Under the patronage of the President of the University of Mosul, Prof. Dr. Waheed Mahmoud Al-Ibrahimi, and under the supervision of the Director of the Remote Sensing Center, Assistant Professor Dr. Abdul-Rahman Ramzi Qabaa, the Remote Sensing Center held a scientific workshop entitled “Urban Expansion of Cities Using Geospatial Artificial Intelligence” on September 23, 2026.

The workshop was delivered by Assistant Professor Dr. Omar Abdullah Al-Qassab, a faculty member in the Department of Geography, College of Education for Humanities, University of Mosul.

The workshop introduced the GeoSOS tool and its application in spatial simulation, as well as the integration of artificial intelligence and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques to simulate urban expansion and predict future urban growth patterns through the development of a spatial simulation model based on historical data.

The workshop also included a practical component that demonstrated how to prepare Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) layers, identify the spatial factors influencing urban expansion and their data sources, and model and standardize these factors. It further addressed the development and implementation of different urban expansion scenarios, including the Predictive Scenario and the Standard Scenario.

The workshop highlighted the importance of such models in supporting urban planning, spatial decision-making, and more efficient resource management.

The workshop aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.