Building upon earlier editions, the GMAP Winter School is focused on the production of planetary geological maps of a range of Solar System bodies.

The 2026 edition will cover introductory knowledge about planetary data, coordinate reference systems and software tools, the geology of key features on Mars, Earth and the Moon, and feasibility studies for future exploration.

The GMAP Winter School is organised by Europlanet, a non-profit association for the advancement of planetary science.

The school will take place in the week 26-30 January 2026. Both synchronous and asynchronous participation are possible according to the following criteria.

To participate in the GMAP Winter School, you MUST be a member of Europlanet. As well taking part in the GMAP Winter School 2026, your Europlanet membership will offer you many other benefits and access to Europlanet programmes (e.g. research visits to facilities, funding and mentoring). Discounts are available depending on location and career stage. If your organisation is already member, you don't need to pay anything. Find out more.

• Apply to register: Fill in the application form with your Europlanet membership details
• Registration confirmation: If your application is accepted, you will receive an email with details of how to join the Winter School via the dedicated Streavent platform
• Registered participants will have Q&A access via the dedicated Streavent platform until 28 February 2026;
• Registered participants will receive a certificate of attendance upon delivery of the hands-on mapping tasks by 22 March 2026.

Materials will be freely available after the school, for interested parties, to perform self-learning at their own pace (without certificates).

During the school, each planetary body of interest will be introduced, hands-on activities will be described, and participants will be guided through the task, i.e. individual completion of a small mapping task. At the end of each day, specific time slots are dedicated to seminars, which will provide insights, perspectives and additional knowledge on related topics.

After the synchronous and asynchronous phases of the school, no dedicated support will be provided, but all resources will remain accessible.

Step 1

Step 2

Apply to register for the school.

Please note that in order to correctly register to the school, you must have an active membership of Europlanet.

You will receive in January 2026 your entry code via email. Please keep record of it.

Step 3

Use the entry code and follow the instructions in the registration confirmation email to join the GMAP Winter School.

Finally, to receive a certificate of attendance, mapping tasks should be performed as instructed through school videos and materials and uploaded by the 22^nd March 2026.

Detailed instructions on how to use the platfrom are on the platform instructions page.

We are committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone. To ensure a respectful and professional experience for all participants, please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct.

The winter school is co-funded by the Europlanet Society, and the University of Padova.

Participating institutions are: