Institute of Geonics
The Czech Academy of Sciences
Environmental geography
International projects
- The aim of this project is to develop theoretical understanding of the nature and dynamics of the renewable energy development, by analyzing existing social-economic, spatial and landscape patterns and regional differences of the development in four European countries (Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary), identifying enablers and barriers which hinder a more effective utilization of the realizable potential of specific renewable energy resources, and studying how these barriers and enablers evolve over time. At the same time in order to achieve a space-based study we will study interactions among all different kind of renewables existing in different study areas to analyze institutional contexts and acceptability of energy transition in order to provide indications for efficient energy policies
- Project code: COST Association COST Action CA1521
Period: 2016 - 2020 - Leader: Dr. Katrin Vohland
Management Committee member: Mgr. Eva Nováková - The main aim of this Action was to bundle capacities across Europe to investigate and extend the impact of the scientific, educational, policy, and civic outcomes of citizen science with the stakeholders from all sectors concerned (e.g., policy makers, social innovators, citizens, cultural organizations, researchers, charities and non-governmental organizations), in order to gauge the potential of citizen science as enabler of social innovation and socio-ecological transition. Currently, 34 member countries signed the MoU, and members of 38 countries registered at the webpage and feel part of this Citizen Science Action, contribute to workshops, host young scientists, or develop scientific papers.
- This extensive international project was based on the identification of research gaps and innovation needs in spatial planning, provided by surveying more than 500 stakeholders from across Europe in a unique critical bottom-up approach, to ensure that research needs reflect the demands of end-users. Based on this, The Europeans’ Strategic Research Agenda for Integrated Spatial Planning, Land Use and Soil-Sediment-Water Management was developed, being designed to attract research funding by public and private parties and to ensure that knowledge is widely applied by public sector bodies, SMEs and large enterprises, wishing to innovate and contribute to a greener, more socially cohesive, smarter and competitive Europe. The European Commission is using the project results as support documents for the identification of research needs.
- The project investigated the inter-relationships between renewable energy production and landscape quality, and the role of public participation for the acceptance of renewable energy systems. Nearly 200 researchers from 34 countries participated on the project activities. The action provided tool-kits to achieve a better understanding of how landscape protection & management as well as renewable energy deployment can be reconciled to contribute socio-environmentally to the sustainable transformation of energy systems and contributed to the consolidation and extension of knowledge from a pan-European perspective using a modular methodological framework. This project prepared enhancement tools science based for decision-making, and developed guidelines for public participation in planning renewable energy systems
Adaptation to sustainable energy transition in Europe: environmental, socio-economic and
cultural aspects (ADAPTAS)
(European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Government of Spain, Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competition, no. CSO2017-86975-R, 2018–2021)
Citizen Science to promote creativity, scientific literacy, and innovation throughout Europe
Integrated Spatial Planning, Land Use and Soil Management Research Action (INSPIRATION)
(Horizon 2020, 2015–2018, grant no. 681256)
Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality (RELY)
(Transport and Urban Development COST Action no. TU1401, H2020, 2014–2018)
National projects
- Funding: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (ETA programme)
Project code: TL03000007
Period: 2020 – 2023 - Project leaders: Tomas Bata University in Zlin (project leader), Institute of Geonics of the CAS (RNDr. Jakub Trojan MSc, MBA, Mgr. Barbora Duží, Ph.D., Mgr. Stanislav Martinát, Ph.D.), Masaryk University in Brno, Mendel University, Research Institute of Geodesy, Topography and Cartography, v.v.i., Association of Private Agriculture of the Czech Republic, private company Envipor, s.r.o.
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The aim of the proposed project is land owners (including municipalities) energising; and rising their responsibility for land management in order to enhance landscape resilience in the context of climate change. The project:
- Sumarises the soil state of the art - Identifies the key motivations of land owners (incl. municipalities) to responsible ownership of land.
- Finds the solutions for the presumed and real obstacles for more responsible land management conversion.
- Clusters the land owners, communicates with them in order to support their position in the tenure agreement negotiation process with the farmers.
- Develops the informational web portal with the citizen science involvement and efortless plof of land and crop tracing. - Funding: Czech Science Foundation GA CR
Project code: GA20-13713S
Period: 2020 – 2022
Project leader: Mgr. Jiří Malý, Ph.D. - In urban theory and practice, the concepts of compact and polycentric city are promoted in order to mitigate negative effects of the urban sprawl and to reach sustainable development. Although both spatial planning concepts employ urban morphology and space of flows as fundamental operational categories when describing multi-layered urban processes, they stem from different theoretical perspectives. Unclear meanings and ambiguous definitions of these concepts are related to their scale-dependency and to different analytics of spatiotemporal urban configurations. Inconsistent conceptualizations are reflected in planning imaginations and urban planning practice as the combined application of both spatial visions is accompanied by incomprehension, blurred terminology and procedural complications. By using qualitative and mainly quantitative methods, the aim is to analyse the multiple relationships between both concepts. The resulting interpretative framework would shed light on essential principles of compact and polycentric city concepts and the possibilities of their integration.
- Funding: Czech Science Foundation GA CR
Project code: GA20-11782S
Period: 2020 – 2022
Project leader: Mgr. Stanislav Martinát, Ph.D. - With growing pressure on land, conflicting values and rationalizations may result in land use conflicts and globally pose fundamental dilemmas for decision-makers. Taking the socio-geographical stance, we focus on local land use conflicts - the situations where strategies and policies meet varying perspectives at a local level. Using the Czech case study, we aim at different priorities (brownfield regeneration, energy landscapes, flood management and rural development) that are frequently encountered in similar territorial settings and create local land use conflicts. First, we will conduct a country-wide quantitative analyses of the extent and dynamics of conflicting land use transitions. Second, we will apply the process-tracing based on documentary data, semi-structured questionnaires with stakeholders and face-to-face questionnaires in local communities to explore rationalizations leading to land use decisions in case studies. Finally, we aim to establish a typology of local land use conflicts and suggest the regionally-based guiding principles for their adaptive management.
- Funding: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (ETA programme)
Project code: TL02000222
Period: 2019 – 2022 - Leaders: Mgr. Petr Halas, Ph.D. (project leader, Institute of Geonics of the CAS); Ing. Jan Šebesta, Ph.D. (co-investigator, Mendel university in Brno); Mgr. Marek Havlíček, Ph.D. (co-investigator, The Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, public research institution)
- The aim of the project is to prepare collection of landscape paintings and old photographs from various parts of Moravia and the adjacent part of Bohemia with their exact topographic locations, from which were created. Based on photographic documentation of present state of scenes and vegetation survey and with the help of old maps and historical floristic data there will be interpreted landscape and vegetation changes of studied sites. As the outputs will be prepared three formats of traveling exhibitions and audiovisual production (4 documentary programs from the places of artist’s inspiration), which will be provided to the public by information boards and QR codes in the field and also by project websites of participating institutions and individual application guarantors.
- Outcomes of the project:
1) Journalism documentaries - open in new window [in Czech, 30 min] - Funding: Czech Science Foundation GA CR
Project code: 19-23870S
Period: 2019 – 2021 - Research team: Doc. RNDr. Josef Navrátil, Ph.D., Mgr. Petr Klusáček, Ph.D., Mgr. Stanislav Martinát, Ph.D., Mgr. Tomáš Krejčí, RNDr. Robert Osman, Ph.D.
- The project is devoted to the problem of abandoning of agricultural properties that occurred after 1989. This type of abandoned properties forms the largest share of
abandoned properties in the Czech Republic. Plenty of them have found new use and some are still utilized for agricultural purposes. The number of successful and “permanent”
re-uses is not so big; in majority cases we should rather talk about extensive use. Systematic and deepening of knowledge on trajectories of (un-)usage of agricultural
properties is currently on the edge of attention of researchers. However, the project offers important research potential in deepening of knowledge about changes of rural
structures. The project will focus on various types of countryside in the South Moravian Region, the Vysocina Region and the South Bohemian Region. In the project, the
database of agricultural properties operating in 1989 will be developed and their re-use will be followed. Evaluation of this database will be connected to quantitative
and qualitative research among stakeholders in case study area
The main aim of the project is to understand the complexity of geographical and social patterns that are responsible for different ways of the development of agricultural properties in the post-communist rural space. - Publications in ISI/WOS Journals:
Navrátil, J., Martinát, S., Krejčí, T., Pícha, K., Klusáček, P., Škrabal, J., Osman, R. (2019): The fate of socialist agricultural premises: To agricultural ‘brownfields’ and back again? Moravian Geographical Reports, 27(4): 207–216. Doi: 10.2478/mgr-2019-0016
Geodiversity within urban areas: perception, function, potential
- Funding:
Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (ETA programme)
Project code: TL02000219
Period: 2019 – 2021 - Project leader: Mendel University in Brno
Project partners: Institute of Geonics of the CAS (RNDr. Lucie Kubalíková, Ph.D.), Technical University in Liberec, Archaia Brno - The project is focused on the evaluation of geodiversity functions and potential within urban areas from the tourist, recreation and education point of view with a special regard to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. The complex analysis and assessment will be accompanied by proposals of specific activities designed for rational and sustainable use of particular geodiversity sites. These proposals will include geo-paths as an alternative tool for promoting natural and cultural heritage within towns and cities, workshops focused on the role of geodiversity within urban areas, audiovisual materials about geodiversity and geoheritage etc. The results and outputs of the project will contribute to the development of urban geotourism as a new, sustainable form of tourism and will be used by nature conservation institutions and organisations (e.g. Department of the Environment of Brno Municipality Office, Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic).
- Outcomes of the project:
1) Cultural functions and services of geodiversity within urban areas (with a special regard on tourism and recreation) online - download [pdf]
2) Geological paths - their use for the regional geography teaching download [pdf]
3) Brno Centre Geopath online - download [pdf]
4) Workshops in Brno and in Liberec (presentations) [zip]
5) Developing urban geotourism in Brno (Czech Republic) online - download [pdf]
6) Old quarries in Brno city: a bridge between natural and cultural heritage (in Czech) online - download [pdf]
7) Educational materials - geodiversity in Brno city (in Czech)
8) A Walk through Geological History of Brno (in Czech) download [pdf]
9) Two Brno Romanesque emporium churches and their relation to other Brno brick architecture. What does crinoid limestone reveal? (in Czech) download [pdf]
10) Urban geotourism in Liberec (geopath, geotourist map, videos - in Czech) - Funding: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (ETA programme)
Project code: TL01000013
Period: 2018 – 2021 - Project leader: Masaryk University in Brno
Project partners: RNDr. Jakub Trojan MSc, MBA (Institute of Geonics of the CAS) - The project will provide two interconnected packages of strategic tools for management of the removal of barriers within the public space of the city: 1) tools for system decision making (specialized maps, priority list, strategic plan and action plan for removal of barriers), 2) tools facilitating communication - information system (IS) with non-public part (communication of self-government actors) and with the public part (collection of suggestions from the public, procedure of implementation of individual adjustments, justification of unresolved incentives...). The final publication of the "Good examples of barrier-free implementation" project will also include the methodological approach of the entire project and will serve to disseminate all outputs of the project.
- Specialized map of all institutions dealing with the reduction of barriers in Brno
- Specialized map of available data dealing with barriers in Brno space
- Specialized map of priority institutions which should be barrier-free accessible (according to Advisory Board of the Brno City Council for Barrier-Free Brno)
- Specialized map of physical barriers among selected institutions
Strengthening rural resilience via empowerement of local stakeholders and land owners
Compact and polycentric urban forms: Conflicting spatial imaginations?
The nature and dynamics of local land use conflicts in a polyrational arena
Promoting tourism by entering to the landscape paintings and photographs
Between de-agrization and perforated development of rural space: the search for development patterns of post-communist agricultural properties
Strategic tools for building a barrier-free city
Closed Research Projects
- Funding: MSMT, INTER-EXCELLENCE, INTER-COST
Project code: LTC18067
Period: 2018 – 2020 - Project leader: Mgr. Eva
Nováková (Institute of Geonics of CAS)
Project partners: RNDr. Jakub Trojan, MSc, MBA, Ph.D. (Tomas Bata University in Zlín) - The project aimed at describing the benefits of research team by joining COST Action CA 15212 Citizen Science (CS). The assets and limitations of CS for the contemporary society were explored primarily from the geographical perspective. The project allowed testing, applying and evaluating methods of CS in research and education, including their impacts for society and quality of life.
- Funding: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic - NAKI II
Project code: NAKI II - DGB 16P02B014
Period: 2016–2020 - Leaders: Doc. Ing. Ivo Machar, Ph.D. (principal leader, The Faculty of Science of Palacký University in Olomouc); Doc. RNDr. Karel Kirchner, CSc. (leader, Institute of Geonics of CAS)
- European cultural landscape with its historical values is a reflection of cultural identity development at both national and regional level. The cultural landscape is also a space for conservation and sustainable development of many key elements of cultural identity. The main objective of the project was to support the sustainable development of regional cultural identity through applied research of cultural heritage in the landscape of the historical territory of the Archdiocese of Olomouc (ADO). Partial project objectives were to (1) propose sustainable management of sacred monuments that protect a part of the natural heritage of Europe, which is bound by its existence to sacred monuments in the landscape, and thus to contribute to the removal of barriers between historical monuments preservation and nature protection in the conservation of cultural heritage; (2) employ applied research of the ADO cultural landscape using methods of historical geography for the presentation of selected types of minor and technical monuments in the landscape through educational application software and an exhibition; (3) identify intangible cultural heritage of the ADO landscape (landscape aesthetics, hunting as a national cultural monument) using innovative approaches to applied research, and direct the results of this research towards practical use of the potential economic benefits of the spiritual heritage of the ADO landscape.
- Funding: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic - NAKI II
Project code: NAKI II - DG16P02B042
Period: 2016–2020 - Project leader: Doc. RNDr. Jaromír Kolejka, CSc.
- The Czech pre-industrial landscape is dated to the period before the main wave of the industrial revolution, now before the year 1850. It bears the signs of relatively uninterrupted socio-economic and cultural development of the time from mid-17th century with regard to local natural conditions. Its surviving relics are not recorded in the Czech Republic except declared and planned landscape conservation zones. Especoally numerous smaller areas with a characteristic spatial structure of arable land, roads, buildings, lakes and forested areas were not covered. Project objectives: (1) The inventory of pre-industrial areas within the historical borders of Moravia will be completed on the comparison of adequate historical mapping documents with the latest cartographic products; (2) The identifyied areas will be classified and recorded in three size categories, each in three quality categories respecting registers in successful regions of Western Europe; (3) The completed text, graphic (maps, images) and tabular documentation of each registered entity will include proposed measures designed to the further care and management of such areas; (4) The documentation will be made available to affected municipalities and public in electronic form on approval by the Ministry of Culture; (5) The touring regionally adaptable museum exhibition on the theme of "Ancient landscape in current Moravia in xx region" shall be drawn; (6) Methodological and regional knowledge will be transformed into an electronic didactic learning, respectively educational material for schools and the public use.
- Funding: Czech Science Foundation GA CR
Project code: 17-26934S
Period: 2017–2019 - Research team: Mgr. Petr Klusáček, Ph.D., Filip M. Alexandrescu, Ph.D., RNDr. Robert Osman, Ph.D., Mgr. Jiří Malý, Ph.D.
- The project dealt with the recycling of unused space in the post-socialist context, namely in the Czech Republic. The Actor-network theory allowing the perception of action, in our case the perception of recycling spaces as a network mobilization, had been selected as the basic framework of the project. For the purpose of this project, space was understood as the network space operating in categories of the network topology, i.e. the space that was a product of actor-network’s activities. The process of recycling spaces was understood as the emergence of new actor-network, i.e. as translation from one actor-network to another. The project relied mainly on the concepts of "network space" and "translation". The processes of recycling spaces in three different territories were chosen and studied in detail in the empirical part of the project. The main aim of this project was to fill the gap presented within the approaches to the study of the issue of recycling spaces which proceeds rather spontaneously and without strict defined rules and prescript procedures in the post-socialist space.
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Publications in ISI/WOS Journals:
- Alexandrescu, F., Osman, R., Klusáček, P., Malý, J. (2020): Taming the genius loci? Contesting post-socialist creative industries in the case of Brno's former prison, Cities, accepted for publication 20 Dec 2019. Doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2019.102578
- Osman, R., Šerý, O., Alexandrescu, F., Malý, J., Mulíček, O. (published online 3 Dec 2019): The establishment of inter-municipal cooperation: the case of a polycentric post-socialist region, Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography, Doi: 10.1080/00167223.2019.1693903
- Klusáček, P., Alexandrescu, F., Osman, R., Malý, J., Kunc, J., Dvořák, P., Frantál, B., Havlíček, M., Krejčí, T., Martinát, S., Skokanová, H., Trojan, J. (2018): Good governance as a strategic choice in brownfield regeneration: Regional dynamics from the Czech Republic, Land Use Policy, 73, 29-39. Doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.01.007
- Navrátil, J., Krejčí, T., Martinát., S., Pasqualetti, M. J., Klusáček, P., Frantál, B., Tocháčková K. (2018): Brownfields do not “only live twice”: The possibilities for heritage preservation and the enlargement of leisure time activities in Brno, the Czech Republic, Cities, 74, 52-63. Doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2017.11.003
The optimization of forest management strategies on slopes endangered by landslides and rock falling – a methodology for forest-planting practices
- Funding: Grant Service of the company - Lesy České republiky (Forest of the Czech Republic)
Period: 2015 - 2018 - Leaders: Doc. Mgr. Aleš Bajer, Ph.D. (principal leader, Mendel University in Brno); Doc. RNDr. Karel Kirchner, CSc. (leader, Institute of Geonics of CAS)
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Project aimed at optimization of forest management strategies on slopes endangered by landslides as well as with active manifestations of slope deformations and rock falling. A comprehensive assessment of the possibility of forest-planting management interventions was performed with respect to the areas affected by slope movements. Members of the Institute of Geonics focused on the inventory of slope deformations (landslides and rock falling) in selected sites, including their biogeographical characteristics. Links between vegetation and development of slope deformations in selected sites in the Czech Republic were solved.
- Funding: Czech Science Foundation
Project code: 16-04483S
Period: 2016–2018 - Leaders: Drs. Dan Van der Horst PhD. (Institute of Geonics of CAS), RNDr. Bohumil Frantál Ph.D. (Department of Geography at The Faculty of Science of Palacký University in Olomouc)
- The aim was to develop theoretical understanding of the diverse nature and social-spatial dynamics of renewable energy development in conditions of the Czech Republic, to analyse spatial patterns and to identify and classify social barriers that impede effective utilization of realizable potential of underused homeland renewable energy resources. The research was focused on three key sectors in terms of relevance for the likely future development: wind energy, solar energy, and production of biomass and biogas. Analytical results were synthesised through the theoretical lens of institutional change and adaptive governance, which helped to better understand the given processes and to develop adaptive strategies that enable stakeholders and communities involved to avoid or mitigate social conflicts during the expected future expansion of renewable energy developments.
- Funding: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic
Project code: TD020259
Period: 2014–2015 - Leaders: Mgr. Petr Klusáček, Ph.D. (Institute of Geonics CAS); Mgr. Marek Havlíček (The Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening)
- Period: 2014 - 2015
The project aimed at developing methods of optimization of decision-making processes for brownfields regeneration as a versatile tool used by state and local government, organization involved in regional development and spatial planning, developers, brownfield site owners, or prospective tenants. New methods for verification, objectification and updating existing brownfields databases through the GIS were developed as well.
- Funding: European Commission's 7th Framework Programme
Project code: FP7-ENV-2010.3.1.5-2
Period: 2011–2014 - Leaders: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ (Germany); Mgr. Petr Klusáček, Ph.D. (Institute of Geonics CAS)
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Major areas previously used for military, mining, industrial or commercial purposes are frequently beset by high levels of complex contamination. Regarded as being problematic, many have become brownfields, impeding the development of surrounding communities. In Europe, there are over 20,000 large and complex contaminated sites. These so-called Megasites threaten scarce soil and water resources and cause environmental and health risks as well as economic and social costs. The project Timbre supported end-users in overcoming existing barriers by having developed customized problem- and target-oriented packages of technologies, approaches and management tools for a megasite’s reuse planning and remediation.
- Funding: Ministry of Interior of Czech Republic
Project code: VG3VS/114
Period: 2013–2015 - Leaders: doc. RNDr. Jaromír Kolejka, CSc. (Institute of Geonics CAS); doc. Ing. Petr Rapant, CSc. (VSB – Technical University of Ostrava)
The project was focused on scenarios for GI support of solutions for selected types of emergencies that occur in the Czech Republic. Individual selected scenarios (e.g. flood, forest fire, toxic accidents on the road) documented the use of standard (topographic) and non-traditional (on natural components of territory, population and technical infrastructure) geodata, their interpretation and purposeful generation of derivatives to support decision making in individual stages of coping with crisis situation.
- Funding: European Social Fund
Project code: CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0025
Period: 2011–2014 - Project leader: RNDr. Bohumil Frantál, Ph.D.
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The project’s objective was to form an inter-institutional and multi-disciplinary research and development platform capable of international linkage and competitiveness in research of energy industry development and its impacts on landscape; to integrate foreign experiences and elaborate them into a knowledge portfolio and a theoretical-methodological apparatus which will be utilizable for both the further development and improvement of team expert competencies and a general practice. The means of achieving the objective included the internationalization of project team (i.e. an involvement of foreign experts), a transfer of gained experiences by holding common field research activities, an organization of few thematic workshops and conferences, presentations of gained results on conferences, and a preparation of common publications. The educational intention of project was provided by the concept of „education by practical field research“, a fundamental positive of the project was the participation of an experienced foreign expert in the research team. Other activities included a variety of specialized trainings for professionals and managers, tutoring of students, and participation of the partner universities´ students on project research activities.
Cultural heritage of landscape of the Archdiocese of Olomouc - research, presentation and management
Geography of recycling urban space
Exploring social-spatial diffusion of renewable energy projects in the Czech Republic: lessons for adaptive governance of energy transition
New methods for improving brownfields regeneration to optimize decision-making processes
TIMBRE - Tailored Improvement of Brownfield Regeneration in Europe
Disaster management support scenarios using geo-information technologies
ENGELA - Energy landscapes: inovation, development and internationalisation of research