Dr. Tomaž Podobnikar

Tomaž Podobnikar is a geospatial specialist with expertise in GIS, remote sensing (RS), Earth observation (EO), geodesy, and GIScience, applied across engineering, environmental, and social sciences. He has extensive experience in spatial analysis, data integration, and quality assurance. As an associate professor at the University of Ljubljana and the Faculty of Information Studies, he has led the development of innovative geoscientific methods, including the Multidirectional Visibility Index (MVI). His work spans environmental research, space studies, visual analytics, natural/cultural heritage conservation, and social sciences. He works for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, focusing on improving data quality. Recently, he contributed to three United Nations organizations: UNGSC (Italy), MINUSMA (Mali), and ESCWA (Lebanon). Previously, he served as Scientific Councilor (equivalent to full professor) and Head of the Department of Environmental Studies at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He has also consulted on EU projects for the NGO Mura Regional Development Agency Ltd. and worked with the Vienna University of Technology as well as C.N.R.S. (France). He holds a PhD in spatial data integration/conflation, an MA in Monte Carlo methods for spatial analysis, and a BA in GIS in archaeology, all from the University of Ljubljana. He evaluates projects and has been awarded over 25 competitive grants, including the prestigious Fulbright award.