The EO–AI Symposium 2026 was held on 30 June and 1 July 2026 in Munich and jointly organized by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Queensland (UQ). The two-day event brought together researchers from Earth Observation, artificial intelligence, environmental science, and agriculture to discuss recent advances and emerging research directions at their intersections.

The symposium highlighted a broad range of topics, including foundation models, embeddings, digital twins, benchmarking, hybrid physics–AI modeling, crop monitoring, drought assessment, vegetation stress detection, agricultural analytics, and food security. The discussions demonstrated the growing potential of combining Earth Observation and AI methodologies to address complex challenges in environmental and agricultural systems.

Speakers and Contributions

The symposium featured contributions from researchers across academia and industry, including participants from the Technical University of Munich, University of Queensland, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Wageningen University & Research, and the Bundeswehr University Munich, among others.

Speakers included: Mojgan Madadikhaljan, Yi Wang, Adam Stewart, Louis Roy Byaruhanga, Veronika Buchauer, Nils Lehmann, Stefan Weissenberger, Caleb Robinson, Isaac Corley, Viola Steidl, Kang Yu, Qingsong Xu, Ali Mokhtari, Spoorthi Nagaraju, Yan Zhao, Anirudh Belwalkar, Francesca Devato, Carlos Camino, Scott Chapman, Ruizhu Jiang, and Andries Potgieter.

Organization and Acknowledgements

The symposium was jointly supported by TUM and UQ. The organizers acknowledge the contributions of all speakers and participants for their engagement and valuable scientific discussions.

Special recognition is given to Prof. Andries Potgieter for co-leading the initiative and facilitating collaboration between the Earth Observation, AI, and agricultural research communities. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. Adam Stewart for representing the organizing team and supporting the coordination of the event.

The EO–AI Symposium 2026 provided a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and laid the foundation for future collaborations across AI, Earth Observation, and agricultural research.