The SPARC lab, led by Prof. Dr. Jakub Krukar and the Human-Centered Interior Environment Lab led by Prof. Ji Young Cho at Kyung Hee University in Seoul have received joint funding from the German Research Foundation and the National Research Foundation of Korea. The project is titled "Measuring mental representations of complex 3D structures for wayfinding: bringing together geoinformatics Virtual Reality tools and domain-specific psychometric spatial ability tests". The collaboration will involve mutual research visits of 3-4 weeks (Jakub in Seoul, Ji Young in Münster) over the upcoming years.

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.

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!