Ranked among the six top universities in the world in remote sensing

• Remote sensing is a vital field for Iceland
• Earth sciences are cutting edge at the University of Iceland
• ShanghaiRanking confirms the University's overall strength

The University of Iceland has moved up a spot between years and is currently ranked in sixth place amongst the best universities in the world in the field of remote sensing according to the renowned Shanghai Ranking. The University is, furthermore, ranked among the top hundred universities in the world in earth sciences. 

ShanghaiRanking Consultancy has published a list of academic ranking of world universities since 2003, and a global ranking of academic subjects for the last 10 years in natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences. The assessment is based on six objective indicators, including the number of articles published in prestigious scientific journals; the number of times research conducted at the university has been cited by other research scientists; the university's performance based on the number of employees, and the number of employees receiving scientific awards for their contributions to individual fields of study. 

This year’s evaluation by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy includes 54 subjects and 1,700 universities worldwide. As stated above the University of Iceland is ranked in sixth place worldwide in the field of remote sensing which involves taking digital images from drones, planes, and satellites and using these to extract data regarding the Earth's surface.  Remote sensing plays an important role in Iceland, as it is used to monitor the impact of volcanic eruptions and the rapid changes occurring in the world due to climate change such as glacial regression, forest fires, and changes in the ocean.  

The University is, moreover, ranked in 76th to 100th place in the field of earth sciences according to Shanghai Ranking, and in position 100 - 150 in nursing. Furthermore, the University ranks between places 151-200 within life sciences and among the 300 best in the field of geography; 400 best in the field of human biological sciences; atmospheric sciences; clinical medicine; and public health sciences, and among the 500 best within physics and ecology.

The Shanghai Ranking is one of two most prestigious and influential rankings regarding the world's best academic institutions, the other being the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The University of Iceland has had a seat on the latter since its centennial in 2011. 

The ShanghaiRanking Consultancy academic ranking of the world's best universities by individual academic subjects along with information on its criteria can be found on the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy website.