Projects

OmniMov – ongoing

Funding: FFG

Spatial DL – ongoing

Funding: Otto Immobilien GmbH

Spatial Deep Learning for Real Estate Price Predictions

DigiAssist II – ongoing

Funding: FFG FORTE

Evaluation of digital assistance systems (DAS) for collaborative and interactive troubleshooting and maintenance.

FamConMe – ongoing

Funding: EU MSCA

Familiarity is Key! Conceptualizing and Behaviourally Measuring Familiarity In-Situ

 

The proposed research project contributes to understanding and implementing familiarity in location-based systems, adding significantly to our knowledge of how to conceptualize familiarity of different environmental features (e.g. landmarks, routes, regions) and providing ways to assess it in-situ based on behavioural data. The project, therefore, has three aims: to provide theoretical, methodological, and applied advancements. Objective 1 is to disentangle and interrelate the different conceptualizations and measurements of familiarity, first, by means of a systematic review. Based on these insights, second, an online study is used to examine different conceptualizations and degrees of familiarity. These results lay the ground for the design of a within-subjects design in-situ study (Objective 2) to collect behavioural correlates of familiarity with different types of features. Three different sensors will be explored as ways to behaviourally assess familiarity during in-situ travel and spatial learning: Mobile eye tracking, high precision GNSS positioning, and head/body-worn Inertial Measurement Units (e.g. acceleration, orientation, etc.), using a subset of Objective 1 subjects and ground-truthed with data collected in Objective 1. Devising an empirical setup suitable to collect behavioural correlates based on these sensors is, therefore, a second major contribution. As a third step (Objective 3), machine learning and deep learning experiments on the behavioural data, singly and in combination, will be used to classify different levels of familiarity reflected in participants activities. These results can contribute to the European Commission's policy “Smart Cities – Smart Living”, which interplays with SC4 “Smart, green and integrated transport” of the H2020 work programme: Smart cities can adapt, e.g., public displays to a wayfinder's needs based on their current state of spatial cognition, for which familiarity is a key example.

Li4LaM – ongoing

Funding: Erasmus+
January, 1 2023 – December, 31 2025
Sustainable management of the resource “Land” requires up-to date and detailed geoinformation for decision-makers. Well-educated land administration (LA) professionals are providing this information for the tasks of land management by using satellite images, photogrammetry, and geoinformation technologies (GIS).
Li4LaM aims to improve knowledge, skills and competences of LA students on collecting, interpreting, and analysing geodata. Li4LaM develops and provides state-of-the-art teaching and learning materials for in total 12 existing modules of LA relevant study programs offered at four Ethiopian universities. For each of the Ethiopian partner universities also one new module (5 ECTS) is developed tailored to the specific needs of land management in their region, and one module (10 ECTS) is elaborated for Lifelong-Learning (LLL) courses aiming to upskill local LA experts.
For all modules, learning and teaching material is prepared for being delivered as online courses as well as for on-site courses. European partners will use selected parts of the material.
For the four Ethiopian partner institutions, a LLL strategy is developed and a handbook for quality assurance and accreditation processes for LLL is elaborated.
Ethiopian universities have a severe lack of textbooks. Li4LaM will bridge this gap as teaching and learning material is provided in an electronic format, enabling a broader access for Ethiopian students. Teaching videos, animations, recorded lectures, pdf-textbooks, etc. can be downloaded from Learning Management Systems, which are implemented by Li4LaM for all Ethiopian project partners.
Li4LaM will enhance pedagogic and didactical skills as well as the competence to develop state-of-the art teaching and learning material for all project partners in general and for the Ethiopian partners in particular. European project members benefited from the pandemic situation of the last two years, as the pandemic forced them to adopt distance learning techniques.
 
Partners
  • Boku (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences), Vienna, Austria
  • Debre Markos University, Ethiopia
  • Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
  • Woldia University, Ethiopia
  • Addis Abeba University, Ethiopia
  • University of Agriculture in Kraków, Poland
  • University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

More Information

Edu4GEO2 – accepted

Funding: OeAD Appear

March, 1, 2023 – Februar, 28 2025

Partners:

  • Boku (University of Natural Ressources), Vienna, Austria
  • Debre Markos University, Ethiopia
  • Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia

3D-GIS-AR

Empty section. Edit page to add content here.

SAWAS

Empty section. Edit page to add content here.

EduLAND2

Implementation of Academic Land Administration Education in Ethiopia for Supporting Sustainable Development | EduLAND2

March, 1 2016 – February, 29 2020

Funding: OeAD, Appear
This project aims to establish a Land Administration Competence Center (LACC) at Debre Markos University (DMU) to alleviate the shortage of trained academic workforce and to conduct problem solving research in the field of land administration. A specific focus of the DMU-LACC is given to be “fit for future” land administration.The project with a duration of four years will strengthen the capacities of all partner institutions in education, research, and management. It provides a significant contribution for the sustainable development of the nation by joint problem-oriented research, by building academic staff capability, by designing a research-driven BSc curriculum, by joint research activities, and by preparing demand driven community services – all within the scope of land administration.
The outcomes of the project contribute to improve living conditions of the local population, to guarantee land tenure security, and to provide an objective basis for decision-making in order to support good governance.

Partners:

  • Boku (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences), Vienna, Austria
  • Debre Markos University, Ethiopia
  • Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia