Stefan Peters (He/Him)
Senior Lecturer
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Organisation unit

College of Sciences School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

Location

Adelaide University

My skills

Environmental and Forestry Modelling
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Remote Sensing and Earth Observation
Spatio-temporal Data Analysis and Geovis
Web Mapping and Interactive Cartography
Google Scholar
ORCID
Scopus

About me

I am an internationally recognized Geospatial Scientist, interdisciplinary researcher, and dedicated mentor with over 25 years of experience in the field. My expertise lies at the interface of Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Forestry, and Ecology. My primary goal is to transform complex geographic data into meaningful insights and actionable evidence through advanced spatio-temporal analysis.

Currently, my main research focuses on:
  • Early fire smoke detection using energy-efficient on-board AI for CubeSats.
  • Vegetation stress and water usage estimation via multispectral multitemporal imagery.
  • Forestry productivity and wood volume estimation using multi-temporal LiDAR data.
  • GIS-based habitat hotspot and corridor modelling.
  • Participatory GIS

Before joining the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2016, I served as a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. I hold a Ph.D. in Cartography and a Dipl.-Ing. degree in Geodesy and Geoinformation from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where I also coordinated the international M.Sc. program in Cartography.

  • Erasmus+ Award (2014): Recognized by the European Union for excellence in the joint M.Sc. Cartography program (1.6 Mio EURO).
  • IARIA GEOprocessing Best Paper Award (2014): For the paper “Spatio Temporal Density Mapping of a Dynamic Phenomenon”.
  • Annals of GIS Best Paper Award (2012): Second author for “Directed kernel density estimation (DKDE) for time series visualization”.
  • Runder Tisch GIS e.V. Advancement Award (2009): For an outstanding Diploma thesis in Geoinformatics.

  • 2023 – 2025: Senior Lecturer (Geospatial Science), STEM/FII, University of South Australia.
  • 2017 – 2022: Lecturer (GIS and Surveying), NBE/STEM, University of South Australia.
  • 2015 – 2016: Senior Lecturer (Geoinformation / GIS / Cartography), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
  • 2008 – 2014: Research Associate, Chair of Cartography, Technical University of Munich.
  • 2007 – 2008: GIS Developer and Expert roles in Spain and Germany.
  • 1997 – 2002: Cadastral Technician, Bavarian Agency for Surveying and Geoinformation.

I am a passionate educator focused on converting intricate geographic data into intuitive digital maps. 
I currently coordinate and teach:
  • Web Cartography.
  • Introduction to Remote Sensing (ENGI-2002).
  • Environmental and Geospatial Field Project.

I have a strong track record of HDR supervision, including projects on AI-driven fire detection, Stringybark dieback, and urban heat island modeling. I have also contributed to secure teaching grants for innovative tools, such as the UniSA-STEM grant for immersive virtual environments (Project LIVE-MM).

  • Vice-chair: ICA Commission on Education and Training (CET) (2016-2024). Regional coordinator: for Australasia since 2024Member: Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI). 
  • Member: South Australia’s Government Spatial Imagery Committee (GSIC). 
  • Member: International Cartographic Association (ICA) Commission on Geovisualization. 
  • Member: European Geosciences Union (EGU). 
  • Member: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) 
  • Review Editor: Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, International Journal of Cartography, and ISPRS-IJGI.

Media experience
Last updated on 16/01/2026 by Stefan Peters