1. Motivation for my Research Topic on Environmental Issues Barbara Hofer Department of Geoinformation and Cartography, Vienna University of Technology

2. June 2005 Barbara Hofer 2 Motivation “The earth is influenced by globalization and the way mankind deals with natural resources. People have to admit their responsibility for their influence.” Prof. Renöckl in a talk on ethical questions in present time

3. June 2005 Barbara Hofer 3 Motivation (2) Interest in environmental issues GIS useful for solving earth related problems Example: soil erosion Copyright notice : (Foto: Eberle)

4. June 2005 Barbara Hofer 4 Open Questions Can I find a topic somehow related to a real world problem?  easier to motivate myself when I see the big picture Do I want to concentrate on a certain field of application like ecology?  …not necessarily  I am no expert in those areas

5. June 2005 Barbara Hofer 5 Open Questions (2) What am I good at?  Focus on my background  Find a direction for my research question What is special about spatial information?  Distinguish from e.g. IT experts

6. Motivation for my Research Topic on Environmental Issues Barbara Hofer hofer@geoinfo.tuwien.ac.at Vienna University of Technology