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Geomatics and remote sensing

To better understand and describe the processes related to the Earth’s physical features and the society it is increasingly important to use remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) as tools for managing large amounts of spatial and geographically-referenced information.

Risk of avalanches and landslides direction is an example of what can be calculated using a geometric analysis. Image: Dept. of Geosciences.

About the group

Geomatics includes collection, management, integration, representation, analysis, modeling, and visualization of geographically-referenced information. Data is collected by mapping using GPS, or by remote sensing from aerial, satellite or ground based sensors. Data is further managed and analyzed in a geographical information system (GIS).

Geomatic tools and techniques are used by all our research groups, both within environmental studies, hydrology, water resources, geomorphology and geohazards. Examples of projects are geohazards and slope instability, glacier mapping and change detection, permafrost modeling, snow distribution and landform analysis.

Project areas in brief:

Tasman Glacier, New Zealand.	Spaceborne optical remote sensing of glaciers Glacier mapping and change detection Digital elevation models (DEM) from stereo Ice flow Water resources and glacier hazards Mainland Norway, Svalbard, Alps, Himalaya, New Zealand, Caucasus, Central Asia, ... ESA, NASA, GLIMS, EU FP6, ...
Glacier lakes and outburst, Bhutan.	Remote sensing of geohazards Glacier-related hazards (floods, avalanches, surges, etc.) Permafrost-related hazards (slope instability, debris flows, etc.) Landslides Hazard assessment and disaster management Study Areas: Mainland Norway, Svalbard, Alps, Himalaya, Caucasus, Central Asia, ... IACS, IUGG, IPA, ICG, ESA, NATO,..
SAR interferogram; Austfonna, Svalbard.	SAR and SAR-interferometry DEMs from spaceborne SAR Differential SAR interferometry SAR speckle tracking High-resolution SAR Persistent scatterer interferometry
Ruth Glacier, Alaska.	Image matching algorithms Spatial domain matching Frequency domain matching SAR speckle tracking Sub-pixel matching Applications to glaciers, ice shelves, permafrost, landslides, etc.
	Combination of Optical and SAR satellite data Glacier mapping and Glacier volume changes Ice flow
A map showing permafrost.	Permafrost creep Rockglacier surface displacements and velocity fields Volume changes Climate impact and hazards Study Areas: Swiss Alps, Svalbard, Canada
	Digital photogrammetry DEM generation Elevation changes Terrain displacements
Average LST; Iceland (MODIS).	Remote sensing of Land Surface Temperatures (LST) MODIS LST provides daily measurements @ 1km resolution worldwide 10 year time series Input for thermal permafrost modeling Study Areas: Norway, Svalbard, Siberia, Mongolia, Iceland, Greenland
Modelled ground temperatures and validation measurements at the JuvflYe site.	Thermal permafrost models Spatially distributed modeling of ground temperatures ased on surface data sets (e.g. air temperature, snow depth) Models of different complexity – Cryogrid 1, 2, 3 Model runs on the ABEL Computing Cluster, UiO.