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Here are listed some possible themes for a master or bachelor thesis. Own proposals are welcome. For more topics visit the German version of this site!

Assessing the potential of web 2.0 volunteered geographic information in social networks for the crowdsourcing platform “geo-wiki.org”

In recent years, volunteered geographic information has become a major source of open information in a mobile society, spanning different thematic areas like e.g. common mapping (OpenStreetMap), emergency and crisis response (ushahidi) or in global landcover validation like geo-wiki.org. The Geo-Wiki Project[0] is a global network of volunteers who wish to help improve the quality of global land cover maps. Basis for the assessment are local knowledge, aerial photographs and satellite derived land cover classification. However, in remote areas, information from these sources may be rather poor. Geo-wiki intends to enhance the information available for these areas by harnessing additional georeferenced information which is becoming available via web 2.0: social media like e.g. panoramio, youtube, twitter and flickr allow to georeference their media by coordinates and tagging by specific keywords, making it a potential source of additional information for the assessment of global landcover. Objective: Assess the potential use of georeferenced information in social media by integrating and testing the „web2.0 broker“ (developed by L. Diaz et al, [4]) in geo-wiki.org. Test and develop appropriate keywords to filter the plethora of web 2 information available and to extract information which is tailored to improve information on land cover. For a master thesis, assess multilingual taxonomies used in social networks to tag media covering land cover as a topic.

Assessing the potential of web 2.0 volunteered geographic information in social networks for the crowdsourcing platform “geo-wiki.org” - Read More…

Interested in soldering, handicrafts, scripts and copter flying?

I am looking for someone who would like to build a GPS data logger for our institute copter and develop the code using a base station to correct the GPS signal (differential GPS). A Raspberry-Pi is to be used as data logger, all other material is mostly available, only some cables have to be made. All cost will be refunded. The project should be done in 3 weeks easily and a short project report as well as the developed code is expected.

Interested in soldering, handicrafts, scripts and copter flying? - Read More…

Detecting dynamic changes in vegetation patterns in areas of semi-natural Vegetation in southern Chile

The objective of the Master-Thesis is to classify a series of historical aereal photographes due to vegetation cover and to analyse temporal changes in vegetation patterns. These information should be used to identify areas of progressive degradation of forest to shrubland, areas of forest succession due to abandonment, and aereas with a dynamic conversion between shrubland and human-induced types of land cover, in particular pastures.

Detecting dynamic changes in vegetation patterns in areas of semi-natural Vegetation in southern Chile - Read More…

Use the camera to determine the diameter at breast height and much more.

Forest inventories are time-consuming and labour-intensive. Determine the diameter at breast height of each individual tree with the calipper and determine the position by means of angle counting is only possible in samples of forests. Wouldn't it be much easier to walk through the woods with a camera and let the computer do the rest? Technically, this should be possible. From many camera images from numerous perspectives it is possible to calculate 3D models. Forest parameters from such models can be extracted. In the past, for example, BHDs in forests were determined automatically. We are now looking for further parameters of interest. The inventory of lying and standing dead wood is of particular interest.

Use the camera to determine the diameter at breast height and much more. - Read More…

Detection of forest structures from extremely high resolution stereo satellite images.

Using special software, surface structures can be reconstructed from stereo images (photogrammetry or SfM). This is important in the forestry sciences when large areas need to be mapped for tree and stand heights, crown gaps or storm damage. There is already a lot of experience in this area from threatening data and manned aerial photography flights. For this work, a very high quality data set of 400km² multispectral satellite images from the southern Black Forest with a ground resolution of approx. 60cm would be available (Worldview-3, full-stereo). The detection of forest structures from such a dataset would have a high scientific relevance.

Detection of forest structures from extremely high resolution stereo satellite images. - Read More…