Space Research Group

The Space Research Group is an interdisciplinary research hub dedicated to the generation, analysis, and application of advanced geospatial information. Our work supports environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the development of scientific and technological capacity in Uruguay and the broader Latin American region. By integrating remote sensing, geospatial technologies, and artificial intelligence, GIEx transforms environmental and territorial data into actionable insights that inform decision-making at multiple scales.

Earth Observation and Environmental Monitoring: Leveraging satellite imagery, sensors, and in situ measurements to track ecosystem health, land-use change, and climate impacts.
Geo-Intelligence and Sustainability: Applying AI and spatial analytics to integrate environmental, socio-economic, and territorial data for sustainable decision-making.
Space Technologies and Geospatial Data Science: Developing platforms, tools, and methodologies to process, analyze, and visualize large-scale geospatial datasets.

Integration of Smart Weather Balloons for Climate Monitoring
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); WindBorne Systems (USA)
Funding: WindBorne Systems (USA)

Integrating Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence for the Early Detection and Spatial Assessment of Palm Tree Diseases in Uruguay
Participants: Universidad Tecnológica (UTEC); Servicio de Sensores Remotos Aeroespaciales, Fuerza Aerea, Ministerio de Defensa (Uruguay)
Funding: Universidad Tecnológica (UTEC)

Bridging Boreal and Subtropical Forests: A Finland–Uruguay Knowledge Exchange for Climate-Smart Forestry Education
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Funding: TFK 2025, Team Finland Knowledge Programme (Finland)

Studying the Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Water Resources in Uruguay
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic (FCIEN, UDELAR); Regional Center for Groundwater (CEREGAS); Paulista State University (UNESP, Brazil); University of Buenos Aires (UBA, Argentina); Colorado State University (CSU, USA); Ministry of Environment (Uruguay)
Funding: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO, UK)

Strengthening the Space Ecosystem between Uruguay and the USA
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, USA); US Space Sector Companies; Uruguayan Space Sector Companies
Funding: United States Embassy in Uruguay

Integrated Water Quality Modeling with Remote Sensing and In Situ Observations in Uruguay
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); National University of Misiones (Argentina); University of Valencia (Spain)

Contributions of Remote Sensing to Water Resource Management in Uruguay: Adjustment of Monitoring Tools and Predictive Models for Phytoplankton Development in Agricultural Reservoirs
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic (FCIEN, UDELAR)

Earth Observation and Monitoring: Transportable Satellite Data Reception System
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Aerospace Remote Sensing Service, Air Force (Ministry of Defense); Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC, Uruguay); Ministry of Environment (Uruguay); Spatial Data Infrastructure of Uruguay (IDEuy); Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (AUCI)
Funding: People’s Republic of China Government; Technological University (UTEC)

Monitoring Tree Cover Change Using Remote Sensing and Deep Learning
Participants: University of Cuenca (Ecuador); Technological University (UTEC); Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain); COMGUAVIARE (Colombia)
Funding: Pan American Institute of Geography and History (IPGH)

Development of Forest Metric Estimation Models in Silvopastoral Systems Using Photogrammetry and LiDAR Techniques
Participants: Faculty of Agronomy, University of the Republic (FAGRO, UDELAR); Technological University (UTEC)
Funding: Sectoral Commission for Scientific Research (CSIC, UDELAR)

Analysis of Flood Susceptibility and Risk Associated with the Dynamics of the Yí River in the City of Durazno (Uruguay)
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic (FCIEN, UDELAR); University of Buenos Aires (UBA)
Funding: National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII, Uruguay) – Graduate Fellowships

The Labor Loss Risk in Uruguay Due to Climate Change: Analyzing the Case of Vulnerable Workers with Open Data
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); AmenazaRoboto (Uruguay)
Funding: Pulitzer Center Media (USA)

Satellite-Based Wildfire Monitoring and Mapping in Uruguay
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Aerospace Remote Sensing Service, Air Force (Ministry of Defense)
Funding: Technological University (UTEC); Aerospace Remote Sensing Service, Air Force (Ministry of Defense)

Applications of LiDAR Technology and Optical Imaging in Forensic Anthropology
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); National Institution for Human Rights and Ombudsman’s Office (INDDHH, Uruguay); Aerospace Remote Sensing Service, Air Force (Ministry of Defense)
Funding: Technological University (UTEC); National Institution for Human Rights and Ombudsman’s Office

Building an Open Geomatics Network for Ibero-American Collaboration (GEOLIBERO)
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); gvSIG Association (Spain); Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMEX, Mexico); Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain); University of Catalonia (Spain); University of Porto (Portugal); Federal University of Paraná (Brazil); Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception (Chile); Don Bosco University (El Salvador)
Funding: Ibero-American Science and Technology for Development Program (CYTED)

Evaluation of Intrinsic Vulnerability and Contamination Risk of the Guaraní Aquifer System in Recharge Areas of Uruguay
Participants: Technological University (UTEC); Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic (FCIEN, UDELAR); Regional Center for Groundwater (CEREGAS); Paulista State University (UNESP, Brazil)
Funding: María Viñas Fund, National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII, Uruguay)

Dogliotti, G., Rizzo, I., Baietto, A., Posse, J. P., Aubet, N., Lamas, N., & Gonzalez-Talice, J. (2025). Evaluating the effect of tree position on crown area, height, and crown asymmetry in Silvopastoral systems using drone laser scanning (DLS)-based segmentation. Agroforestry Systems, 99(8), 240.

Lupercio, L., Calle, J., Flores, D., Saquicela, V., Aubet, N., Rubio, A., Villamagua-Vergara, G., (2025). Changes in vegetation cover types in localities in the Ecuadorian and Colombian Amazon. Revista Cartográfica IPGH (accepted)

Coronel, H., Juela, K., Saquicela, V., Aubet, N., & Lupercio, L. (2025). Artificial Intelligence to the Rescue of the Ecuadorian Amazon: Monitoring Changes with Deep Learning. In 2025 28th International Conference on Information Fusion (FUSION) (pp. 1-7). IEEE.

Zabaleta, B., Achkar, M., & Aubriot, L. (2025). Geographic variation in the potential transport of cyanobacterial blooms to the main water utility of Uruguay. Inland Waters, 1-29.

Dogliotti, G., Posse, J. P., Soca, P., Chilibroste, P., Aubet, N., Fedrigo, J. K., & Gonzalez-Talice, J. (2024). Characterizing microenvironmental factors and the forest component in the production of natural grasslands in a silvopastoral system with Eucalyptus grandis. Agroforestry Systems, 1-15.

Li, Z., Konhauser, K. O., Zhou, Y., Adlakha, E., Button, M., Lazowski, C., & Robbins, L. J. (2023). How does weathering influence geochemical proxies in Paleoproterozoic banded iron formations? A case study from outcrop samples of 2.46 Ga banded iron formation, Hamersley Basin, Western Australia. Geological Society of America Bulletin.

Dogliotti, G., Rizzo, I., Baietto, A., Posse, J. P., Aubet, N., & Gonzalez-Talice, J. (2023). Crown segmentation using Airborne Laser Scanning data in a silvopastoral system with Eucalyptus grandis. Agrociencia Uruguay, 27(NE2), e1311-e1311

Sismande, A., Delegido, J., Lousada, F., Aubet, N. (2023). Estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration in the reservoirs of Río Negro, Uruguay. Revista LINKS; 1; 79-95

Zabaleta, B., Aubriot, L., Olano, H., & Achkar, M. (2023). Satellite assessment of eutrophication hot spots and algal blooms in small and medium-sized productive reservoirs in Uruguay’s main drinking water basin. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(15), 43604-43618.

Dobrich, M., Farias, G., Aubet, N., Lamas, N. (2023). Commuter Town. Pulitzer Media Center https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/commuter-town

Dobrich, M., Farias, G., Aubet, N., Lamas, N. (2023). Quick Sand. Pulitzer Media Center https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/quicksand

Dobrich, M., Farias, G., Aubet, N., Lamas, N. (2023). Climate Change, Mobility and Inequality Pulitzer Media Center https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/climate-change-mobility-and-inequality

Konhauser, K. O., & Pecoits, E. (2023). Jaspilite. In Encyclopedia of Astrobiology (pp. 1578-1578). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Zabaleta, B., Haakonsson, S., Achkar, M., & Aubriot, L. (2023). High-frequency zones of phytoplankton blooms in the Río de la Plata Estuary associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 286, 108342.

Zabaleta, B., Achkar, M., & Aubriot, L. (2023). Zoning the risk of transporting phytoplankton blooms from multiple reservoirs to the primary drinking water intake in Uruguay.

ANII, 2022. “Evaluación de la vulnerabilidad intrínseca y riesgo de contaminación del Sistema Acuífero Guaraní en áreas de recarga en Uruguay”. FMV_1_2019_1_155736. Fondo María Viñas, Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación, 250p., Montevideo.

Mloszewska, A. M., Haugaard, R., Pecoits, E., & Konhauser, K. O. (2022). Banded iron formation. In Encyclopedia of astrobiology (pp. 1-12). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Manganelli, A., Gastmans, D., Vituri Santarosa, L., Veroslavsky, G., Aubet, N., Samaniego, L., ... & Arteaga, J. (2021). A review of regional groundwater flow model in Guarani Aquifer System outcrop region in Uruguay: consequences for integrated surface and groundwater management. In ISARM2021, 2nd. International Conference" Transboundary aquifers. Challenges and the way forward", Paris, 06-09 december 2021. Book of abstracts. UNESCO.

Duque, J. S., do Santos, L., Santos, R., Arteaga, J. A., & Aubet, N. (2022). Level river forecasting using empirical hydrological modeling for Rio Negro basin Uruguay. Proceeding Series of the Brazilian Society of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 9(1).

Mendez-Sodre, F., Aubet, N. 2023. Mapeamento de áreas de lavoura mecanizada em Terra indígenas do Mato Grosso. O Joio e o Trigo https://ojoioeotrigo.com.br/2023/07/mato-grosso-tem-lavoura-mecanizada-dentro-de-terras- indigenas/

Farias, G., Aubet, N., Dobrich, M., Lamas, N. 2022. The submerged city. https://amenazaroboto.com/uruguay2100/montevideo

Samaniego, L., Veroslavsky, G., Manganelli, A., Aubet, N.R. 2022. Advances in Geological Knowledge in the Transboundary Outcrop Area of the Guarani Aquifer System, Artigas City and Surroundings, Uruguay. In: Transboundary Aquifers: Challenges and the Way Forward. Sanchez, R (Eds.). Editorial: UNESCO, Paris. pp. 134-139.

Schön, F., Zabaleta, B., & Achkar, M. (2022). Causas de eventos de inundación en la ciudad de San José de Mayo, Uruguay. Revista de Geografía Norte Grande, (82), 209-230.

Duque, J. S., do Santos, L., Santos, R., Arteaga, J. A., & Aubet, N. (2022). Level river forecasting using empirical hydrological modeling for Rio Negro basin Uruguay. Proceeding Series of the Brazilian Society of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 9(1)