Manfred Ferdinand Buchroithner (born 17 December 1950 in Wels, Upper Austria) is an Austrian cartographer, developer of autostereoscopic cartographic visualisations, geologist, mountain researcher and mountaineer.
Manfred Ferdinand Buchroithner (born 17 December 1950 in Wels, Upper Austria) is an Austrian cartographer, developer of autostereoscopic cartographic visualisations, geologist, mountain researcher and mountaineer.
After finishing college (Ramsauergymnasium) in Linz an der Donau, Austria, in 1969, he did his military service before studying geology and palaeontology as well as mineralogy and petrography at the University of Graz, Austria. In 1976 and 1977 he underwent professional training to become a certified UIAGM mountain guide.[1] The same year he received his PhD in Graz and became research fellow there. In 1979 and 1980 he carried out postdoctoral studies in remote sensing and cartography at the ITC Enschede in the Netherlands. In 1975 he took part in a scientific expedition of several months to the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan in 1975 which molded his future career.[2][3]
In 1980 he took a position at the Cartographic Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, Austria, under Erik Arnberger. In 1983 he went as a Fulbright scholar to Fort Worth (Texas), Denver and Boulder (Colorado) as well as to the Stanford University (California). In 1984 he accomplished his habilitation in General Geology and Remote Sensing at the University of Graz. 1984 to 1992 he was employee at, and as from 1985, Head of the Institute of Digital Image Processing and Computer Graphics at Joanneum Research in Graz and taught at the University of Graz, at the Graz University of Technology and at the University of Stockholm. From 1992 to 2016 he was holding the position of Full Professor of Cartography at the Dresden University of Technology (Director of Institute for Cartography 1994–1997 and from 2003 until his retirement in 2016[4]).
Manfred Buchroithner is married and has a son and a daughter.[2]
In 1989 he was invited visiting professor at the University of Munich, in 2000/01 and 2002/03 at the University of Salzburg, Austria, in 2002 at the Center for Energy and Processes (CEP) of the École National Supérieur des Mines de Paris (ENSMP) in Sophia Antipolis, France, in 2015 at the Institute of Information Technology (IIT) of COMSATS in Islamabad, Pakistan, and in 2015/16 at the University of Bergamo, Italy.[2][3] Högskolan i Gävle (Sweden) WT 2016/17,[5] He followed several invitations to the IIT Kanpur, India.
Major research fields of Buchroithner are true-3D visualization of geoinformation, high-mountain cartography (especially multitemporal 3D glacier mapping using spaceborne remote sensing and AI methods[6]), and remote sensing cartography; furthermore dynamic cartography with remote sensing, geographic information systems, environmental monitoring, multimedia in cartography, as well as epistomology of cartography.[7] In 2006 he initiated the first European (civilian) real-time transmission of true-3D geodata for stereoscopic vision.[8] One of the most spectacular applications of his developments is the linking of a detailed 3D-model and visualization of the mighty Dachstein Southface with climbers' mobile phone GPS data for the support of mountain rescue actions at poor or no visibility.[9][10] He initiated and led several scientific expeditions to high-alpine areas all over the world.[2][11] In 1997/98 he produced the first holographic relief map worldwide (with motion-animated labeling) and displayed it at the 1999 International Cartographic Conference (ICC) in Ottawa.[12][13][7] His developments in true-3D cartography by means of lenticular foil technology in the late 1990s led to two international patents.[14][15]
In 1992 Manfred Buchroithner has been appointed as scientific advisor of the Tibetan Mount Everest National Park Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (QNNP). From 1993 to 1997 he was Vice President of the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL), where he also chaired a SIG on landslides and mudflows,[16] and from 1999 to 2001 of EURO-STRIM (Association for the Establishment of a European Master and Doctorate in Space Technologies for Risk Management). 2002–2017 Buchroithner is Vice President of the German Cartographic Society (DGfK) International and 2003–2017 German National Delegate to the International Cartographic Association (ICA).[2][11] In 2011, in his capacity as Chairman of the German Society for the Support of Geodesy and Geoinformation, Buchroithner initiated the Wissenschaftspreis der Deutschen Geodätischen Kommission (DGK-Preis, Science Award of the German Geodetic Commission) for highly qualified postdoctoral researchers.[17] Buchroithner was instrumental in founding three Commissions of the International Cartographic Association (ICA), the Commission on Mountain Cartography (1995), the Commission on Planetary Cartography (1995)[18] and the Commission on Cartography in Early Warning and Crisis Management (2003).
Apart from initiating and leading numerous scientific high-mountain expeditions into the ranges of High Asia and the Andes, Buchroithner was also successful as a mountaineer. He made first ascents of Koh-e Asp-e Safed (6101 m, Afghan Pamir, 1975, solo[19]) and Tenzin Gyatso Peak (5984 m, Tibetan Himalaya, south of Karo La, later in Chinese maps indicated as Jitan Zhoma, 6004m, 1992, together with Hans-Dieter Sauer and Bernhard Jüptner). Buchroithner took part at the second ascent of Koh-e Bardar (6078 m, Afghan Pamir, via the challenging North Ridge, with Gernot Patzelt, Heinz Badura and Martin Posch, in 1975, three days after the first ascent by a Polish expedition via the comparatively easy south face).[20] In 1978 he and Rudi Brandstetter opened a new direct route through the East Face of Nevado Rasac (6017 m, Cordillera Huayhuash, Peruvian Andes).[21] In 2005 he opened, together with Martin Rihs and Reinhold Lazar, a new route onto mount Llullaillaco (6,739 m) from southwest.[22]
He climbed, most times solo, several 6000 m and numerous 5000 m peaks in the Andes and in the ranges of High Asia. As a rock climber he opened several new routes in the climbing sites of the Austrian Alps, both south west of Vienna and in the Grazer Bergland. He also soloed numerous rock and mixed routes in the entire Alps, Scandinavia, the Rocky Mountains, the Andes, the HKH Ranges, on Borneo and in New Zealand.
Manfred Buchroithner has (co-)authored about 760 scientific publications, which have been cited about 6300 times. His h-index is 36 (status 2022).[24][25]
((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)((citation)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Due to his expertise both in mountaineering and cartography Buchroithner contributed to a number of Alpine Club maps that are published jointly by the Austrian and the German Alpine Club resp. was assigned responsibility for content and/or production. Equally he contributed to maps of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für vergleichende Hochgebirgsforschung. Examples include:
(Selection)
