Markus Immitzer

Markus Immitzer is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Geomatics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). His research focuses on land cover classification, vegetation monitoring, and biophysical parameter modeling using remote sensing data from various platforms (UAV, aircraft, satellite) and sensors (multispectral to hyperspectral, LiDAR). He teaches courses in remote sensing, geodata management, and photogrammetry.

Education includes a Ph.D. (2017) on mapping tree species using satellite imagery, Diplomingenieur in Forestry Science (2013), and M.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology and Wildlife Management (2011), all from BOKU. Professional experience includes positions at Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL (2023) and Geotree Ltd./Mantle Labs Ltd. (2022).

Research interests center on developing remote sensing methodologies for forestry applications, habitat modeling, and vegetation monitoring. Key focus areas include tree species classification, disturbance detection, biomass estimation, and multi-sensor data integration for environmental monitoring.

Recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on operational forest monitoring using multi-platform remote sensing data, with applications in carbon project verification, biodiversity assessment, and fire danger modeling. Research increasingly incorporates machine learning techniques and multi-temporal analysis for improved accuracy in vegetation characterization.

Awards and honors include:

• BOKU Best Paper Award (2024)
• BOKU Sustainability Award nomination (2020)
• Multiple dissertation awards (2018-2019)
• Research prizes for forest remote sensing (2017-2018)
• Performance scholarships (2005-2009)