dr.ir. W. Bijker (Wietske)

Research

My research focusses on remote sensing of Earth surface processes with gradually evolving changes in time and in space. Over the years, this research included monitoring individual trees as vague objects that gradually change through time, monitoring gradual changes in lakes and shorelines using fuzzy approaches, mapping and monitoring agricultural crops and their gradual development over time as well as monitoring of deforestation and related land cover changes, like regeneration of forest. I have guided 5 PhD students and many MSc students during their research.

Education

Currently, I teach change detection using remote sensing, monitoring (fuzzy) objects in the MSc Geo-information and Earth Observation course. I am also part of the development/coordinator team of the new MSc course Spatial Engineering, tutor for the case study project of food security and mentor in this course, as well as module developer and coordinator of the International module. In the past I also taught timeseries analysis and coordinated the remote sensing module including preparation and grading of the ITC-wide remote sensing exam. I obtained my University Teaching Qualification and my Certificate of English Proficiency.

Impact

The SMARTseeds project (2016-2020), led by ICCO, aims at providing information services for vegetable farmers in Indonesia under the Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) programme. In this project I led the development of the remote sensing component for vegetable mapping. This project is now resulting in a social enterprise. 

In the ITC-led project Spurring a Transformation for Agriculture through Remote Sensing (STARS) (2014-2016), financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, I was part of the team.

In “Roadmap for the use of geo-spatial information by the Philippines Commission on Audit (COA)” (2016), I co-developed and taught the course together with the Dutch Supreme Audit Institute, financed by the World Bank.

For the tailor made course “Development of Evacuation Routes and Determination of Shelter Accessibility Using High Resolution Satellite Imagery” under the project “Spatial Data Management and Identification of the most Vulnerable Schools and Shelters in Dominica” (2014), I co-developed and taught the course on request of the World Bank.

The PEP project Boom & Beeld (Tree and Image, 2008-2011) on mapping and monitoring urban trees, together with NEO and Alterra, did the technical ground work for the current tree register of The Netherlands www.boomregister.nl. In this project I co-supervised the AIO developing the algorithms.

In the project “Use of Geographical Information System for Audit of Disaster-Related Aid” for International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutes (INTOSAI), Indonesian and Dutch Supreme Audit Institutes, I developed a method and 2-weeks training for the use of GIS and RS (2007-2008) together with an Indonesian consultant.

For the two tailor made courses on "The potential of geo-informatics to combat drought, desertification and food insecurity" in Ethiopia (2003) and Mozambique (2004), I co-developed and taught the courses, financed by Nuffic.

Academic leadership:

• Member of the scientific committee of EARSel 2020, Liège
• Member of the steering committee of GARMON-project for BELSPO (2018-todate)
• Member of the development/coordinator team for the MSc course Spatial Engineering (2015-present)
• Member of the management team of the Department of Earth Observation Science, portfolio Capacity Development and Project Acquisition (2013-2016),
• Vice chair of Female Faculty Network Twente (FFNT) (2010-2015)
• Member and acting chair of the Programme Committee for education for the MSc course Geo-information science and Earth observation (2010-2016).
• Course coordinator and student advisor for MSc Geoinformatics (2005-2011)

Organisations

• Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Department of Earth Observation Science (EOS)