During the discussion hosted by Alexey Smirnov, Regional Director at SPH Engineering, we’ll cover the following topics:

• Prof. Peter Bauer-Gottwein from the Technical University of Denmark about the Unmanned Airborne Water Observing System,
• Dr. Narcisa Pricope from the Mississippi State University about the drones in coastal resilience and mapping sensitive coastal ecosystems,
• The role of drones and sensors in research, the challenges they help overcome, and the do's and don'ts in drone-supported research.

🎤 Speakers 

Prof. Peter Bauer-Gottwein from the Technical University of Denmark

Peter Bauer-Gottwein is a Professor in the Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark. He is an expert in the field of hydrology and water resources management, with a focus on hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, satellite earth observation, satellite altimetry, unmanned airborne systems, hydrometry, hydro-economic analysis, and the intricate water-energy-food nexus.

Professor Bauer-Gottewin actively participates in various scientific committees, such as the Sino-Danish University Centre for Water & Environment Programme. Peter Bauer-Gottwein's influence is evident in his supervision of numerous Ph.D. students.

His exceptional work has been recognized through various grants and projects. The latest ones were ”Exploiting new satellite altimetry missions for global-scale river

modeling and forecasting” and ”UAWOS – Unmanned Airborne Water Observing System.” 

Dr. Narcisa Pricope from the Mississippi State University 

Dr. Narcisa Pricope holds the Associate Vice President for Research role at Mississippi State University and is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences. 

Dr. Pricope served as the Founder and Director of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Geospatial Intelligence program, FAA Collegiate Training Initiative, and Coastal UAS Observatory funded by the National Science Foundation, initiatives aimed at training the next generation of geospatial scientists by conducting cutting-edge research. Dr. Pricope also contributed to acquiring the first National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) contract to train the Department of Defense workforce through academic programs.

Dr. Pricope's research is centered on complex socio-ecological systems dynamics, primarily on understanding and quantifying environmental variability and the vulnerability of populations to environmental changes, especially land degradation. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles, showcasing her expertise in integrating earth observation, remote sensing, and drone photogrammetry with spatiotemporal modeling to advance human well-being.