Dr. Thomas Esch is leader of the research team “Urban Areas and Land Management” and project manager at the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) of DLR’s Earth Observation Center (EOC). He received the Diploma degree in applied physical geography from the University of Trier, Germany, in 2003, and the Ph.D. degree in physical geography and remote sensing from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany, in 2006. Between 2006 and 2008 he was a scientific employee at the department of remote sensing, University of Wuerzburg where he was working on urban remote sensing applications. Since 2008, he is with DLR-DFD where he does research related to remote sensing applications for urban and spatial planning, sustainable development, land management, biodiversity, energy efficiency and urban micro-climate. He has led and participated in several national and international projects and coordinated the activities for the implementation and development of the Global Urban Footprint.