Establishing the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology
The project was running until June 2019 and was continued as HeiGIT gGmbH. Recent information can be found on the HeiGIT website
core funded by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung
The project to establish a Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) is part of the GIScience Research Group at the Department of Geography, Heidelberg University. The objective is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology from academia to practical applications and professional services. The focus lays on the analysis, refinement, enrichment and usage of big spatial data from the crowd for innovative applications and services.
We focus initially on three areas:
- Big Spatial Data Analytics,
- Navigation Intelligence and Location Based Services and
- Innovative Services for Disaster Management.
| Big Spatial Data Analytics | Navigation Intelligence & Location Based Services |
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Analyses, Quality Assurance, Refinement and Utilisation of Crowdsourced Geographic Information from the Web using Data Mining and Geocomputation
Services and References |
Innovative Traffic- and Mobility Solutions, Routing- and Navigation Services based on enhanced data from different sources including OpenStreetMap and the Social Web.
Services and References |
| Disaster Mapping – VGI for Humanitarian Support |
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Supporting humanitarian activities by developing up-to-date disaster maps and providing innovative GI services during catastrophes and for mitigating risk.
Services and References |
Recent News:
From January to March 2025, Dr. Steffen Knoblauch undertook a post-doctoral research visit at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cape Town, South Africa. His research focused on integrating Earth Observation data with bioacoustics, building on his PhD work in spatiotemporal mosquito monitoring for diseases such as Dengue. The primary focus of his […]
The paper addresses the global shortage of detailed road surface data by leveraging street-view imagery from Mapillary and advanced deep learning techniques. Traditional datasets like OpenStreetMap (OSM) often lack comprehensive road surface attributes—with only about 30–40% coverage—hindering applications such as travel time estimation, disaster response routing, urban planning, and environmental assessments. To fill this gap, […]
The full article was originally published on geoawesome. The management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) represents a significant challenge, particularly in regions lacking adequate waste management infrastructure. In Africa, several regions are identified as critical hotspots for waste mismanagement. In 2012, only 55% of MSW was collected across Africa, with a mere 4% being recycled, […]
We’re excited to share the release of the ohsome-planet – a new software library on GitHub, marking a significant step toward the development of ohsome 2.0. This tool is designed to facilitate the transformation of raw OpenStreetMap (OSM) history data into the GeoParquet format, making it more accessible and efficient for spatial data analysis. What […]
With the increasing availability of global disease datasets, Visual Analytics (VA) has emerged as a valuable tool in spatial epidemiology, particularly for studying serotype interactions in diseases like dengue. Dengue, caused by four serotypes (DENV1-DENV4), poses a significant global health threat exacerbated by urbanization and climate change. Traditional approaches rely on static mapping or animation […]
Scientific Reports publishes a paper by Steffen Knoblauch et al. that underscores the critical importance of integrating vector ecology and human behavior into advanced disease modeling frameworks. The increasing availability of human movement data presents significant potential for tackling global public health challenges, especially in the context of infectious diseases. This is particularly important for […]
Join our collaborative workshop at the AGILE Conference in Dresden on June 10, where researchers, practitioners, and policymakers come together to explore methods in walkability and pedestrian accessibility assessment. Workshop scope The assessment of walkability and pedestrian accessibility through GIS methods has gained momentum, offering urban planners and policymakers new ways to assess and implement […]
The concept of a “Digital Earth” has long envisioned a future where technological advancements enable the large-scale collection and visualization of spatial and environmental data. Today, open data sources such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) provide crucial spatial information for diverse applications, including urban planning, disaster management, and public health. However, many regions remain insufficiently mapped, particularly […]
The crowdmapping app MapSwipe now integrates also street-level imagery. This new feature enables even mapping efforts that require the highest level of detail, such as detecting waste on the street. The MapSwipe App MapSwipe is an open-source app that enables volunteers to map missing geodata, making global mapping efforts more coordinated and efficient. Free, reliable geodata […]
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of understanding human behavior in cities to develop effective public health interventions. Crowd-sourced geospatial data available online can therefore serve as a valuable resource for analyzing such dynamics with Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI). However, previous research often struggles with the complexity and heterogeneity of such data, and faces challenges […]
Geospatial technologies offer significant opportunities to address sustainability and resilience challenges by integrating Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and remote sensing with environmental science to tackle critical climate-related issues. With the accelerating impacts of rising global temperatures and extreme weather events, communities face increasing demands to manage vital resources, including water, energy, and land. The combined […]
