From May 19–23, 2025, the Here and There, Now and Then workshop brought together students and experts from CY Cergy Paris Université and University College London (UCL) to explore urban ecological challenges at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. The event gathered 34 students from CY’s Master in Geomatics Applied to Urban Studies and Risks and UCL’s Connected Environments Lab for a week of intensive collaboration and creative problem-solving.
Olga Tutubalina, Remote Sensing Senior Expert at Gentian, played an active role throughout the workshop. After joining the preparatory seminar on May 14, where she presented two key datasets contributed by Gentian: a high-resolution 50-cm satellite image of the Olympic Park and a time series of thermal satellite maps. These datasets, along with others provided by partners such as Bluesky International, helped students address issues including urban heat islands, biodiversity, and heritage conservation.
On May 18, participants joined a guided walk through the park led by Gary Grant, environmentalist and founding advisor at Gentian, and Tom Bellamy, the park’s Biodiversity Manager. Their insights added depth and local relevance to student projects. The week culminated in a final presentation session on May 23, where students showcased innovative prototypes—from immersive technologies to heatwave adaptation solutions—translating complex environmental data into tangible, actionable ideas.
Reflecting on the event, Dr. Valerio Signorelli, Lecturer in Connected Environments at UCL's Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, extended thanks to Olga and Gentian for their vital contributions:
“It was truly inspiring to see students from different universities and programs come together to tackle shared challenges. This experience not only deepened their methodological knowledge but, thanks to the support of industry partners like Gentian and the expertise shared by Olga, also gave them valuable exposure to real-world problems and practical approaches. A big thank you to everyone involved. I look forward to future collaborations and to exploring new forms of visualisation together!”
Gentian is proud to support interdisciplinary initiatives like this, empowering the next generation of environmental and spatial analysts through real-world engagement and collaborative innovation.
