Deutsch Intern
Earth Observation Research Cluster

Working Fields

Remote sensing is oriented towards methods for data processing and analysis and is therefore a highly diverse working field for graduates with an additional qualification in remote sensing. A remote sensing based education is an advantage in most „typical geographical“ work fields and is practically implemented any time spatially located data is handled.

Fields of work can inter alia be in the field of planning - state sector as well as commercial sector (local, regional and provincial planning, traffic management, international authorities, development aid organisations, institutions of business development, commercial location planning, advisory offices and other planning institutes). A second work area is the branch Information and Documentation (Federal Statistical Office, Land Statistical Office, Regional Statistical Office). A third work area is the branch offices and institutions in environmental protection, water resources management, energy industry, landscape architecture and conservation, as well as agriculture and forestry. There is also a strong development in the Geoinformatics area itself (earth observation, geomarketing, geographical information systems) as independent working area for geographers.

This broad spectrum of professional perspective is possible due to the broad content of geography studies, in which the accompanying subject remote sensing covers education in handling computer-based systems and modern information technologies.

As endowment chair of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), we have a close cooperation with the German Remote Sensing Data Centre (DFD) within common projects and intense sharing of expertise. As a geography student with the focus of remote sensing, there is the possibility to get insight in the work processes and ongoing project work within an internship at DFD. 

German Remote Sensing Data Centre (DFD)

Director: Prof. Dr. Stefan Dech

The German Remote Sensing Data Centre (DFD) is represented by its six organisational units at the locations Oberpfaffenhofen and Neustrelitz. The headquarter of DFD and the head office of the institute management are located in Oberpfaffenhofen. One research group is working at the chair of remote sensing at the university of Wuerzburg. The DFD is working on receiving, archiving, providing, and usage of data. Next to application oriented research tasks, another core competency of the DFD is development and operation of information technology services and systems. The DFD has the following professional focuses:

  • Receiving data of earth observation satellites. The DFD operates stationary antenna systems, as well as transportable receiving systems, which record data worldwide, even from remote areas.
  • Long-term archiving of data in the national remote sensing data library. The saved data can be accessed, ordered and partly copied directly via the internet.
  • Development of new methods, products and services to gain directly usable information from remote sensing data for environmental protection and planning, sustainable development, climate and atmospherical research, civil security research, as well as emergency mapping for natural disasters and in the context of humanitarian aid.
  • Promotion of data use through cooperation with partners from science, authorities, industry and politics.