The RS group's central research goal is to advance understanding of the Earth system sciences using Earth observation methods. We achieve this by combining fundamental and applied research in the domain of remote sensing. Although our focus is on ground based, airborne and spaceborne remote sensing, we contribute at national and international levels to the conceptual development of Geography as an interdisciplinary science. Beyond this, not only physical and empirical approaches for observation systems are being developed at RS, also the impact of the human dimension on regional, national and even global change is taken into account. This renders our research approaches policy and stakeholder relevant, enabling us to contribute to public discourse with a unique combination of remote measurements and cause-effect-relationships, including impacts of the human dimension on the Earth system.

We support complete observing system approaches with our well-qualified scientists, our physical infrastructure (measurement instrumentation, processing facilities), and our information infrastructure (models, processors, spatial data infrastructure).

We use and propagate state-of-the-art methods, models and software in our training, supporting remote sensing education at the highest qualification levels.