Hugo de Groof
Chief Scientist, Research and Innovation Unit
European Commission -- DG Environment-D-4
Governance, Information & Reporting Unit
Belgium

Biography
Hugo holds degrees in geography and information and communication technology. Prior to joining European Commission Joint Research Centre in 1986, he worked in the private sector as software developer - analyst. At JRC, he specialised in remote sensing data processing, software engineering and GIS, for a wide range of applications. In 1998 he joined the European Commission, Directorate General for the Environment and has been responsible as Commission policy officer for the INSPIRE Directive - establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Union and its relation to environmental policies and policies having an impact on the environment.