PhD Studentship – digital photogrammetric techniques in aid of UAV trajectory determination |2021-2022 Scholarships Grants

Reference Code: CI642

Closing Date: 3rd February 2014

Details:

Name of the supervisors
Dr Darion Grant, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Professor Jon Mills, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Dr Pauline Miller, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Sponsor
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Duration of the award
Three and a half years

Project description
UAVs provide an excellent platform for the acquisition of geospatial data especially in response to time-critical events. The georeferencing of the data is a very important stage and it relies on knowledge of the UAVâs trajectory.

This project will exploit the acquired imagery in support of trajectory determination of the UAV, specifically to deal with cases where GNSS outages are frequent and/or long. The research will investigate the use of Structure from Motion and dense image matching techniques with the aim of determining and/or improving the trajectory without the use of ground control points.

Value of the award and eligibility
This award is available to candidates who meet the EPSRCâs eligibility criteria. A full award covers tuition fees at the UK/EU rate and an annual stipend of Â£13,726 (2014-15).

Person specification
The candidate will ideally have a background in geomatics (photogrammetry, surveying), although applicants from fields such as computer science (esp. image processing), aeronautical/aerospace, mathematics or physics would also be welcome. Strong numerical, analytical and communication skills are essential, as are skills in scientific programming (e.g. Matlab/C++) and statistical analysis. Experience in land surveying/photogrammetry/image processing/navigation is highly desirable.