MDIS 2026 Conference: ISTerre contributes to scientific exchanges on observing Earth’s surface deformation

From 16 to 18 September 2026, the French and international community working on measuring Earth’s surface deformation using satellite imagery gathered in Xonrupt-Longemer, in the Vosges, for the MDIS – Measuring Earth’s Surface Deformation Using Satellite Imagery. conference.

Held every two years, the MDIS conference brings together researchers, engineers and students to explore the many applications of satellite imagery for observing and measuring movements at the Earth’s surface: earthquakes, glaciers, volcanoes, permafrost, landslides, sand dunes, and many other phenomena.

This edition also provided an opportunity for exchanges with international specialists and researchers from complementary scientific communities, particularly in signal and image processing, artificial intelligence and climate science. Representatives from space agencies, including CNES and NASA, also took part in the discussions.


ISTerre teams actively involved

Researchers, engineers and students from ISTerre’s Seismic Cycle and Transient Deformation, Volcan Geophysics and Geothermal Energy and Geophysics of Seismic and Gravitational Hazards teams actively participated in the 2026 edition, contributing to scientific discussions and the sharing of advances in the field.


ISTerre members were also involved in organising the two training days held prior to the conference. These training sessions took place at the École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie in Nancy, providing participants with an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and practical skills in methods for observing and analysing Earth’s surface deformation.


The 2026 edition of the MDIS conference, organised by the Observatoire Terre Environnement de Lorraine (OTELo, Nancy) and the European Center for Geodynamics and Seismology (ECGS, Luxembourg), was an important gathering for the French scientific community working in satellite imagery and space geodesy.