In view of the rising number of imaging spectrometers deployed on airborne platforms and the launch of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy missions, the need for Earth observation education and training with a focus on hyperspectral imagery is steadily increasing.
To address this demand, the development of HYPERedu, an online learning initiative for hyperspectral remote sensing hosted on the EO-College platform, was initiated as part of the EnMAP science program. EO-College serves as a learning hub for online courses, open educational resources, and discussion forums in the field of Earth Observation.
From September 2019, HYPERedu started to publish slide collections and hands-on tutorials on EO College based on the open-source EnMAP-Box software, covering basic principles, methods and applications of imaging spectroscopy. The content is continuously extended and updated and will be supplemented with further online learning materials in the future. All resources are provided free of charge under a CC-BY license in English at the master's level, targeting students as well as professionals in research, companies, and public authorities. For insights to the concept, implementation and lessons learned, please see the following publication.
In addition to the learning materials, HYPERedu comprises of a series of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The first basic MOOC ‘Beyond the Visible – Introduction to Hyperspectral Remote Sensing’ was published in November 2021. It teaches the fundamentals of imaging spectroscopy and additionally gives access to free data sources, open-source software and hands-on exercises. The course is aimed at students and users worldwide and assumes basic knowledge in the field of optical remote sensing. It consists of three thematic lessons and is designed to take about five to eight hours, to be completed at one's own pace. Upon successful completion, participants receive a certificate. User feedback was evaluated thoroughly and used to revise the course; among the improvements, all videos are now available with subtitles in German, Portuguese, Spanish, and partly Italian and French.
The basic MOOC is complemented by a series of shorter ‘mini’ MOOCs:
- ‘Beyond the Visible – Imaging Spectroscopy for Agricultural Applications’ developed in cooperation with LMU Munich experts and published in December 2022,
- ‘Beyond the Visible – EnMAP data access and image preprocessing techniques’ developed in cooperation with DLR EOC and GFZ experts and published in July 2023,
- ‘Beyond the Visible – Imaging Spectroscopy for Soil Applications’ developed together with GFZ’s own soil experts and published in June 2024,
- A German version of the basic MOOC has been available since March 2025,
- The latest and fourth ‘mini’ MOOC ‘Beyond the Visible – Imaging Spectroscopy for Forest Applications’ was published in December 2025 in cooperation with experts from TU Berlin, FU Berlin and Uni Trier and supported by Uni Greifswald and ForstBrandenburg.
Further courses on geology as well as inland and coastal waters are under preparation for the upcoming years. These short courses are intended to have a workload of two to four hours maximum.
HYPERedu materials and courses are increasingly being used not only for self-study but also in university teaching and training programs. Below, you can find an overview of the available resources.
The development of HYPERedu is funded under the EnMAP Science PI project by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with resources from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).