On 12 June, Saskia Osterkamp attended the IACS CoP Meeting in Vienna, which focused on the use of European IACS data. The dataset is derived from the Integrated Administration and Control System and provides detailed field-level information on agricultural land use. It is used for the management of subsidies and the monitoring of farming activities.

At the level of individual fields or parcels, the data capture which crops are grown, their spatial distribution, and how land use changes over time – making it a highly valuable resource for research on agriculture, biodiversity, climate, and land-use change.

In Germany, the administrative procedures required to access and compile these data are highly demanding and involve substantial effort in data acquisition and processing. Working with these data has contributed to the development of expertise in data harmonisation, data-model integration, and the handling of large-scale data and modelling systems.

At the meeting, Saskia Osterkamp had the opportunity to share her experiences and to learn from other researchers working with these data across different spatial scales and application domains. The open and constructive atmosphere fostered exchange and laid the foundation for future collaboration and mutual learning.