2026-10-07 –, WS - Riders Club 1
Urban environmental challenges such as illegal dumping, land degradation, and ground instability increasingly require integrated, data-driven responses that go beyond isolated geospatial analysis. While a wide range of tools exists for satellite processing, spatial modelling, and field data collection, these systems often operate independently, limiting their effectiveness in real-world operational environments. This workshop introduces a practical framework for building an open System of Systems (SoS) using QGIS as a central integration platform for urban environmental monitoring and decision support.
The workshop positions QGIS not merely as a desktop GIS tool, but as an orchestration layer capable of connecting heterogeneous subsystems, including satellite-based Earth observation (e.g., Sentinel-1 InSAR products), AI-assisted detection workflows, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), and field-based data collection. Participants will learn how to integrate these components into a coherent workflow that transforms raw geospatial data into actionable intelligence.
Through guided, hands-on sessions, participants will work with real-world datasets to (1) import and visualize time-series InSAR outputs, (2) integrate multiple spatial indicators relevant to urban environmental conditions, (3) implement MCDA techniques within QGIS for spatial prioritization, and (4) conceptualize how these analytical components can be embedded within a broader System of Systems architecture supporting operational decision-making.
The workshop emphasizes open-source tools, reproducible workflows, and interoperability, aligning with current discussions on GIS sovereignty and sustainable digital infrastructure. By the end of the session, participants will gain both technical skills and conceptual understanding of how QGIS can be leveraged as a strategic platform for integrating data, analytics, and operations in complex urban systems.
This workshop is suitable for GIS practitioners, urban planners, researchers, and decision-makers interested in advancing from standalone spatial analysis toward integrated, system-level geospatial solutions.
Dr. Sultan Al Sultan, leading an era of open-source Geospatial Technology Software in Saudi Arabia, Tokyo Institute of Technology PhD, a senior researcher at NASA, USGS, and has been a researcher in JAXA, RESTEC-Japan. he graduate from MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and previously from George Washington University, USA. He represented Univeristy Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC) for Saudi Arabia Universities. He is Saudi Arabia Parliament Member 2013-2017. Today he is the Founder and CEO of Environmental Remote Sensing Lab (TECRS-Lab).