The speakers for this session are Sebastián Valdivia and Constanza Vargas. Sebastián Valdivia is Project Manager at the UC City Observatory (OCUC), a geographer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and holds a master’s degree in Earth Observation and Geoinformation Management from the University of Edinburgh. Constanza Vargas works as a GIS and Remote Sensing data analyst at OCUC and is an engineer in Renewable Natural Resources from the University of Chile.

In the session, Sebastián and Constanza will present the topic ‘Spatial-temporal analysis of salt flats and lagoons in the Chilean altiplano between 1985 and 2024: generating geospatial knowledge of saline ecosystems.’ The salt flats and lagoons of the Chilean altiplano are unique and highly vulnerable ecosystems. However, only 10 of the 64 existing ones are under the protection of the National System of State Protected Wild Areas (SNASPE), which is equivalent to only 8% of the total area. To advance their protection and conservation, it is essential to have a solid scientific basis to support decision-making.

This study analyses the spatial-temporal variation of water and vegetation between 1985 and 2024, using Landsat images, spectral indices and meteorological data to assess the influence of climate and human activity. During the presentation, the main findings and the methodology applied will be presented, which included site-specific calibrations due to the use of different satellite sensors.

The seminar will take place on Friday, August 8^th at 12:00 PM Chile time (4:00 PM UTC) in the Maryam Mirzakhani Room at the Center for Mathematical Modeling, University of Chile (Beauchef 851, North Building, 6th floor). It will also be live-streamed at this link.