Collaboration pushes the boundaries of what once seemed impossible. It creates a space for growth, resilience and confidence to thrive. So, what happens when you bring together a driven young professional and innovative technology like Hexagon’s ERDAS IMAGINE?
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Business and academia collaboration can lead to revolutionary advancements in technology, solutions and insight. Hexagon recognizes these benefits and is proud to offer education programs that feature innovative tools, hands-on tutorials and a thriving community of growth. By empowering users to tackle real-world challenges and invest in the future with confidence, we’re helping shape the start of tomorrow.
One example of this is a partnership with the School of Forestry Engineering at the University of Vigo (UVigo) and the shared use of ERDAS IMAGINE.
ERDAS IMAGINE
ERDAS IMAGINE is recognized as the world’s preferred sensing software package. Geographic imaging professionals are faced with vast amounts of data daily and often must combine various software – designed for other purposes – to process and organize this data. ERDAS IMAGINE unleashes imagery potential and provides remote sensing, photogrammetry, LiDAR analysis, basic vector analysis and radar processing in a single product. Geospatial workflows are automated, creating easier remote sensing, environmental modeling, urban planning and disaster management. Moreover, external data can be leveraged together with Spatial Modeler for enhanced analysis.
The beginning of something great
As part of the collaboration with UVigo, ERDAS IMAGINE was used by the Agroforestry Research Group (AF4) in the field of remote sensing in natural environments. These tools were used to analyze ecological connectivity in protected natural areas that are increasingly affected by climate change. Here, a master’s student was introduced to ERDAS IMAGINE – and it marked the beginning of something great.
Meet Mario García Ontiyuelo, a UVigo forestry engineering graduate with a master’s degree in unmanned aerial systems. From 2022-2023, García Ontiyuelo collaborated with Hexagon, using ERDAS IMAGINE as a key part of his thesis research. Through an online tutorial led by Begoña Verdejo Herreras, Julio Lerena Fernández and María Luisa Martínez Segarra, he gained hands-on experience with the software and explored its full range of capabilities.
Award-winning research
By focusing on integrating the latest techniques in remote sensing using data from open access satellites, commercial companies and a photogrammetric survey, García Ontiyuelo captured key insights to support strategic responses to climate change. He noted that ERDAS IMAGINE was the cornerstone of his pre-processing stage, allowing for classification of multispectral images. His thesis, “Strategies for the detection of land use change in the ecological corridor LIC River Tea through satellites and UAS,” earned him recognition from both UVigo and the Confederation of Scientific Societies of Spain (COSCE), and he was named a finalist for the prestigious Premio Francisco Coello award.
Now, Hexagon is proud to share that García Ontiyuelo has received yet another award for his master’s thesis. Presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Geoscience and Remote Sensing Spanish Chapter, the award for Best Work in Remote Sensing 2023-2024 in the TFM category recognizes individuals making a real impact in their fields. These awards recognize the thinkers and doers who push boundaries through groundbreaking research, innovative solutions and inspiring contributions to their communities.
“Over the years, we’ve been grateful to collaborate closely with Mario in webinars, congresses and university events,” said Verdejo Herreras. “As he now pursues his doctoral degree, we are proud to continue supporting him and contributing to his ongoing research journey. Congratulations, Mario!”
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Riley Aldridge is a digital marketing intern for Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division in Madison, Alabama. She supports both the global and Americas marketing teams by assisting with campaigns, managing data, analyzing performance metrics and contributing to brand visibility efforts.