Beijing Winter School

The conference brought together researchers from over 110 institutes, including UCL, CAU, the University of Newcastle, and several major Chinese research organisations.

More than 27 professors and 600+ postgraduate students and research associates presented their work across three days.

A keynote by Professor Philip Lewis highlighted the role of ESA Sentinel satellites in monitoring agriculture across the North China Plain (NCP), a region covering nearly 20% of China’s agricultural land, essential for national food security and economic stability.

peakers explored a range of agricultural and ecological remote sensing approaches, including:

• Optical remote sensing
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
• Hyperspectral remote sensing
• Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF)

Talks examined how combining remote sensing with modelling, such as 3D vegetation canopy radiative transfer models and crop growth models, helps researchers:

• Monitor crop health and development
• Assess product quality
• Predict final yields
• Understand environmental impacts including hydrology and soil fertilisation

On 26 November, Dr Nicola Pounder (Assimila Ltd, UK) led a hands-on session in Earth Observation Land Data Assimilation (EO-LDAS). Assimila is a key partner in integrating satellite data with vegetation growth information for the Newton Agri-Tech Projects.

The session also included contributions from:

• Dr Qingling Wu
• Dr Hongyuan Ma
• Feng Yin (UCL Department of Geography)

Training focused on using a 3D vegetation canopy growth model to analyse leaf spectral data and understand canopy structure across the growing season.

This interactive workshop strengthened collaboration between UK and Chinese researchers, helping them address shared challenges in remote sensing.

Participants reported high value from the event and expressed strong interest in a future follow-up featuring expanded practical sessions.