Kai Heckel

• Since 2019
  Remote Sensing Analyst at EOS Jena
• Since 2016
  PhD at IMPRS-gBGC and FSU Jena
  
  Dissertation Title: 'Spatio-temporal consistency evaluation of land surface products in the Copernicus era'
• 2013-2016
  Master of Science Geoinformatics at the Department for Earth Observation (FSU Jena)
  
  Thesis Title: 'Analysis of a long-term Time Series of 1 km NDVI Data derived from AVHRR over Europe and North Africa - Impact of Sensor Correction' (conducted at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen)

• Multi-temporal and -sensor remote sensing data fusion
• Derivation of global carbon modelling relevant parameters (forest extent, above-ground biomass, plant vitality indices)
• Application of machine-learning algorithms for pattern detection
• Forest and savannah ecosystems
• Height estimation using high-resolution airborne imagery

Current projects

• EMSAfrica (Ecological Management Support for Climate Change in Southern Africa) (since 2020)
• EO-CONNECT (since 2022)
• MOOC4Land
• EO-College
• IMPRS MPI-BGC

Completed projects

• GlobBiomass (2015 - 2017)
• BACI - Detecting changes in essential ecosystem and biodiversity properties - towards a "Biosphere Atmosphere Change Index" (2015 – 2019)

Publications (peer-reviewed)

2021

• HECKEL, K., Urban, M., Bouffard, J., Baade, J., Boucher, P., Davies, A., Hockridge, E., Lück, W., Ziemer, J., Smit, I., Jacobs, B., Norris-Rogers, M., & Schmullius, C. (2021). The first sub-meter resolution digital elevation model of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Koedoe, 63(1), 13 pages. doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v63i1.1679
• HECKEL K.; Urban, M.; Bouffard, J.-S.; Baade, J.; Boucher, P.; Davies, A.; Hockridge, E.G.; Lück, W.; Ziemer, J.; Smit, I.; Jacobs, B.; Norris-Rogers, M.; Schmullius, C. (2021): Sub-meter resolution digital elevation models and orthomosaics of the Kruger National Park, South Africa, v1.0, September-October 2018. NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, 28 September 2021. doi:10.5285/deab4235f1ef4cd79b73d0cbf2655bd7. http://dx.doi.org/10.5285/deab4235f1ef4cd79b73d0cbf2655bd7

2020

• URBAN, M., HECKEL, K., BERGER, C., SCHRATZ, P., SMIT, I.P.J., STRYDOM, T., BAADE, J. & C. SCHMULLIUS  (2020): Woody cover mapping in the savanna ecosystem of the Kruger National Park using Sentinel-1 C-Band time series data, Koedoe 62(1), a1621, doi:10.4102/koedoe.v62i1.1621.
• HECKEL, K., URBAN, M., SCHRATZ, P., MAHECHA, M. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2020): Predicting Forest Cover in Distinct Ecosystems: The Potential of Multi-Source Sentinel-1 and -2 Data Fusion, Advances in Remote Sensing for Global Forest Monitoring 12(2), doi:10.3390/rs12020302.

2018

• URBAN, M., BERGER, C., MUDAU, T., HECKEL, K., TRUCKENBRODT, J., ODIPO, V., SMIT, I. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2018): Surface Moisture and Vegetation Cover Analysis for Drought Monitoring in the Southern Kruger National Park Using Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8, Remote Sensing 10(9), doi: 10.3390/rs10091482.

Conference contributions

2020

• HECKEL, K.; Urban, M.; Bouffard, J.-S.; Baade, J.; Boucher, P.; Davies, A.; Hockridge, E.G.; Lück, W.; Ziemer, J.; Smit, I.; Jacobs, B.; Norris-Rogers, M.; Schmullius, C. (2021): Sub-meter resolution digital elevation models and orthomosaics of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Savanna Science Network Meeting, Skukuza, 02-06 March 2020.  

2019

• HECKEL, K.; Urban, M.; Bouffard, J.-S.; Baade, J.; E.G.; Lück, W.; Smit, I.; Norris-Rogers, M.; Schmullius, C.  (2019): The first very high-resolution elevation models of the Kruger National Park derived from CDNGI aerial imagery using PCI GXL, Savanna Science Network Meeting, Skukuza, 04-08 March 2019.
• HECKEL, K.; Urban, M.; Bouffard, J.-S.; Baade, J.; Boucher, P.; Davies, A.; Hockridge, E.G.; Lück, W.; Ziemer, J.; Smit, I.; Jacobs, B.; Norris-Rogers, M.; Schmullius, C.  (2019): Creation of a very high-resolution Digital Surface Model of the Kruger National Park from CDNGI aerial imagery using PCI GXL, ESA Living Planet Symposium, Milan, 13-17 May 2019.

2018

• HECKEL, K., URBAN, M., SCHRATZ, P., MAHECHA, M. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2018): Sentinel-1 and -2 Data for optimized Forest Cover Detection in varying ecosystems: Investigation of effects sensor fusion and the impact of spatial autocorrelation, Washington D.C., 01-05 October 2018.

2017

• HECKEL, K., URBAN, M., SCHRATZ, P., MAHECHA, M. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2017): Sentinel-1 and -2 for optimized forest cover detection in European temperate forests and South African savanna. -37th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, Pretoria, 8-12 May 2017.