Dr Stefan Peters
Senior Lecturer
School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
College of Science
I am an internationally recognized Geospatial Scientist, interdisciplinary researcher, passionate educator, and dedicated mentor. My expertise lies at the interface of Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Forestry, and Ecology. My academic background spans Geodesy, Remote Sensing, GIS, and Cartography. Before joining the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2016, I served as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geoinformation at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. I hold a Dipl.-Ing. degree in Geodesy and Geoinformation, as well as a Ph.D. in Cartography, both from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. During my time there, I played a pivotal role in establishing and coordinating the joint international M.Sc. program in Cartography. Prior to my academic career, I worked as a Cadastre-Information System technician for the Bavarian State Agency for Surveying and Geoinformation in Germany.With over 25 years of academic experience in Geospatial Science, and a specialisation in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Data Analysis & Visualization, my work spans a diverse range of interdisciplinary projects, including agriculture, forestry, archaeology, geology, atmospheric and climate studies, land cover and land use, cadastre, and urban modeling. My primary goal is to transform complex geographic data into meaningful insights and actionable evidence through advanced spatio-temporal analysis, enabling informed decision-making.I am particularly passionate about converting intricate geographic data into intuitive and impactful digital maps. My projects are often cross-institutional and inherently interdisciplinary, reflecting my commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation across diverse domains.See my personal website (click H E R E) to explore more about my teaching and research activities and interests.
Currnt funded research projects:
- Peters S, Liu J, Li J, Liu L., O'Hehir J. On-Orbit Smoke Detection. SmartSat-CRC (12/2024-4/2026): $374,388
- Peters S, Liu J, Li J, Liu L. AI-Driven Early Fire Detection UsingCubeSats: Enhancing Real-Time Satellite Monitoring forWildfire Prevention. UniSA/William T. Southcott Scholarship (for PhD candidate K. Darnbrook): $112,000
- Peters S, O'Hehir J. Satellite-based monitoring of softwood productivity through optimal site-specific silviculture. UniSA/PhD Scholarship (for PhD candidate t.b.a.): $105,600
- Finn A, Peters S, O’Hehir J. Geospatial positioning and fusion. FWPA (7/2022-6/2025): $1,309,918
- Liu J, Li J, Peters S. Interpretable Machine Learning for the Early Smoke Wild-fire Detection. SmartSat-CRC (2022-2025): $45,000
Completed funded research projects
- Peters S. Energy-efficient on-board AI for early fire smoke detection. SmartSat-CRC (3/2022-3/2023): $146,727
- Peters S. Burnside habitat hotspot and habitat corridor moddeling 2.0. City of Burnside (1/2023-12/2023): $10,000
- Peters S. Burnside habitat hotspots: GIS analysis for strategic planning. City of Burnside (9/2021-2/2022): $8,970
- Liu J, Li J, Peters S. Satellite image-based smoke detection. SmartSat-CRC (2020-2023): $45,000
- Finn A, O’Hehir J, Peters S, Liu J, Li J. Solutions for the optimal use of remotely acquired, high resolution data by the forestry sector. FWPA, FC NSW, Scion (2019-2021): $750,000
- Weber D, Finn A, Brinkworth R, Peters S, Schebella M. Future Proofing SA Blue Gum Plantations through improved detection of koalas in early planning & forestry operations. FWPA, ABP (2019-2021): $515,000
- Myers B, Peters S, Hewa G, O'Hehir J, Teasdale P, Chow C, Rahman M, Optimising the management of plantation, water and environmental assets. FWPA, OFO (2019-2021): $1,197,179
- Du J, Peters S. Promoting Aboriginal Cultural Storytelling using Web GIS-based Participatory Map Applications and Interactive Story Maps. RTIS (2020-2021): $40,000
- Damian M, Peters S, Davis A, Dühr S, Akshay V, Kroll D. Downsizing to the city. RTIS (2020-2021): $39,906
- Dühr S, Peters S: 'Evidence-informed' metropolitan planning in Australia. AHURI (2020-2021): $10,000
- Meng L, O’Hehir J, Peters S, Gao J. Scoping an Automated Forest Fire Detection and Suppression Framework for the Green Triangle, FWPA, OFO (2019-2021): $150,539
- Peters S, Keppel G, Boland J. Quantifying climate moderation by vegetation. PEGS (2018): $39,840
- Peters S, Bruce D. Forest Yield Predictions from Multi-Temporal LiDAR, Forestry SA (2017): $28,994
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Transforming future softwood productivity through optimal site-specific silviculture - PhD stipend - Thuy Thi Phuong Vu, McGrath Forestry Services Pty Ltd, 05/05/2025 - 05/05/2029
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Remote Sensing-Derived Biodiversity Indicators for Scalable Forest Plantation Monitoring – Pilot Case Study, PF Olsen (Aus) Pty Ltd, 25/06/2025 - 31/12/2026
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On-orbit evaluation and demonstration of energy-efficient fire smoke detection on the Kanyini and the Phi-Sat-2 CubeSat during 2025 and 2026 fire season using HS2 imagery and onboard AI., SmartSat CRC, 18/12/2024 - 18/04/2026
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Ocean beach ecology and threats: a stakeholder perspective, CLLMM: Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre (Goyder Inst), 31/03/2025 - 31/03/2026
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Operational Transition of PINT Software, Forest and Wood Products Australia, 01/01/2024 - 01/03/2026
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Weed Identification Using Remote Sensing, Forest and Wood Products Australia, 05/06/2023 - 30/09/2025
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Plantation water use and environmental asset management in plantation forests, Forest and Wood Products Australia, 05/06/2023 - 21/06/2025
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FNSSA Automated call analysis for the bats of Kangaroo Island - Chloe Danis, The Field Naturalist Society of South Australia, 14/03/2024 - 03/03/2025
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SmartSat 3-07s: Satellite image-based smoke detection for bush fire detection - Liang Zhao, SmartSat CRC, 05/10/2020 - 04/04/2024
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SmartSat P2-38: Energy-efficient on-board AI for early fire-smoke detection, SmartSat CRC, 01/03/2022 - 30/10/2023
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Ind: Optimising the management of plantation, water and environmental assets, OneFortyOne Plantations, 01/03/2019 - 15/12/2022
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Cwth: Optimising the management of plantation, water and environmental assets, Forest and Wood Products Australia, 01/03/2019 - 15/12/2022
Available For Media Comment.