Staff Highlights: Prof. Joseph AWANGE
Consistently ranked among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists since 2020 (Stanford), Joseph AWANGE is a Professor of Environmental Geoinformatics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Land Surveying and Geoinformatics (LSGI) Department, having previously worked at Curtin University, Australia for over 18 years.
Prof. AWANGE began his academic journey with BSc and MSc degrees in Surveying from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. His exceptional promise was recognized through a DAAD merit scholarship, enabling him to earn a second MSc and a PhD in Geodesy at Stuttgart University, Germany, under the supervision of the late, world-renowned geodesist Prof. Erik W. Grafarend. His postdoctoral training was completed at Kyoto University (Japan) under the prestigious Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship.
His distinguished research career has been honoured with several international awards, including multiple Alexander von Humboldt Fellowships, a 2015 JSPS Fellowship, and recognition from the Brazil Frontier of Science. Beyond his research, Prof. AWANGE holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Impact Assessment from Murdoch University, Australia. He actively contributes to the global scientific community as the Acquisition Manager for Earth Sciences, Geography, and Environment at Springer Nature, and as an Associate Editor for the top-ranked journal Remote Sensing of Environment and Science of Remote Sensing. His scholarly output includes more than 26 books and over 260 high-impact journal articles, and he has cultivated the next generation of scientists by mentoring more than 50 BSc (Honours), MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral researchers globally.
We are at a pivotal moment. By employing cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), we can now unravel complex environmental challenges that were previously unachievable, fully unlocking the potential of Earth Observation (EO) data for environmental monitoring and applications, i.e., Environmental Geoinformatics. Prof. Joseph AWANGE who joined the LSGI in November 2024 leads the Environmental Geoinformatics team whose goal is to integrate geospatial science, environmental science, and informatics to tackle our planet's most pressing issues. Their core focus is on leveraging AI as a powerful engine to manipulate massive EO datasets, providing critical insights into:
➡️ Climate change, extremes, and variability
➡️ The impacts of climate change on our environment
➡️ Hydroclimate dynamics
Specifically, the team emphasizes the importance of geospatial data and AI in providing spatially explicit, synoptic, time-series data for various earth system processes. The teams' interest is to bring the three multidiscipline (Geoinformatics, Climate, and AI) together, i.e., utilise AI as a powerful computing engine to manipulate EO data to assess, evaluate and understand the impacts of climate extremes, climate variability and climate change on the environment. This is the future of environmental science: where Geoinformatics, Climate Science, and AI/ML converge to create actionable, data-driven solutions. Professor AWANGE's teaching transforms geospatial science education through his acclaimed textbooks. He bridges theory and practice for both surveyors and engineers, fostering a deep, shared understanding. His project-based approach and clear computational focus equip students with the practical skills and collaborative mindset essential for modern professional success.
A Glimpse at Their Impact:
✔️ Bridging Continents and Disciplines in Hydroclimate Science:
For almost two decades, Prof. Joseph AWANGE has been at the forefront of hydroclimate research, applying geospatial expertise to water-related challenges across Australia, Africa, Asia, and South America. This global perspective culminates in his authoritative work on one of the world's great lakes.
His upcoming 2026 book, "Lake Victoria from Space and AI Perspective," is more than a publication—it's a comprehensive decision-support tool. By harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and five decades of satellite data, Prof. AWANGE provides unprecedented insights into the Lake Victoria Basin. His research demystifies complex phenomena, from the floating islands that threaten hydropower to the dramatic swings in water levels that impact millions.
This work is celebrated for its cross-disciplinary value. As Professor C.K. Shum notes, it articulates climatic impacts and their socio-economic consequences, making it vital reading for scientists, policymakers, and engineers committed to building resilient futures (e.g., Awange 2026; https://link.springer.com/book/9783031847356).
✔️ Pioneering Climate Science: Filling Africa's Critical Data Gap:
Accurate climate modeling for Africa has long been hampered by a critical lack of upper-atmosphere data. Traditional radiosonde measurements are sparse, leaving the continent's tropopause—a key climate boundary—poorly understood and leading to significant gaps in global climate models.
Led by Professor AWANGE, a groundbreaking project has successfully harnessed two decades (2001-2020) of GPS Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) satellite data to fill this void (e.g., Ding et al., 2022). Our research confirms that GNSS-RO provides highly accurate temperature profiles, outperforming leading reanalysis models which exhibit a consistent warm bias. This breakthrough establishes GNSS-RO as a reliable tool for infilling missing data, finally enabling a detailed study of Africa's upper atmosphere.
This new data revealed the profound influence of global and regional climate drivers on the African tropopause. The study identified teleconnections from major phenomena like El Niño (ENSO) and the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO), as well as complex interactions between coupled drivers such as ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole. Regional features like the African Easterly Jet were also shown to have a direct local impact.
By bridging this major data gap, our work opens the door to precise quantification of climate trends and a deeper understanding of the atmospheric processes affecting Africa, marking a vital step towards more resilient environmental planning.
✔️ Unlocking Water Solutions for Food Security in the Greater Horn of Africa:
In the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), perennial food insecurity and climate extremes create unbearable conditions for over 310 million people. While often attributed to drought, the crisis is far more complex, rooted in a web of environmental, political, and socio-economic challenges.
Professor AWANGE’s groundbreaking new book provides the first comprehensive analysis of this crisis through the lens of hydroclimate science. Leveraging state-of-the-art data from NASA's GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites, alongside hydrological models and centennial rainfall records, his work delivers an unprecedented view of the region’s water resources. He presents a powerful paradox: the GHA is home to immense freshwater reserves, including Lake Victoria and the Ethiopian Highlands, yet its potential remains locked.
Professor AWANGE’s research identifies the critical barriers, from obsolete Nile treaties and poor governance to the devastating "triple threats" of locusts, climate change, and COVID-19. More than just diagnosing the problem, his work charts a path forward. By quantifying the actual availability of surface and groundwater, this book provides the essential scientific foundation needed to break the cycle of crisis. It empowers policymakers and stakeholders to unlock the region’s agricultural potential through sustainable irrigation and resilient pastoralism, offering a vital step from coping with drought to achieving lasting food security (e.g., Awange 2022; https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-91002-0).
✔️ Bridging the Digital and Physical Worlds: From AI Algorithms to a Thirsty Planet:
Professor Joseph AWANGE stands at a unique intersection, wielding the abstract power of mathematics to solve the tangible problems of our changing planet. With a career spanning the globe, he has dedicated himself to understanding Earth's hydroclimate systems—from the vast basin of Lake Victoria to water resources on four continents.
But observing complex environmental systems is not enough. Prof. AWANGE also pioneers the sophisticated computational tools needed to decipher them. In the realm of Mathematical Geoscience, his work includes the co-authored second edition of Hybrid Imaging and Visualization (Awange et al., 2025; https://link.springer.com/book/9783031728167), a collaboration with colleagues from Hungary; the late Professor Béla Paláncz and Professor Lajos Völgyesi. This text is a seminal resource where he introduces next-generation AI tools such as the Black Hole optimization algorithm and neural networks for time series analysis. These are not just theoretical exercises; they are the very engines that power the AI-driven insights in his applied hydroclimate research.
This synergy defines his work: using machine learning to classify a drought's fingerprint, optimizing models to predict lake level rise, and providing policymakers with the clear, data-driven intelligence needed for action. He is not only mapping the world's water but also inventing the compass to navigate its future.
✔️ Bridging Disciplines: A Foundational Resource for Surveyors and Engineers:
In the interconnected fields of engineering and surveying, a shared understanding of precise measurement and robust computation is paramount. Professor AWANGE’s comprehensive textbooks, Engineering Surveying (Walker and Awange 2018, 2020; https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-53129-8) and Surveying Computations (Walker and Awange 2026; https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-45803-4), are masterfully designed to bridge the traditional gap between these disciplines. They provide an indispensable foundation for aspiring surveyors while giving engineers the deep-seated competency needed for effective collaboration and project oversight.
These works stand out for their systematic, project-based pedagogy, refined through years of academic experience. They guide readers from fundamental principles—coordinate systems, traversing, and earthwork—to advanced computational techniques like least squares adjustment and complex alignment design. With hundreds of diagrams, worked examples, and practical exercises, the material emphasizes clarity and real-world application.
For the surveyor, the books offer a rigorous computational foundation and a clear exposition of the methods behind their craft. For the engineer, they demystify surveying processes, fostering an appreciation for data quality and the critical decisions surveyors make. Together, these volumes create a common language, ensuring that both professionals are equipped to tackle the intricate challenges of modern construction, mining, and environmental monitoring with shared precision and understanding.
More details can be found in his personal website (https://www.josephawange.org/index.html) as well as LSGI website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/lsgi/people/academic-staff/prof-joseph-awange/
[1] Awange JL (2026). Lake Victoria from Space and AI Perspective. Second Edition. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
[2] Ding, T., Awange, J. L., Scherllin-Pirscher, B., Kuhn, M., Khandu, K., Anyah, R., et al. (2022). GNSS radio occultation infilling of the African radiosonde data gaps reveals drivers of tropopause climate variability. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 127, e2022JD036648, doi: 10.1029/2022JD036648.
[3] Awange JL (2022). Food Insecurity & Hydroclimate in Greater Horn of Africa. Potential for Agriculture Amidst Extremes. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. ISBN 978-3-030-91001-3, doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-91002-0
[4] Awange JL, Palancz B and Völgyesi L (2025) Hybrid Imaging and Visualization. Employing Machine Learning with Mathematica - Python. Second Edition. Springer Nature International, Berlin. ISBN 978-3-031-72816-7
[5] Walker J, Awange JL, (2026) Surveying Computations. A Necessity for Surveyors and Engineers. Springer International Publishing AG. ISBN 978-3-031-94382-9
[6] Walker J, Awange JL, (2020) Surveying for Civil and Mining Engineers. Acquire the skills in weeks. Springer International Publishing AG. ISBN 978-3-030-45802-7, doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-45803-4.
[7] Walker J, Awange JL, (2018) Surveying for Civil and Mining Engineers. Theory, Workshops and Practicals. Springer International Publishing AG. ISBN 978-3-319-53128-1, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-53129-8.
