Welcome! I am a researcher on Geoinformatics and Environmental Modelling at the Image Processing Division of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. Here is my research vision and a recent lecture on modelling human-environment interactions. My view on the future of Brazilian science and technology is here.
My carreer has been divided between research and management activities. I am fortunate to have lead INPE's talented team on Geoinformatics to become internationally recognized. According to Google Scholar, I have an h-index of 30 and over 4000 paper citations, as of May 2012. I have advised 24 PhD dissertations and 18 MsC thesis. I serve on the editorial board of the journals Earth Science Informatics, Journal of Spatial Information Science and Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. I was a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of Global Land Project from 2006 to 2011.
Our team at INPE is particularly strong at developing open source GIS software that contains state-of-the-art research. Our software includes: SPRING, a free object-oriented GIS, TerraLib, an open source GIS library, TerraME, a tool for spatial modelling in cell spaces, TerraHS, a Haskell GIS programming enviroment, TerraAmazon, a system for shared interpretation of multi-temporal images for land change assessment, and GeoDMA, a geographical data mining program.
I also had the chance of applying my scientific expertise in the management area. From December 2005 to May 2012, I was INPE's general director, after serving as INPE's director for Earth Observation from October 2001 to December 2005. During my term in office, INPE's budget grew from US$ 90 million in 2004 to US$ 250 million in 2010. We defined a long-term strategic plan, increased cooperation in satellite technology with China and USA, and signed major contracts with Brazilian industries. INPE created the Centre for Earth System Science and the Centre for Space Research in Amazonia. We got a new supercomputer for weather and climate prediction and set up a program in Space Weather.
I established a free and open access policy for INPE's data and products. More than 2 million satellite images were distributed by INPE between 2005 and 2012. Our team also achieved big advances in forest monitoring by satellites, which led to a major decrease in the deforestation in Amazonia. This effort was supported by total information transparency, which changed the way Brazil and the World looked at Amazonia.
As a recognition for my work, I received a Dr. Honoris Causa from the University of Muenster (Germany). I am also fellow of the Faculty of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente (Netherlands). I received the Global Citizen Award of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association. I am a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Contact me: gilberto.camara ( at ) inpe.br.
