BIOGRAPHY
Hi and welcome
to the world of forest mensuration and remote sensing where we thrive to learn and create new understanding of forests and how it evolves through time. My name is Ville Kankare and I am currently working as a university research fellow at the University of Eastern Finland. This position focuses on the applications of geospatial technologies (i.e., global navigation satellite systems, remote sensing and geographic information systems) and digitalization for sustainable and optimized forest operations and logistics. I have a D.Sc. (Agr. & For.) degree at the University of Helsinki (UH). I was granted the title of Prof (Adj.) in the field of Precision forestry at UH in 2019.
In my first decade as a scientist, I have gained a strong expertise on developing state-of-the-art laser scanning platforms to capture small-scale, highly detailed forest information and evaluating its capabilities in practical forest applications. I have been privileged to collaborate with multiple different research groups and forest companies in research projects such as “Center of Excellence in Laser scanning research”, “Forest Big Data”, “Science and Technology Towards Precision Forestry” and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland key project “Metsätieto ja sähköiset palvelut” to highlight a few. Currently I am a part of Academy of Finland Flagship of Science program called UNITE (Forest-Human-Machine Interplay). The mission of UNITE is to make Finland the world leader in applying forest-based bio-economy know-how, geospatial technologies, and gamification.
Through these collaborations, I have authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed international scientific journal articles. At the age of 36, I am currently one of the highest cited young (under 40 years old) researchers in the world in the research field of laser scanning of forests (Web of Science). My h-index in Google scholar is 27 with more than 3000 citations to my work. I highly support open access publishing and more than 60% of my publications are published in open access journals.
One of my biggest ambitions is to establish my own research team and utilize my skill set relating geospatial technologies in applied topics such as precision forestry and mapping wildlife habitat structures. This combination of interests will enable me to establish a research line of my own with a unique combination of expertise from forest mensuration, remote sensing and wildlife ecology.
Key interests:
Remote sensing - Laser scanning - Forest structure - Precision forestry - Wildlife habitat - Leadership
“If the map and the terrain do not match, there is something wrong in the terrain“
News and research highlights:
UEF Leader 2020-2021 program - University of Eastern Finland
This year long program focuses on the critical aspects of being a leader in a academic world. First two meetings have been full of great talks and interesting discussion about “What does it mean to be a leader in a research community?” and “Strategic leadership - What does it mean and how you can you and your team benefit from the set organization strategy?” I have so many things to reflect on. This will be an exciting journey.
Silvilaser 2021 - Vienna, Austria - Hybrid conference - Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th of September 2021
SilviLaser 2021 is the 17th conference in a series focused on the applications of LiDAR and related technologies for assessing and managing forest ecosystems. I had an talk at the conference (remotely) on a topic: “Terrestrial laser scanning reveals consistent dependencies between mean wood density and tree crown architecture”.
Millennium Innovation Forum 2021 - Virtual event - Wednesday 19th of May 2021, 09.00-17.30
One of the most interesting and inspiring forums that I have ever attended. “The line-up of internationally renowned speakers is guaranteed to stir your heart and open your mind. We offer you ideas, inspiration and access to collaborative networks that will help you to further develop yourself and your organization. The focus of the Forum is on how the research, knowledge and innovation impact the wellbeing and future of our society.”
New publications:
Revealing changes in the stem form and volume allocation in diverse boreal forests using two-data terrestrial laser scanning. Luoma, V., Yrttimaa, T., Kankare, V., Saarinen, N., Pyörälä, J., Kukko, A., Kaartinen, H., Hyyppä, J., Holopainen, M., Vastaranta, M. Forests, 2021, Accepted for publication 22.6.2021. Open access. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12070835
Understanding 3D structural complexity of individual Scots pine trees with different management history. Saarinen, N., Calders, K., Kankare, V., Yrttimaa, T., Junttila, S., Luoma, V., Huuskonen, S., Hynynen, J., Verbeeck, H. Ecology and Evolution, 2021, 11(6), 2561-2572. Open access. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7216
