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About

Professor Auxiliar com Agregação da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) e doutorado em Ciências da Engenharia Geográfica, pela Universidade do Porto e pela Universidade de Delft (Holanda), tendo apresenta a tese “Potential of integrating PSInSAR Methodologies in the Detection of Surface Deformation”. Atualmente, é Investigador (membro integrado) do Centre for Robotics in Industry and Intelligent Systems (CRISS), do INESC TEC/Polo UTAD, e investigador (colaborador) do CITAB (Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences). Nos últimos anos tem-se dedicado, sobretudo, à utilização de Veículos Aéreos Não Tripulados (UAV) para aplicações agroflorestais. Utiliza imagens aéreas de elevada resolução, obtidas por diferentes sensores (RGB, NIR, Multiespectrais, Hiperespectrais e Térmicos) para, usando técnicas de processamento de imagem e desenvolvimento de algoritmos, extrair informações e parâmetros relevantes, sobretudo, na vinha, soutos e olivais. Estas técnicas são, no entanto, extensíveis à deteção e monitorização de grande parte das espécies arbóreas, que integram as nossas florestas, e de vegetação rasteira. É autor de várias publicações em revistas internacionais da especialidade do Remote Sensing. Participa em vários projetos de investigação, destacando-se o PARRA (Plataforma integrAda de monitoRização e avaliação da doença da flavescência douRada na vinha), em que é líder por parte da UTAD (SI I&DT, aviso Nº 08/SI/2015, Projeto em Co-Promoção, parceiros do projeto: TEKEVER ASDS - empresa líder, UTAD, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, INIAV, Agrociência. Montante total atribuído 1.602.245,58€) e é membro do projeto Plataforma de Inovação da Vinha e do Vinho, linha Remote sensing and detection of grapevine diseases (Projeto I&DT pelo Norte2020, com um financiamento global de 4.500.000,00 €).

Interest
Topics
Details

Details

  • Name

    Joaquim João Sousa
  • Role

    Senior Researcher
  • Since

    01st January 2014
005
Publications

2025

Efficient 3D convolutional neural networks for Sentinel-2 land cover classification with limited ground truth data

Authors
Carneiro, GA; Svoboda, J; Cunha, A; Sousa, JJ; Stych, P;

Publication
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING

Abstract
This paper focuses on an innovative application of deep learning (DL) techniques, particularly 3D convolutional neural networks (CNNs), for land cover classification using multispectral Sentinel-2 (S-2) data. In this study, we evaluated the performance of window-pixel-wise 2D, 3D, and 3D Multiscale CNN architectures for land cover classification. 3D and 3D multiscale CNNs were using the spectral dimension as the third dimension for convolutions. Methodology was applied to classify large area (23,217 km2) in Czechia according to the Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) categories, a key sector in greenhouse gas inventories. The input dataset included S-2 data, along with NDVI, NDVI variance, and SRTM elevation data, all resampled to the 10 m S-2 grid and forming multi-dimensional input 5 x 5 pixel patches. The results show that a 3D CNN with 3 x 3 x 3 spatial-spectral filters and classical training achieved the best F1 score of 0.84, outperforming other proposed CNN architectures and a baseline Random Forest classifier. The study highlights the ability of 3D CNNs to integrate spatial-spectral information, making them highly effective for multispectral data analysis, even with limited (small) training ground truth datasets. This approach provides valuable information for researchers seeking to optimize DL methods for land cover classification, particularly for applications aligned with the LULUCF frameworks.

2025

Deep Learning Meets InSAR for Infrastructure Monitoring: A Systematic Review of Models, Applications, and Challenges

Authors
Fontes, M; Bakon, M; Cunha, A; Sousa, JJ;

Publication
SENSORS

Abstract
Monitoring civil infrastructure is increasingly critical due to aging assets, urban expansion, and the need for early detection of structural instabilities. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) offers high-resolution, all-weather surface deformation monitoring capabilities, which are being enhanced by recent advances in Deep Learning (DL). Despite growing interest, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of how DL models are applied specifically to infrastructure monitoring using InSAR data. This review addresses this gap by systematically analyzing 67 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and February 2025. We examine the DL architectures employed, ranging from LSTMs and CNNs to Transformer-based and hybrid models, and assess their integration within various stages of the InSAR monitoring pipeline, including pre-processing, temporal analysis, segmentation, prediction, and risk classification. Our findings reveal a predominance of LSTM and CNN-based approaches, limited exploration of pre-processing tasks, and a focus on urban and linear infrastructures. We identify methodological challenges such as data sparsity, low coherence, and lack of standard benchmarks, and we highlight emerging trends including hybrid architectures, attention mechanisms, end-to-end pipelines, and data fusion with exogenous sources. The review concludes by outlining key research opportunities, such as enhancing model explainability, expanding applications to underexplored infrastructure types, and integrating DL-InSAR workflows into operational structural health monitoring systems.

2025

Deep-learning Grapevine Segmentation in UAV Imagery Across Different Vineyard Environments

Authors
Leite, D; Marques, P; Pádua, L; Sousa, JJ; Morais, R; Cunha, A;

Publication
PFG-JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY REMOTE SENSING AND GEOINFORMATION SCIENCE

Abstract
Accurate segmentation of grapevines in imagery acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is important for precision viticulture, as it supports vineyard management by monitoring grapevine health, growth, and environmental stress. However, the structural diversity of vineyards, including differences in training systems, row curvatures, and foliage density, presents challenges for grapevine segmentation methods. This study evaluates the performance of deep learning (DL) models-Feature Pyramid Network (FPN), Pyramid Scene Parsing Network (PSPNet) and U-Net-each combined with different backbones for grapevine segmentation in UAV-based RGB orthophoto mosaics. Data were collected under a range of vineyard conditions and scenarios from Portugal's Douro and Vinhos Verdes regions, providing a representative dataset across multiple vineyard configurations. The DL models were trained, tested, and evaluated using orthorectified RGB imagery, and their segmentation accuracy was compared to thresholding techniques. The results show that DL models, particularly U-Net, achieved accurate grapevine segmentation and reduced over-segmentation and false detections that are common in thresholding methods. FPN models with Inception-v4 and Xception backbones performed well in vineyards with inter-row vegetation, while PSPNet models showed segmentation limitations. Overall, DL-based segmentation models demonstrated advantages over thresholding approaches, demonstrating their suitability for UAV-based grapevine segmentation in diverse and challenging vineyard environments. These results support the scalability of DL-based segmentation for vineyard monitoring applications and indicate that improved segmentation accuracy can contribute to decision support in precision viticulture.

2025

Progress in applications of self-supervised learning to computer vision in agriculture: A systematic review

Authors
Carneiro, GA; Aubry, TJ; Cunha, A; Radeva, P; Sousa, JJ;

Publication
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE

Abstract
Precision Agriculture (PA) has emerged as an approach to optimize production, comprise different technology and principles focusing on how to improve agricultural production. Currently, one of the main foundations of PA is the use of artificial intelligence, through deep learning (DL) algorithms. By processing large volumes of complex data, DL enhances decision-making and boosts farming efficiency. However, these methods are hungry for annotated data, which contrasts with the scarce availability of annotated agricultural data and the costs of annotation. Self-supervised learning (SSL) has emerged as a solution to tackle the lack of annotated agricultural data. This study presents a review of the application of SSL methods to computer vision tasks in the agricultural context. The aim is to create a starting point for professionals and scientists who intend to apply these methods using agricultural data. The results of 33 studies found in the literature are discussed, highlighting their pros and cons. In most of the studies, SSL outperformed its supervised counterpart, using datasets from 4000 to 60,000 samples. Potential directions for improving future research are suggested.

2025

MT-InSAR and Dam Modeling for the Comprehensive Monitoring of an Earth-Fill Dam: The Case of the Beninar Dam (Almeria, Spain) (vol 15, 2802, 2023)

Authors
Marchamalo-Sacristán, M; Ruiz-Armenteros, AM; Lamas-Fernández, F; González-Rodrigo, B; Martínez-Marín, R; Delgado-Blasco, JM; Bakon, M; Lazecky, M; Perissin, D; Papco, J; Sousa, JJ;

Publication
REMOTE SENSING

Abstract
The authors wish to make the following corrections to this manuscript [...]