The Human Planet Forum 2025 is a flagship event of the GEO Human Planet Initiative (GHP) which works to understand and map human presence on earth using open geospatial data.
Held at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre site in Ispra, Italy, the forum will bring together scientists, policymakers, UN bodies, civil society and the private sector to co-create actionable knowledge in areas such as disaster risk reduction, global sustainability and societal resilience.
This edition of the forum aims to
- showcase the latest GHP data products, methods, and applications
- broaden the community of partners and contributors to the GHP Work Programme
- align Human Planet insights with evolving global policy agendas (e.g. the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework)
- co-design the 2025–27 Human Planet Work Plan
In-person participation
Important: please read the 'Registration' section carefully before proceeding. Registration is now closed.
Online participation
All 3 days of the event will be web streamed - see below for the links.
Registration period ended on Thursday 16 October 2025, 23:59 (CEST)
- urban statistics | regional development | disaster risk reduction | open data | urbanisation | population statistics
- Wednesday 19 November 2025, 10:00 - Friday 21 November 2025, 17:00 (CET)
- Ispra, Italy
- Live streaming available
Programme
- 19 Nov 2025, 09:30 - 18:15 (CET)Day 1
- 09:30-10:00 Opening session addresses
- Welcome by the Joint Research Centre
- Address and context by DG RTD, Jean Dusart, DG RTD
- GEO Secretariat, Madeeha Bajwa, GEO Secretariat
- AfriGEO Secretariat, Peninah Njogu, AfriGEO Secretariat
- GEO Human Planet, Martino Pesaresi, JRC - 10:00-11:00 Keynote
World Urbanisation Prospect 2025, Patrick Gerland, UN Population Division - 11:00-11:30 Coffee break
- 11:30-13:30 Session 1
Monitoring, projecting and hindcasting of human settlements, infrastructure and population
Session Chair: Lewis Dijkstra, JRC
Session Discussant: Dennis Mwaniki, UN-Habitat
- Introduction and framing by the Chair, Lewis Dijkstra, JRC B.3
- Global urbanization: Past dynamics, land use efficiency, patterns, past and future carrying capacities, and outlook considering IPCC climate scenarios, Hannes Taubenboeck, DLR
- Global Production of the 2022 Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) Exposure Mapping Component Built-up Product (EMC-BUILT), Eva Poglitsch, Geoville
- Global high-resolution gridded population estimate datasets 2015-2030, Alessandro Sorichetta, Università di Milano; Andy Tatem, WorldPop
- Exploring urban interconnectedness through Multi-Tier City-Regions and the City-Region Explorer, Serkan Girgin, University of Twente
- Challenges and prospects for urban change projections and sustainability assessments, Jasper van Vliet, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Assessing Urban Sustainability in the Belt and Road Region: A City-Level Analysis of SDG 11 Indicators Using Earth Observations, Linlin LU, International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals
- Reply of the discussant, Dennis Mwaniki, UN-Habitat
- Open floor and Q&A, All participants - 13:30-14:30 Lunch break
- 14:30-16:30 Session 2
Open data integration and human settlement characterisation
Session Chair: Greg Yetman, CIESIN
Session Discussant: Nancy Lozano Gracia, World Bank
Introduction and framing by the Chair, Greg Yetman, CIESIN
- GAIA: The Global Assessment of Infrastructure Assets. An open building exposure data set for risk modelling, Charles Huyck, ImageCat
- Toward a global urban neighbourhood segments layer to support data integration and local use, Dana R. Thompson, CIESIN
- Earth Observation-Driven Exposure Modelling for Seismic Risk Analysis, Marco Baiguera, GEM
- Examining the consistency of Earth Observation-based Machine Learning models for predicting poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, Reason Mlambo, University of Edinburgh
- Evaluating Spatially-Explicit Models for Horizontal Urban Expansion, Evgeny Noi, University of Bristol
- Using Vaccination Campaign Data to Quantify Settlement Listings for a Polio Vaccination Campaign, Michelle Schmitz, DevGlobal
- Reply of the discussant, Nancy Lozano Gracia, World Bank
- Open floor and Q&A, All participants - 16:30-17:00 Coffee break
- 17:00-17:15 Presentation
Big Earth Data Journal: Advancing a Sustainable Human Planet, Linlin Guan, Managing Editor of Big Earth Data - 17:15-18:15 Keynote
Leveraging the 2030 Census and Integrated Geospatial Solutions for an Inclusive and Resilient Future, Alessio Cangiano, UNFPA
Open floor and Q&A
- 09:30-10:00 Opening session addresses
- 20 Nov 2025, 09:30 - 17:00 (CET)Day 2
- 09:30-11:20 Special session 1
Harnessing partnerships in earth observation and data to map poverty and informality
Welcome & opening, Thomas Kemper, JRC E.1
09:30-10:20 Setting the scene - Policy
- The UN-Habitat perspective to urban poverty and informality, Dennis Mwaniki, UN-Habitat
- The view of the development banks, Washington Menezes Fajardo, IADB
- The views and needs of the urban poor, Monika Kuffer, University of Twente
- Discussion
10:20-11:20 Setting the scene - Technology
- Capturing the Variability of Slums: Remote Sensing and AI Approaches for. Focus on slums, poverty, variability, Hannes Taubenboeck, DLR
- Overcoming Spatial and Population Uncertainties: VHR EO Imagery for Global. Focus on slums, slum, imagery, Anica Huck, European Space Imaging
- Leveraging Machine Learning and Earth Observation for Mapping deprived areas in the Global South, Michael Harthorn, UNITAC
- IDEAtlas: Mapping Deprived Urban Areas at Scale, combining Local. Focus on ideatlas, user, local, Monika Kuffer, University of Twente
- Discussion - 11:20-12:10 Coffee break
- 12:10-13:20 Discussing the way ahead
Moderated by Hector Antonio Vazquez Brust, IADB
- Towards a multi-scale approach: global, national, local
- Discussing key morphological parameters for assessing urban informality
- Discussing (financial) sustainability of the proposal
- Summary of discussion and conclusion, Thomas Kemper, JRC E.1 - 13:30-14:30 Lunch break
- 14:30-16:30 Session 3
Synergies between GHP, Copernicus and other global programmes for EO, including open and innovative geospatial data
Session Chair: Mark Dowell, JRC.D6
Session Discussant: Maryam Rabiee, Sustainable Development Solutions Network
- Introduction and framing by the Chair, Mark Dowell, JRC D.6
- EDGAR contribution to the GEO Human Planet: emission trends and mitigation opportunities over global urban areas, Diego Guizzardi, JRC.C5
- Supporting Sponge Cities development with the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service, Andreas Brink, JRC.D6
- Mapping Climate Risk Vulnerability of Health Facilities in Sudan Using Multi-Criteria GIS and Settlement Exposure Analysis, Ravi Shankar, WHO
- Privacy-Preserving Spatial Analytics for Human Mobility: A Context-Aware Navigation Framework for Sustainable Urban Developmentsub-Saharan Africa, Nuhcan Akçit, Middle east technical university
- EVIDERI – Earth Observation as Evidence in “Crimes Against Humanity” Investigations, Giulia Tessari, Sarmap SA
- Exploring Atmospheric Transport Land Use Regression (ATLUR) with GHSL: A Prospective Outdoor Air-Quality Pilot for the New York City Region, Kytt MacManus, Columbia University
- Reply of the discussant and discussion, Maryam Rabiee, UNSDSN
- Open floor and Q&A, All participants - 16:30-17:00 Coffee break
- 09:30-11:20 Special session 1
- 21 Nov 2025, 09:30 - 17:00 (CET)Day 3
- 14:30-11:30 Session 4
GEO Human Planet and the urban dimension of GEO and EuroGEO
Session Chair: Evangelos Gerasopulos, NOA
Session Discussant: Martyn Clark, GEO
- Introduction and framing by the Chair, Evangelos Gerasopulos, NOA
- Mapping street green space and assessing its heat adaptation potential across world cities combining satellite data, machine learning and urban microclimate model data, Giacomo Falcetta, CMCC
- Fewer than ten percent of European city residents have adequate access to green space, Leonardo Bertasello, JRC.C6
- Towards a comparison of non-governmental open building footprints in the European Union, Sara Thabit Gonzalez, JRC.T4
- Integrated Approaches for Air Quality Monitoring in the SpaceItUp! Project, Vasil Yordanov, Politecnico di Milano
- Using climate reanalysis, crowdsourced, and Earth Observation data for monitoring extreme heat conditions in urban areas, Alberto Vavassori, Politecnico di Milano
- Detecting systemic urban transitions with open spatial indicators: insights from La Paz–El Alto, Fabio Bayro Kaiser, RWTH Aachen University
- Reply of the discussant and discussion, Martyn Clark, GEO
- Open floor and Q&A, All participants - 11:30-12:00 Coffee break
- 12:00-13:00 Session 5
Co-creating the GHP work programme: partners engagement
GEO Human Planet co-chairs; breakout groups with facilitators
- GEO Human Planet Initiative in the GEO Post - 2025 Work Programme, GHP Co-chair(s): Mission, Deliverables, Framing for additional deliverables and stakeholder engagement
- Breakout Groups for partners to provide input for the GEO Human Planet work programme post-2025 with facilitators:- Align purpose, scope, topics, Nale Mudau, SANSA
- Stakeholders, and shared outcomes, Peninah Njogu, AfriGEO Secretariat
- Opportunities and interest for engagement, Madeeha Bajwa, GEOSec
- Coordination and synergies with other GEO Work Programme activities, Orestis Speyer, NOA
- 13:00-14:30 Lunch break
- 14:30-15:00 Reporting to plenary by facilitators
- 15:00-16:30 Special session 2
Towards a collaborative Atlas of the Human Planet 2026
- 10 years of Atlas of the Human Planet, Martino Pesaresi, JRC GHSL
- Thematic areas for the Atlas of the Human Planet 2026 and structure of work, GHP co-chair(s)
- Open floor
- GHP Forum closing panel, Dani Arribas-Bel, University of Liverpool, Jean Dusart, RTD, Linlin Lu, CBAS, Nale Mudau, SANSA, Christina Corbane, JRC E.1
- Closing remarks, GHP Co-chair(s) - 16:30-17:00 Farewell coffee
- 14:30-11:30 Session 4
Practical information
- When
- Wednesday 19 November 2025, 10:00 - Friday 21 November 2025, 17:00 (CET)
- Where
- Joint Research CentreVia Enrico Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra VA, Italy
- Livestream
- Starts on Wednesday 19 November 2025, 09:30 (CET)
- Who should attend
- Open to all interested in using spatial intelligence to inform just, inclusive, and sustainable decisions
- Languages
- English
- Organisers
- GEO - Group on Earth Observations | Joint Research Centre | Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD)
Description
The agenda - which will soon be released - includes sessions exploring topics such as monitoring and projecting human settlements and population density, integrating open data, fostering synergies with Copernicus and other earth observation programmes, and addressing urbanisation within GEO and EuroGEO.
Two special sessions will focus on mapping poverty and shaping the next Atlas of the Human Planet.
Registration
The event is free of charge, but registration is mandatory and subject to approval due to limited seating capacity. Please register using this link until 30 September.
Only in-person participation is confirmed at this point.
If you don't have an EU Login account, you will need to create one. Once created, you will need to
- accept the registration statement
- fill in your data
- log in again using this link and register for the event
Accommodation and transportation
Participants are responsible for booking and paying for their accommodation and travel.
Recommended accommodation
We recommend staying at Palace Grand Hotel Varese where several rooms are pre-booked (room types and rates are available in the registration form) and participants can benefit from complimentary transportation (see below).
To reserve your stay in this hotel participants must
- Select the conference hotel option in the registration form
- Choose 18 and 22 November as their arrival and departure dates in the form
(Note that only bookings within this date range will be accepted. The hotel can accept extensions - 16 to 24 November; new dates should be agreed directly with the hotel) - Wait for an email confirming your participation in the forum and with the instructions to contact Hotel Palace and finalise your reservation/payment
We recommend that participants book their stay at this hotel to benefit from free transportation organised between:
- Milan Malpensa airport, Milano Central railway station or Varese Railway Station and the Palace Grand Hotel Varese upon arrival and departure. Different pick-up points can be considered upon request
- Palace Grand Hotel Varese and the JRC during the event days (details will be provided at a later stage)
Participants are requested to provide their travel information in the registration form at their earliest convenience.
Choosing different accommodation
If participants prefer to reserve a different hotel they will be responsible for arranging and paying for their own transportation to and from the hotel, the JRC, and their arrival point in Italy.
Food
Coffee breaks and lunches will be provided in the conference.
When registering, participants are asked to indicate any serious food allergies or intolerances so that the we can accommodate their needs as best as possible.
Participants are responsible for all the meals outside the conference.
Call for contributions
The call for contributions is now closed.
The event organisers invite extended abstract contributions from researchers, innovators, practitioners and decision-makers. These projects should aim at harnessing earth observation (EO), socio-economic, and citizen-generated data to inform global understanding of human presence, urbanisation and settlement dynamics.
Contributors are encouraged to submit abstracts to one of the following thematic sessions:
- Monitoring, forecasting, and hindcasting of human settlements, infrastructure, and population
- Open data integration and human settlement characterisation
- Synergies between GHP, Copernicus, and other EO programmes
- The urban dimension of GEO and EuroGEO
Submission documents should include
- title
- authors and affiliations
- chosen session
- an extended abstract (1000–1200 words)
- one or more visual elements
- up to 3 references
A scientific committee will select up to 5 contributions per session, based on relevance and quality. Feedback will be shared from 3 October 2025.
Due to space constraints, not all submissions may be presented.
Contacts
General contact
- JRC-GHSL
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu