Maria Antonia Brovelli

Maria Antonia Brovelli is a Professor of GIS at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMI) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a member of the School of Doctoral Studies in Data Science at Roma La Sapienza University. Formerly Vice-Rector of PoliMI for the Como Campus (2011-2016), she currently leads the GEOLab (Geomatics and Earth Observation Lab) and holds influential roles including Deputy Chair of the ISPRS TC on Spatial Information Science, co-chair of the United Nations Open GIS Initiative, and Chair of the UN-GGIM Academic Network.

Her research spans geomatics with evolving expertise from geodesy and radar-altimetry to GIS, webGIS, geospatial web platforms, Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), Citizen Science, Big Geo Data, and geospatial AI. A global leader in Open-Source GIS advocacy, her work emphasizes open data ecosystems, collaborative mapping, and AI-driven geospatial solutions for environmental challenges. Key methodologies include open-source software frameworks and citizen science integration.

Recent publications (2025) demonstrate convergence of AI and geospatial analysis, featuring satellite-ground sensor fusion for urban air quality, high-resolution land cover mapping, zero-shot learning for remote sensing imagery, landslide prediction models, and climate-agriculture impact studies. Dominant themes include open geospatial platforms, transferable AI architectures, and multi-scale environmental monitoring using open data principles.

Honors include:

• Sol Katz Award for Geospatial Free and Open Source Software (OSGeo)

As mentor of PoliMI's YouthMappers chapter (PoliMappers), she guides student-led open mapping initiatives. Her editorial leadership as Associate Editor of ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information shapes discourse in geospatial AI and open science. Research grants span ESA Earth Observation programs, UN initiatives, and international collaborative projects focused on open geospatial infrastructure.

Brovelli directs GEOLab at Politecnico di Milano, a hub for geospatial innovation developing open-source tools for earth observation, citizen science platforms, and AI-driven spatial analytics. The lab collaborates with UN-GGIM, ISPRS networks, and ESA projects, driving open standards adoption globally while advancing geospatial AI applications in climate resilience and urban sustainability.