as a nature-based solution for managing coastal hazards and habitat loss.”
External speakers, including representatives from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Office for National Statistics and Assimila Ltd, an SME (Small or Medium-sized Enterprise) with expertise on utilisation of Earth Observation data, provided an overview of current and future opportunities in the geospatial field. Over the next year, Southampton Geospatial will launch some new activities including further funding calls and launching of a new scheme to promote collaboration between the University and external organisations.
Professor David Martin, one of the leads at Southampton Geospatial, said: “We are excited to be working on plans to work more closely with the geospatial sector within and beyond the university. In the coming year we are aiming to offer seed funding for collaborative research projects and new training opportunities for early career geospatial data scientists.”
The University offers world-class expertise and tools including geospatial datasets, modelling capabilities and sensing equipment, combined with unique opportunities for professional development and collaboration.
Professor Jadu Dash, another of the leads commented: “Southampton Geospatial are currently building our connections around and beyond the University and would like to hear from you about your current projects that involves geospatial data or analytics. We can help to promote your activity or assist you with developing further collaboration within and outside the University so please contact us.”
Southampton Geospatial plans to hold more networking events throughout the year so please keep an eye out for future events.
