Next Defense Day on 30 January 2026: Register now!

The next Defense Day at the Institute for Geoinformatics will take place on January 30th. Students can defend their theses and give presentations for internships and external semesters. Registration is open until January 23rd via email to ifgi.study@uni-muenster.de. Please be sure to include the presentation title and the names of the examiners (as well as any preferred time slots). The last possibility for defenses in this semester will be on March 20th. 

New Research Project: SPACE-EYE

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved a new research project to analyze the link between walking trajectories and eye-movement trajectories. The project, entitled "SPACE-EYE: Spatial and Architectural Evidence from Movement-Aware Eye-Tracking," is led by Prof. Dr. Jakub Krukar. The research will combine mobile eye-tracking and motion data to build a computational framework that models gaze and locomotion together in realistic architectural environments. This has implications for areas interested in modelling how people move through and view space, e.g. in signage planning, or emergency evacuation scenarios.

© Thomas Bartoschek

Mobility Award NRW 2025 for "Essen on Wheels"

The "Essen on Wheels" project has achieved 3rd place in the Mobility Award NRW. The award was presented on December 8th by Transport Minister Oliver Krischer as part of Mobility Day NRW. This project, a joint effort of the IFGI and the Institute for Didactics of Geography, involved collecting data on cycling traffic using the senseBox:bike, with the support of dedicated cycling initiatives such as the ADFC Essen e.V. and students from six Essen schools. The project aimed to promote data literacy, climate protection, and education. Running from December 2022 to November 2025, the project was funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation. The €5,000 prize money will now be used to further develop the project. The goal is to establish and expand the project approach to other schools and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany. We thank everyone who has continuously supported the project and cast their vote!

© IFGI/Sitcom

Survey on Bikeability of Cities

As part of the IP Project on intelligent commuting, we have been working on a Bikeability Dashboard for almost three years. As we approach to the end of the project we would like your feedback to finalise our work and make the dashboard intuitive and effective. For that reason we created a UI survey. Participation is, of course, voluntary and anonymous, and takes about 15 minutes. Further information about the concept of bikeability, the project, and the dashboard will be provided at the start of the survey. If you ride a bike every now and then, your feedback is very valuable for us. We would like to thank you in advance for your participation and for sharing the survey.
For further questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at sitcom.studies@uni-muenster.de.
 

New exam regulations for Bachelor Geoinformatics (starting WS 2025/26)

A new amendment to the examination regulations for the Bachelor's program in Geoinformatics has been in effect since February 3. It applies to all students enrolled in the Bachelor's program in Geoinformatics starting in the winter semester of 2025/26. The amendment also applies to all students enrolled since the summer semester of 2021 -however, with regard to the amendment, only if the relevant modules have not yet been started or completed before the start of the winter semester of 2025/26.

Third amendment to the examination regulations for the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Geoinformatik, 3 February 2025

SCALA network
© SCALA

New doctoral network investigates spatial communication

A fundamental function of all language is to describe spatial aspects such as where objects are located, how to get to a particular place or which of several choices in one’s field of view is meant. Despite the central importance of these aspects, there are large gaps in our knowledge of exactly how and why spatial communication skills change as we age. In order to close these knowledge gaps, the European Union, together with UK Research and Innovation, is funding the new international doctoral network ‘SCALA’ (Spatial Communication and Ageing across LAnguages) with 4,5 million euros. Speaker of the new network is Prof Christian Kray.

© AdobeStock - engel.ac

Research Communication: “Windscope” receives funding

A team led by Dr. Thomas Bartoschek and Dr. Christian Knoth from the Institute of Geoinformatics has received funding for the “Windscope” project, which aims to make the planning of wind farms tangible for teenagers. The mobile learning station simulates a region with settlements, roads, nature and wind turbines using building blocks. Users can play through scenarios using artificial intelligence and augmented reality. “Wissenschaft im Dialog” is funding the project with 10,000 euros.