Geospatial Research Centre

GRC People

Director Fred Samandari

Assoc. Director Assoc. Prof. Wendy Lawson

Research Engineers

● Dr Marcus Andreotti
● Mr Kelvin Barnsdale

8 PhD students

● Computer Science & Software Engineering

● Electrical & Computer Engineering
● Geography
● Mathematics & Statistics
● Mechanical engineering

6 BE(Hons) project students

● Electrical & Computer Engineering

● Mechanical engineering
What is GEOSPATIAL technology?

The measurement, geo-referencing, visualization, and analysis of features or

phenomena that occur in the Earth environment.

(Also known as Spatial Information Technology or Geomatics)

Geographic Information
Technology Systems
The GRC toolbox –
Airborne Platforms

Access to light aircraft at very low operating costs.

The GRC toolbox –
Airborne Platforms

“Large” electric powered UAV with

payload module.
The GRC toolbox –
Ground based Platforms

Ground support vehicle “VEGEMITE” with dead reckoning capability.

(Video Equipped Geospatial Estimation of Motion Inertial Trolley Experiment)

GAFA attachment
(Geospatially Aware
Filing Accessory)
 GRC toolbox –
Equipment and software.

Fast deployment Airborne

§

Mapping Package system. Thermal imaging

•

video camera.

Novatel SPAN high

accuracy GPS / INS
position sensor system. Digital video cameras.
•

Camera lens
•
INS/GPS integration
•

calibration and spatial filter software

measurement system. “POINT”

10Mp
•

•
Precise time Data DSLR
LIDAR range
•
cameras
loggers
finder.
Collaboration with
industry

Click to edit Master text styles

Second level
● Third level

● Fourth level

● Fifth level

1m resolution.
3m precision

Complete IR Thermal
survey of
Christchurch City
Collaboration with
industry:

Animal trap video logger for DOC.

 Collaboration with
industry:

Tree Counting

for

Forest Management
 Collaboration with
industry:

Road surface

Condition

Measurement

Systems, using image

processing.
Research
BoWSLAM
Tom Botterill, Steven Mills,
Richard Green.
Bag of Words driven Single
Camera SLAM
Navigation and mapping using a
single imaging device.
Recognise robot’s location using
computer vision
 Research
Visual Exposure Analysis in Cities for use in Location Based Services
Modified Line of Sight Probability Model for Vegetation Line of Sight probability when passing through trees
Reports under, through, and above canopy and not seen
areas for a nominated Feature of Interest (FOI)

Uses CCC LiDAR model

Example for Building Example Showing the Horizon when driving

 Research
Improving the Accuracy of VHF Animal Tracking

Statistical properties of bearings-only

localization

Representations of confidence intervals and

prediction of estimator performance

Lightweight spread-spectrum animal tags

Detection and direction-finding on complex RF

and acoustic signals

Low-cost sensor networks

 Research

Blind de-convolution
of binary images
using a Harmony
Search algorithms
•
Jaco Fourie, Steven
Mills, Richard Green
•
Automatic deblurring
of binary images
without prior
knowledge
 Research


Biologically Inspired Computer Vision for Flying
Robots

Indoor Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance

Autonomous Flight of
Quadrotor helicopters
John Stowers, Andrew-Bainbridge Smith
 Current projects:

Cellular network
emergency beacon

UAV launch system Energy harvesting

animal tracking systems

Snow radar 4cm resolution Coastal

antennas imagery of estuary weather
buoy
communications

Foot tracker
RIMU
 Wild Life Tracker / Logger

Main features:
- Small size: 47 x 26 x 4 mm;
- Integrates high-sensitivity GPS (SirfIII
based);
- Integrates ±2g/±8g three-axis

accelerometer;
- Integrates 30 to 120kPa absolute
pressure sensor;
- Integrates -20 to 70oC temperature
sensor;
- 32 MBits of long (20 years) retention
flash memory;
- Integrates flexible expansion bus to
support additional customized sensors;
- Supports single-cell LiPo battery
operation;
- Integrates LiPo recharge system;
- Can support a variety of
communication devices (Zigbee,
Bluetooth, radio modem, etc…);
SCP1000 Static Barometer

For delta-height measurements:

~9cm accuracy (1.8Hz sr) or

~20cm accuracy (9Hz sr)
Low power (~25uA)

Breakboard: ~£20.00

Will need additional processor board to

perform the interface (if Thales system’s
interface cannot provide it somehow)

Basic logger testing costs:

~£90.00
Capable to log data directly from the
barometer board, for evaluation
purpouses.