Organisation profile
Organisation profile
Research activities in the Cartography and GIS Research Group (CGIS) focus on the use of geospatial modelling approaches in urban ecology and geosciences. Harnessing new developments in GIS, remote sensing and data science, we are dedicated to analyzing and understanding human-nature interactions, both in urban and non-urban environments. Research topics include high-resolution mapping of grey and green infrastructure in urban environments, socio-spatial analysis of the role of urban green on well-being, and modelling of natural hazard processes through remote sensing.
Keywords
- Remote Sensing
- urban ecology
- ecosystem services
- urban areas
- sustainability
- Geographical Information Science
- urban dynamics
Fingerprint
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Profiles
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Francesc Baró Porras
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Sociology - Unpaid employee
- Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies - Unpaid employee
- Geography - Unpaid guest professor
- Cartography and Geographical Information Science
Person: Researcher, Professor, Guest professor
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Elsa Gallez
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Geography - Unpaid employee
- R&D centraal - Unpaid employee
- Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research - Unpaid employee
- Cartography and Geographical Information Science
Person: Researcher, Doctoral student
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Robbe Neyns
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Geography - Scientific employee
- Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
- Cartography and Geographical Information Science
Person: Researcher, PhD, Doctoral student
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ADSI187: Development of a Land Resource Information System (LRIS) to Assist in Selecting Appropriate Agroforestry Tree Species in the Philippine Uplands
Canters, F. (Administrative Promotor)
28/08/08 → …
Project: Fundamental
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BRGPROV11: ERANET: COOLSCHOOLS: Realizing potentials of nature-based climate shelters in school environments for urban transformation
Baró Porras, F. (Administrative Promotor)
1/03/22 → 28/02/25
Project: Policy Based
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OZR3759: Geospatial analysis of access to green and blue infrastructure from other foundational amenities in the Brussels Capital Region (GREENEQUITIES)
Baró Porras, F. (Administrative Promotor)
1/09/21 → 31/12/25
Project: Fundamental
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FEDTWIN1: GeohazarDs in AfricaN CitiEs: patterns, rates and sustainability in urban-sprawling contexts
Kervyn De Meerendre, M. (Administrative Promotor) & Smets, B. (PI (Promotor, Principal Investigator))
1/10/20 → 30/09/25
Project: Fundamental
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OZR3525: Bilateral cooperation within the framework of a joint doctoral project: benchfee for joint PhD VUB - ULB, PHILLIPS Amy
Canters, F. (Administrative Promotor)
19/02/20 → 18/02/24
Project: Fundamental
Research output
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A novel dual-threshold assessment method for formulating land degradation neutrality priority governance strategies in Central Asia under SDG 15.3.1
Li, J., De Maeyer, P., Chen, X., Van de Voorde, T. & Li, Y., Jan 2026, In: Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 116, 108116.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Exposure and access to green infrastructure in residential care facilities: Spatial inequities in Brussels
Pu, Y., Canters, F., Gadeyne, S. & Baró, F., Apr 2026, In: Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 118, 12 p., 129347.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Schools as gateways to urban nature for all: A mixed-methods analysis of children's (in)equitable exposure to school-related green and blue infrastructure in Brussels and other European cities
Gallez, E., 2026, Crazy Copy Center Productions. 277 p.Research output: Thesis › PhD Thesis
Open AccessFile -
Unravelling information on impactful geo-hydrological hazard events with HazMiner, a multilingual text mining method developed through a global scale coverage application
Valkenborg, B., Dewitte, O. (Contributor) & Smets, B. (Contributor), 12 Feb 2026, 45 p.Research output: Working paper › Preprint
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A detection-screening framework for karez (ancient underground irrigation system) using deep learning and geospatial analysis
Ilniyaz, O., Zhang, Y., Wang, L., Zhang, X., Kurban, A., Eziz, A., Ablimit, K., Bourgeois, J., Barbaix, S., Van de Voorde, T., Jiang, J., Xiang, X. & Wang, Y., Dec 2025, In: npj Heritage Science. 13, 1, p. 1-15 15 p., 429.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Activities
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Research stay Karlstad university
Neyns, R. (Visitor)
1 Jul 2025 → 30 Sept 2025Activity: Other › Research and Teaching at External Organisation
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Supporting children's interaction with nature at school: from staff’s barriers towards transformative pathways
Gallez, E. (Speaker)
19 May 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a workshop/seminar
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A multilingual tool for the documentation of impactful geo-hydrological hazards using online news articles: a worldwide application
Valkenborg, B. (Speaker), Dewitte, O. (Contributor) & Smets, B. (Contributor)
1 May 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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5th ESP Europe Conference
Wu, J. (Participant)
18 Nov 2024 → 22 Nov 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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Kuwait Journal of Science (Journal)
Wu, J. (Peer reviewer)
9 Oct 2024 → 27 Dec 2024Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
Datasets
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Transcription and guide of 10 semi-structured interviews with school staff (teachers, directors) of primary schools in Brussels (2025)
Bassens, D. (Creator), Gallez, E. (Creator), Phillips, A. (Creator), Canters, F. (Creator), Baró Porras, F. (Creator) & Gadeyne, S. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 5 Feb 2026
Dataset
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Results of a map-based survey with school staff (teachers, directors) of primary schools in Brussels (2024)
Bassens, D. (Creator), Gallez, E. (Creator), Phillips, A. (Creator), Canters, F. (Creator), Baró Porras, F. (Creator) & Gadeyne, S. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 5 Feb 2026
Dataset
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Results of a map-based survey with parents of primary-school aged children in Brussels (2024)
Bassens, D. (Creator), Gallez, E. (Creator), Phillips, A. (Creator), Canters, F. (Creator), Baró Porras, F. (Creator) & Gadeyne, S. (Creator), VUB Institutional Data Repository, 5 Feb 2026
Dataset
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Primary schools in the Brussels-Capital Region : location, schoolyard boundaries, and socio-environmental indicators (2020-2021)
Gallez, E. (Creator), Zenodo, 25 Feb 2025
Dataset