The first GAIA Symposium on Geospatial AI and Applications with Foundation Models, hosted by INSAIT and ELLIS Unit Sofia, will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 24–26 September 2025. This international event will bring together leading researchers and practitioners in artificial intelligence, geospatial science, weather and climate, and Earth observation to explore the rapidly evolving intersection of machine learning, foundation models, and geospatial data. The symposium aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, highlight recent scientific and technical advances, and catalyze the development of next-generation foundation models tailored for spatial and multimodal applications. In addition to oral presentations and poster sessions, the program will include ample opportunities for networking and building collaborations across academia, industry, and government sectors.
GAIA 2025 will spotlight the transformative role of Foundation Models (FMs) in Earth Observation (EO), Geospatial Science, and broader Earth and Planetary Sciences. The symposium will explore how these powerful models can unlock new insights from vast and diverse data sources such as satellites, drones, and ground sensors. Key themes include:
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Integrating geospatial data into foundation models
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Multi-modal and cross-sensor representation learning
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Machine vision and advanced image processing for EO
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Benchmarking and evaluation of FMs in geospatial applications
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Real-world deployment and commercial use of EO-driven FMs
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Remote sensing technologies, aerial imagery, and drone-based analysis
GAIA 2025 aims to highlight both scientific and societal benefits of Foundation Models across a variety of sectors, including but not limited to:
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Agriculture and food security
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Environmental monitoring and climate assessment
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Weather forecasting and extreme event prediction
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Natural resource exploration and management (e.g., energy, mining)
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Disaster preparedness and emergency response
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Urban planning, infrastructure, and smart cities
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Land use mapping and sustainable development
Important dates
- Paper Submission Deadline: June 30 (
June 15, extended), 2025 (AoE) - Author Notification: July 15, 2025 (AoE)
- Camera-Ready Submission: July 30, 2025 (AoE)
- Symposium Date: 24-26 Sept. 2025
Invited speakers
ETH Zurich, former NASA Science Director
MBZUAI / Linkping Univ, Full Professor and Deputy Department Chair of Computer Vision
ServiceNow Research, Research Scientist and Manager
Faculty at INSAIT
Associate Professor, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Associate Professor, Nankai University
Organizing Committee
- Luc Van Gool (INSAIT)
- Danda Paudel (INSAIT)
- Bin Ren (INSAIT)
- Jeroen Audenaert (MIT)
- Ronny Hänsch (DLR)
- Salman Khan (MBZUAI)
- Xian Sun (Aerospace Information Research Institute)
- Yuliya Tarabalka (Space42)
- Iain Keaney (Ubotica Technologies)
- Begüm Demir (BIFOLD and Technische Universität Berlin)