Major Research Areas

The Department of Geomatics undertakes a wide range of pure and applied research projects.

The Department’s consulting and research activities are divided into three areas:

• measurement science
• land management & administration; and
• spatial information science & technology.

Measurement Science

In the area of measurement science, the Department has developed a long-standing expertise in geodetic science and adjustment of large survey control networks. This includes the development of least squares collocation techniques to allow gravity fields to be taken into account as part of the high precision determination of height measurements using GPS.

The Department also specialises in high-precision industrial and engineering measurement using computerised optical 3-D measurement techniques, including videometrics (metric machine vision) and digital photogrammetric mapping
systems.

Examples of projects in this area of specialisation are:

• videometric inspection in the aerospace and manufacturing industries;
• rapid asset mapping using an integrated GPS/GIS solution;
• real time GPS for resource exploration;
• deformation monitoring by digital photogrammetry;
• use of photogrammetry in cultural monument recording, archaeology and biometry.

Land Management & Administration

Another core research area of the Department is land management and administration, and strong collaborative research links have been established with private industry and Federal, State and Local government bodies.

The Department’s research agenda in this area embraces legal, institutional and technical issues facing land managers and administrators in the new millenium, in both developed and
developing countries.

Examples of the research projects being undertaken are:

• diffusion of GIS in State and Local government;
• cadastral data and the Internet;
• design, construction and management of spatial data infrastructures;
• cadastral reform and land tenure in developing countries;
• development of a marine cadastre.

Spatial Information Science & Technology

Finally, the Department specialises in all aspects of spatial (geographic) information science and associated technologies. At the operational level, our educational programs and consulting activities include applications of spatial information
systems for purposes such as land planning, facilities and utilities management, emergency services delivery, and environmental monitoring and management.

Examples of projects in this field of expertise are:

• spatial information science, including spatial cognition;
• computer visualisation of environmental change;
• GIS for provision of location based services;
• modelling and communicating uncertainty in spatial databases;
• multi-spectral imaging for marine mapping and monitoring;
• collaborative decision support systems for environmental management.