MSc Projects 2013: Remote Sensing, Environmental Mapping, Climate Change
Topic: Monitoring post-fire erosion using EO data.
Supervisor: Dr. Jose Gomez-Dans (j.gomez-dans@ucl.ac.uk) and Dr. Mat Disney
(mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
Fire affects vegetation, but it also affects the erodibility of the terrain. As the
vegetation cover decreases, soil is exposed to rain and wind, and erosion is likely to
increase. Eventually, sediments are collected by rivers, resulting in silting. In this
project, you will be examining EO data to monitor fire activity in some catchments
that have suffered intense fire activity in one year. EO data will also be used to
monitor the suspended sediment in the catchment, making comparisons to ascertain
whether EO data can be used to monitor post-fire erosion. The project will included
handling EO data, and identifying burnscars as well as interpreting the data to retrieve
the optical properties of water.
Topic: Monitoring post-fire erosion using EO data.
Supervisor: Supervisor: Dr. Jose Gomez-Dans (j.gomez-dans@ucl.ac.uk) and Dr.
Mat Disney (mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
, possible involvement of Dr. Juan Suarez from Forest Research
SAR backscatter responds to the amount and structure of vegetation, but also to a
number of other complicating factors, such as soil moisture and roughness. Simple
backscatter models have been shown to be effective in retrieving biomass from SAR
data, but problems remain, particularly for the shorter wavelengths. A way to improve
the situation, as well as providing credible estimates of uncertainty, is to couple a
backscatter model with a "biomass evolution" model in a data assimilation
framework such as EO-LDAS <http://jgomezdans.github.com/eoldas_release/>. The
project will include obtaining and pre-processing SAR data, and the development of
the DA framework. The approach will be evaluated with comparisons with ground
observations.
Topic: Updating forest inventories using different EO data
Supervisor: Supervisor: Dr. Jose Gomez-Dans (j.gomez-dans@ucl.ac.uk) and Dr.
Mat Disney (mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
Updating forest inventories is expensive, but necessary. EO data has been used for
this, but generally relies on laborious photo-interpretation of very high resolution
optical data. In this project, we seek to integrate optical and microwave data to detect
changes in forest cover, using state of the art spatial processing techniques. You will
be working with different types of EO data, and developing and using
classification/change-detection algorithms.
Topic: 3D radiative transfer model applications in African Savannahs
Supervisor: Dr. Mat Disney (mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
The aim of the project would be apply an existing 3D radiative transfer model of fire
effects, developed for an ESA project on fire mapping in S. Africa (see the project
final report and examples here: http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~plewis/ESA-fire/ and a
paper here http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~mdisney/papers/disney_et_al_fire_rt.pdf).
The model covers only a limited range of burn scenarios, so the project would
develop a wider range of grass and tree covers spanning a range of burn scenarios.
This would be used to build a look-up-table (LUT) or emulator of burn response. This
will be tested against MODIS data over southern Africa, in order to derive estimates
of the fire impact on cover. If successful there is possibility of writing up the work for
publication, as this will be the first time such a model has been tested on a large area
dataset. The project will require good programming skills (python, scripting) and
handling image data. Training will be given on how to develop and run the 3D
modelling
software
(http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~plewis/librat/
and
https://librat.wikispaces.com/).
Topic: Exploring the impact of roughness (canopy and terrain) on the fundamental
controls on angular reflectance
Supervisor: Prof. Philip Lewis (p.lewis@ucl.ac.uk), Dr. Mat Disney
(mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
Surface directional reflectance is known to be controlled by a combination of the size
and number density of objects on a surface, as well as their scattering properties. This
behaviour is broadly relted to the surface ‘roughness’. This project would explore
how the roughness (size and distribution) of a surface affects the directional signal,
and how this can be modelled using a new approach to radiative transfer modelling.
The project will use 3D modelling software developed at Geography
(http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~plewis/librat/ and https://librat.wikispaces.com/) to
explore this problem before testing against data from airborne or spaceborne sources.
The project will require good programming skills (python, scripting) and handling
image data. Training will be given on how to develop and run the 3D modelling
software
Topic: Simulating the impact of lidar instrument and survey characteristics on
reconstructing 3D canopy structural information
Supervisor: Dr. Mat Disney (mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) are being used to collect canopy structural data from
a range of canopies. New methods can exploit these data to provide reconstructions of
3D tree structure. This project will explore the impact of instrument and survey
characteristics on the ability of these 3D reconstruction methods to accurately and
rapidly provide 3D tree structure. 3D radiative transfer (RT) modelling software
developed at UCL Geography (see http://www2.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~plewis/librat/ and
https://librat.wikispaces.com/) will be used to simulate TLS data over a range of
instrument and scan characteristics, as well as airborne lidar scanner (ALS) data.
These simulations will be used in 3D reconstruction software to estimate tree
structure, which will be tested in turn using the 3D RT software. The project will aim
to determine the most efficient way in which new TLS instruments can be used to
determine canopy structure, in combination with ALS data. The project will require
good programming skills (python, scripting) and handling image data. Training will
be given on how to develop and run the 3D modelling software
Topic: Substrate history of the outer Thames seabed: implications for habitat change
Supervisor: Dr. Helene Burningham (h.burningham@ucl.ac.uk)
Synopsis: The seabed of the outer Thames estuary is variably formed in mud, sand,
gravel, broken shell and solid London clay (bedrock), and associated mixtures. As
such, the seabed is a complex mosaic of substrate type that forms a significant natural
ecosystem supporting a wide range of habitats and species, recognised in the plethora
of Marine Protected Areas (including Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special
Areas of Conservation (SACs)) and inclusion in the recent Marine Conservation
Zones Project. The boundaries of these designations are often rather arbitrary, with
little link to the character and dynamics of the underlying seabed. Changes in patterns
of substrate composition are likely to have a significant control on seabed habitat
geography, with considerable implications for the range of mobile species that it
supports. The aim of this project is to reconstruct the substrate history, and hence gain
an understanding of natural variability in possible habitats across the seabed of the
outer Thames estuary.
The project is likely to involve:
- collation of historical bathymetric charts from the archives of CERU, British Library,
National Maritime Museum and the UK Hydrographic Office [scanning and georectification where necessary]
- review of seabed from these sources to establish geographic focus
- digitisation of substrate character, development of classified maps, analysis of
historical change
- review of substrate control on seabed habitats
- evaluate implications of substrate changes on the distribution of seabed habitats
Topic: Geomorphic and hydrological mapping of a sedimentary lake-wetland.
Supervisor: Dr. Helene Burningham (h.burningham@ucl.ac.uk)
Synopsis: Sedimentary lakes are aquatic systems that usually form within a
sedimentary (depositional) environment, where water flow is restricted and obstructed,
causing a backing up of water, and the development of lake and wetland
environments. These systems are usually very shallow, but have the potential to
extend large distances. Sheskinmore Lough and its wetland (northwest Ireland)
starting forming in response to large-scale shifts in neighbouring coastal dunes around
1000 years ago that blocked part of the adjacent estuary, and caused infilling of a lowlying depression with freshwater and then aquatic and marginal plants. The focus of
this project is to fully map the topographic context of the lake and its surrounding
environment, and explore the sub-surface sedimentary and hydrological
characteristics to establish the likely environmental history of the site.
The project would include:
- dGPS surveying of the wetland and lake environment
- survey water table depth and possibly some stratigraphic markers across the site
- post-processing of dGPS data to create a continuous DTM, and spatial mapping of
subsurface sedimentary and hydrological characteristics
Around a week of fieldwork, in Donegal, will be involved. The National Parks and
Wildlife Service can provide accommodation for the duration of field-based research.
Topic: Diversity of diversity: exploring scales of variability in the multiple habitats of
a backshore-foredune system
Supervisor: Dr. Helene Burningham (h.burningham@ucl.ac.uk)
Synopsis: The backshore-foredune environment – the supratidal beach and dune front
– is well known for harsh conditions (increased salinity, threat of inundation, frequent
and rapid changes in sediment erosion and deposition, and low nutrient content)
which ensure that it remains a niche habitat for only a small range of adapted species.
In these environments though, the potential for diversity in these niche habitats is
relatively high – alongshore changes in factors such as sediment supply and tidal
debris deposition produce localised changes in topography, drainage and nutrient
provision – small changes in which can make a significant difference to the species
that occupy this marginal environment. This project explores the importance of
patchiness in environmental (physical and edaphic) setting on the species assemblages
that occupy the backshore-foredune environment. The study site is the supratidal
beach and dune front at Tramore Strand, west Donegal, northwest Ireland. Evidence
from past maps and aerial photographs shows that this environment has developed
over a relatively short period (<30 years) as a result of increased sediment availability
supplied through the erosion of dunes elsewhere in the adjacent Loughros More
estuary. Ponding of water within this prograding system has maximised the local
diversity of habitats, and the system is characterised by a complex suite of aeolian,
coastal and limnological ecosystems, the boundaries of which are rarely distinct.
Map and aerial photography can be used to delimit the chronology of the evolving
backshore-foredune environment, and fieldwork at the site to survey 1) species
presence and abundance and 2) the physical and edaphic environment will form the
primary dataset to examine species-environment relationships. GIS or other spatial
mapping will be used to explore spatial scales of variability. The project will require
fieldwork on site in Donegal, northwest Ireland. The National Parks and Wildlife
Service can provide accommodation for the duration of field-based research.
Topic: Saltmarsh fragmentation in southeast England
Supervisor: Dr. Helene Burningham (h.burningham@ucl.ac.uk)
Synopsis: Saltmarshes in southeast England have been eroding significantly over the
last 100 years. In combination with the heavily reclaimed nature of these coastal
environments, this decline in saltmarsh is a considerably priority for coastal
management and conservation. Whatever the cause of this erosion, there has been
little high-resolution quantification of the rate and nature this loss. It is essential that
the characteristics of change in saltmarsh habitat, the potential for re-colonisation and
the quality of remaining habitat are all understood to inform local and national
conservation strategies. This project aims to evaluate the changes in vegetated extent
of saltmarsh in southeast England, and examine the characteristics of these changes
against the existing theories for mechanisms driving the loss.
This project will involve:
 image analysis of aerial photographs acquired over the past 50 years and
development of an automated approach to the identification of vegetated and
non-vegetated regions within saltmarsh environments
 analysis of recent historical change in vegetated saltmarsh extent
 evaluation of change against existing theories of saltmarsh decline
Although fieldwork is not essential in this project, field surveys could be conducted to
provide a more robust understanding of current vegetation patterns and species
assemblages associated with different saltmarsh environments.
Topic: Automated Point Cloud Classification
Supervisor: Jan Boehm (j.boehm@ucl.ac.uk)
With recent progress in machine learning new powerful classifiers are available to
automate laborious tasks of manual classification. While classification is a wellstudied technology for 2d imagery it is relatively new for 3D point clouds. This
research project aims at investigating possible geometric features extracted from point
clouds with respect to their usability for automated classification.
Topic: ASTM E57 Data Exchange Format
Supervisor: Jan Boehm (j.boehm@ucl.ac.uk)
The ASTM E57 is the first open binary exchange format for terrestrial laser scanning
data. The data format tries to accommodate many applications and data sources.
Lately vendors start implementing data in- and export in their software packages. At
the moment it is unclear which features are supported by the vendors and which are
lost. The student shall review the format specification and establish test data sets.
Then existing software tools of the major vendors (Leica, Faro) are to be
systematically tested regarding their capabilities to handle E57 data.
tinyurl.com/c6ucvol
Topic: Quasi-panoramic Kinect
Supervisor: Jan Boehm (j.boehm@ucl.ac.uk)
The Microsoft Kinect and similar devices acquire a range image very much like a
camera. As a consequence the range data is limited to a certain field of view (e.g. 40
degrees by 60 degrees). Particularly for positioning task such a narrow field of view
can lead to problems. In classical photography the combination of multiple cameras to
achieve a panoramic view is well known (see e.g. Google Street View). This project
seeks to combine several Kinect-like sensors and align their data to achieve a (quasi-)
panoramic range image.
Topic: Integrated positioning from polar and inertial measurement
Supervisor: Jan Boehm (j.boehm@ucl.ac.uk)
Polar measurement is the well-known principle that forms the basis of many geodetic
measurement instruments, such as the total station. Inertial Measurement Units (IMU)
measure accelerations and changes in orientation. Polar measurement can give us a
precise XYZ location of a target, albeit at a low repetition rate. Whereas IMUs
typically have a high measurement frequency their absolute accuracy degrades over
time. Very much like the standard combination of GPS & IMU we seek to combine
polar measurement and inertial measurements to achieve the “best of both worlds”.
Topic: Geomatic Engineering: Natural User Interface to Digital Earth
Supervisor: Jan Boehm (j.boehm@ucl.ac.uk)
A step further to Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) and Touch User interfaces (TUI),
Natural User Interfaces (NUI) attempt to do without any artificial devices the user has
to operate (such as mouse, keyboard, touch screen, etc.). Instead natural gestures
(hand waving, raising arms, etc.) are used to issue commands to the computer. With
the success of Microsoft's Kinect a whole range of possible applications has opened
up. One of them is operating a Digital Earth Viewer (Google Maps, etc.) through
gestures. The student is expected to review available NUI APIs (Microsoft,
PrimeSense, ASUS, etc.) and implement a prototype NUI for a Digital Earth Browser
(implementation in C#, JavaScript or else).
Various topics: various high resolution mapping using lidar, aerial and satellite data,
including over the London Olympic site. Examples including High accuracy city
mapping from satellite imagery vs aerial mapping sources; Building detection in
aerial and satellite imagery. Contacts below for more details.
Supervisors: Prof. Stuart Robson (s.robson@ucl.ac.uk), Dietmar Backes
(dietmar@cege.ucl.ac.uk) and Jan Boehm (j.boehm@ucl.ac.uk).
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Assessment of cloud cover from MSG-SEVIRI, VIIRS, AATSR,
VEGETATION, MERIS, MODIS and MISR using ground-based all-sky
thermal IR camera.
Key words:
Clouds and climate, temporal sampling effects, ASTIC, cloud masking.
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
From 2006-2009 and more recently from 9/10-to-present-day,
ASTIC (All Sky Thermal Infrared Camera) images have been captured
every 30 seconds continuously from the Chilbolton Facility for Radar
Research (CFARR). Recently, a pair of new cameras have been
developed at MSSL and it is planned to place one of these at the UCL
Atmospheric Observatory and the other near the MSG receiving
station. A preliminary study over a short time period indicated that
when these ground-based ASTIC images were processed for cloud
fraction that there was little correlation with satellite-derived cloud
fractions for MISR and MERIS. This project is concerned with
extending this analysis over a much longer time period and using
more up to date methods for cloud segmentation for the ASTIC
images.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL programming. The applicant should have
a strong interest in satellite climate studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Josh Lyons (MSc GIS 2003), Human Rights Watch, Geneva,
Switzerland
Email: lyonsj@hrw.org
Provisional title for project:
Assessment of VIIRS, MODIS & Landsat-8 to detect fires used as a
weapon through the thermal and DNB channels.
Key words:
Fire detection, Night-time lights, VIIRS & MODIS, human rights.
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
Arson is often times used as a weapon in civil war conflicts as
evidenced over the last few years in Georgia and Burma and
currently in Syria. MODIS fires (observed at 1km IFoV) have been
employed to detect fire locations when incidents have been brought
to the attention of international human rights organisations. VIIRS
operates at 750m and with its wider swath will allow many more
repeat observations. Landsat-8 (due for launch on 11.2.13) will
include 100m QWIP thermal bands (TIRS) but only has a 16-day
repeat cycle. It is not yet known if night-time data will be regularly
collected or whether Landsat-8 will be in the SuomiNPP train.
This project will be concerned with an evaluation of these new
sensors with respect to current conflicts, as advised by the cosupervisor from HRW. Human activity will also be assessed using the
750m DNB (Day-Night Band) on VIIRS and its co-location with
thermal IR-derived fire observations to assess the potential for the
observation of arson attacks in future conflicts.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL programming. The applicant should have
a strong interest in satellite climate physics studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Assessment of WWLLN lightning-induced forest fires in Russia and its
comparison with previous results for North America.
Key words:
Lightning-fire interactions, Smoke and climate, smart data mining.
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
In 2012, a MSc RS student took a preliminary look at trying to
unscramble the source of forests fires in North America (NA from
Mexico to northern Canada). In particular, he used the WWLLN
(World Wide Lightning Location Network), an unique VLF network
which MSSL hosts one of the >50 stations worldwide and hence
unique access to the global derived data, with the MODIS fires (after
establishing that the World Fire Atlas was too poor quality to
employ). It is planned to employ VIIRS fires as well if these become
available in time. This project will look at Russia from 2007-2012
and compare the results with those obtained from NA. In particular,
the infamous 2011 Moscow fire episode will be studied to
understand whether the official explanation of lightning-induced
fires can be supported by the evidence.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL programming. The applicant should have
a strong interest in satellite climate physics studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Assessment of simple change detection methods for detecting crater
impacts and other surficial changes since the Lunar orbiter
observations in the 1960s.
Key words:
Change detection, the Moon, crater impacts
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
Amateur astronomical observations of the Moon have indicated that
there are frequent (around 1-2 a month) flashes of light around the
Moon which are believed to come from meteoritic impacts. In the
1960s, the Lunar Orbiter acquired global observations of the Moon
and in 1994 the DoD-NASA Clementine mission mapped the whole
Moon and now from 2009-2012, the NASA LRO similarly mapped the
Moon at resolutions from 50-100m.
The purpose of this project is firstly to check on the co-registration of
these 3 image-maps, and then to apply simple change detection
algorithms to determine whether there have been any detectable
changes in the lunar surface over the last 50 years.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL programming. The applicant should have
a strong interest in satellite space physics studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Assessment of phase correlation methods for observing subtle
changes in the polar fringes of Mars from 25cm HiRISE imagery.
Key words:
Change detection, phase correlation, Mars, water-CO2 ice interactions
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
Phase correlation methods have been applied by Stephen Leprince
and colleagues at Caltech to mapping the motion of dune-fields and
gullies in 25cm imagery of the martian surface. PCM was originally
developed for use in mapping terrestrial land surface deformation at
1/100th of a pixel and smaller in Landsat imagery. This project will
apply the cosi_corr method and methods under development in the
Imaging Group at MSSL to mapping changes in the region near the
South Pole of Mars where CO2 geysers have been postulated and
where a 2010 MSc Planetary Science student observed a large
accumulation of PAH organics.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL programming. The applicant should have
a strong interest in satellite space physics studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Assessment of BRDF effects in the changing state of sea-ice floes in
the Arctic using MISR imagery.
Key words:
Sea-ice BRDF/albedo, climate change, MISR multi-angular
observations.
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
In 2007, the smallest sea-ice coverage for the last 50 years was
recorded by passive microwave instruments over the Arctic ocean.
Although the same reduction has not been observed since the yearon-year trend indicates a reduction over all in the late summer
months. One particular unintended consequence of this trend could
be reductions in the albedo of sea-ice which may accelerate further
sea-ice melt. Although CRYOSAT has not observed such thinning due
to the limited time it has been in orbit, its retrieval algorithms rely
heavily on assumptions of the surface roughness of sea-ice floes in
their retrievals, particularly the amount of meltwater and leads. The
MISR instrument provides regular observations at multiple angles of
sea-ice floes. This project will examine whether time series
observations of parts of the Arctic show any hint of changes in
albedo.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL programming. The applicant should have
a strong interest in satellite climate physics studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Machine vision techniques for tomography of plume and anvil
development in thunderstorm towers from multi-angular MISR
views.
Key words:
Tomography, time series and multi-angle retrievals, MISR.
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
Time animation display of rapidly developing atmospheric features
over the 7 minutes of a MISR overpass from the forward to the
aftmost camera show clear indications of vertical convective
development. This project is concerned with the development of
optical flow techniques for tracking this change in isobrightness
contours and so deriving the divergence field along with estimates of
the convective speed. Where possible the JPL MINX tool will be
employed to derive smoke or anvil development and local windspeed to derive validation statistics.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL or MatLab or Python programming. The
applicant should have a strong interest in satellite climate studies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)
UCL DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
Proposal for MSc Research Project
Name of project supervisor and contact details:
Professor Jan-Peter Muller, Mullard Space Sciences Laboratory
(UCL Space & Climate Physics, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6NT)
email: jpm@mssl.ucl.ac.uk Tel. 01483-204151 SKYPE:jpalm66
Provisional title for project:
Analysis of directional reflectance effects over vicarious calibration
sites using MISR and CHRIS-PROBA data and the QA4EO framework.
Key words:
Spectral directional reflectance, vicarious calibration, inter-sensor
calibration
Suitable for which programme/s
M.Sc. Remote Sensing
100 word abstract of what the project would likely entail:
Dale Potts (MSSL PhD candidate at MSSL working with NPL) has
recently calculated BRDF and Ozone-corrected AATSR-VEGETATIONMERIS sensor inter-calibration coefficients needed to correct a long
time series retrieval of land surface albedo within the ESA
GlobAlbedo project. A fundamental part of this retrieval was the
assumption that the Hudson & Warren BRDF (H&W) model correctly
accounted for surface BRDF effects. This project will employ the
MISR and CHRIS-PROBA data to derive independently the surface
spectral BRDF and compare this against the H&W model as well as
calculate the sensor intercalibration coefficients for MISR-MODISAATSR-VEGETATION-MERIS. The CHRIS-PROBA data will in addition
be employed to model the spectral responsivity of the instruments.
Essential and desirable skills/courses that the student would need to
have:
Familiarity with ENVI/IDL (and preferably Python) programming.
The applicant should have a strong interest in satellite climate
sphysics tudies.
Any issues of data confidentiality that would need to be resolved?
N/A
Selection method (interview or other meeting):
Interview, preferably by SKYPE video conference
(Please return to Mat Disney at mathias.disney@ucl.ac.uk)