Dr. rer. nat. F.J. Ellsäßer (Florian)

I am an Assistant Professor in the LIFE department at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente. My research and teaching focus on remote and proximal sensing for agricultural and environmental monitoring. I integrate satellite Earth Observation, UAV-based sensing, and in-situ IoT sensor and camera networks to monitor, analyse, and model (bio-)physical and ecological processes across multiple scales.

Organisations

My research aims to improve agricultural monitoring and climate resilience by combining multi-scale Earth Observation data with field-based measurements. I develop process- and data-driven models that integrate satellite image time series with UAV-based thermal, multispectral, and hyperspectral imagery and in-situ sensor and camera observations.

Methodologically, I design, build, and test sensors, field cameras, and UAV platforms to support these monitoring applications. A key focus is proximal sensing with network-connected cameras and UAVs/drones, including the use of edge computing to extract, process and reduce information directly at the sensor level. These systems operate in low-power, long-range networks such as LoRaWAN or higher-bandwidth LTE networks, enabling scalable and efficient agricultural monitoring from leaf to landscape level.

JECAM Site Netherlands – Towards an Agricultural Living Lab in Twente
A central pillar of my work is the development of the Dutch JECAM site (Joint Experimental Crop Assessment and Monitoring) in the Twente region. The site is progressively evolving into an agricultural living lab embedded within a real production landscape.

The JECAM site integrates satellite remote sensing, UAV surveys, thermal and multispectral field cameras, weather stations, and soil sensors within a dense, networked monitoring infrastructure. It provides a spatially explicit, long-term platform for generating high-resolution spatial-temporal datasets of crop, soil, and atmospheric conditions. These datasets support calibration and validation of remote sensing products and enable systematic comparison with other international JECAM sites.

UAV Centre and FAIR UAV Data
Within ITC, I serve as Research Lead of the UAV Centre. My work includes the development of UAV data structures and metadata frameworks that support FAIR data management and sharing. These frameworks facilitate standardized workflows, interoperability, and reproducibility of UAV remote sensing data within ITC and the international UAV research community.

Publications

Research profiles

I teach in several MSc programmes at ITC, guiding students in UAV-based Earth Observation, field and laboratory methods for acquiring ground truth data, sensor-based environmental monitoring, and modelling of agricultural systems. My goal is to equip students with practical, hands-on skills that connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. To expand access and future-proof our teaching, I also develop online courses on Geoversity.io, where students engage with UAV data for precision agriculture, learn segmentation and classification techniques, explore IoT data networks and agricultural forecasting, and apply remote sensing workflows in an interactive, practice-oriented learning environment.

Courses academic year 2025/2026

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Address

University of Twente

Langezijds (building no. 19), room 1119
Hallenweg 8
7522 NH Enschede
Netherlands

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Organisations