UCC Geoinformatics Research Cluster
UCC Geoinformatics research cluster
Digital spatial data for exploring and communicating our changing world:
The UCC Geoinformatics research cluster has several key foci; environmental time series analysis using satellite Earth Observation, GIS and spatial ecology, geocomputation, GIS and urban geographies, digital geographies, and cartographic atlas outputs for diverse audiences, with a number of current projects in all these areas.
Staff members
Fiona Cawkwell: I am a senior lecturer in Remote Sensing and Physical Geography. My research and teaching interests cover all aspects of Earth Observation, particularly satellite based applications, although with a growing interest in uncrewed aerial systems, and also aspects of physical geography relating to land cover, land use and change with respect to human activity and climate changes. I teach across a range of introductory and more advanced image processing concepts, and environmental applications of remote sensing, as well as introductory level geomorphology and research methods. My research interests cover a range of different land covers from saltmarshes to glaciers, grassy fields to coastal sand dunes - and how they are changing over time through gradual events such as coastal sqeeze or sudden events such as wildfires. Find out more about what I do here.
Paul Holloway: I am a senior lecturer in Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Ecology. My research and teaching interests include the application and development of GIS, spatial analysis and modelling and geocomputation to address a suite of geographical, environmental, and ecological issues. I am primarily a lecturer in GIS where I teach a wide variety of theoretical and conceptual issues, and lead practical sessions in a range of applications. I also lecture in spatial ecology, having developed a module that discusses the theory of biogeography and landscape ecology, implementing GIS to address ecological issues. Find out more about what I do here.
Maedhbh Nic Lochlainn: I am a Lecturer in Human Geography and GIS. My research interests are at the intersection of urban and digital geographies, and I am particularly interested in urban financialisation, housing, and the transformation of urban space as digital/material process. I teach across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in geography, but have particular strengths in critical GIS, digital/urban geographies, and research methods. Find out more about what I do here.
William Durkan: I am a Lecturer in Human Geographer and GIS. My work focuses on Electoral Geography and Environmental Politics and I teach across a range of modules in HDip in GIS.
Mike Murphy: I have been cartographer at the Department of Geography, University College Cork for over twenty-five years, and have worked on the Tlas of the Irish Revolution (2018), Atlas of the Great Irish Famine (2012), The Iveragh Peninsula: A Cultural Atlas of the Ring of Kerry (2009), and the Atlas of Cork City (2005)
Other UCC partners include MaREI Applied Remote Sensing and GIS group; Environmental Research Institute; Department of Archaeology
Postdoctoral researchers in the Geoinformatics research cluster as of October 2023 are:
| Name | Project | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Hayes | StableGrass; Multiscale remote sensing of grassland biodiversity, yield and functional traits | DAFM |
| Parvaneh Nowbakht | TRANSLATE 2; Developing Climate Services for Sectoral Adaptation | Met Eireann |
| Raul Sampaio | FLARES-PPLUS; Spatial and temporal trends of wildfires in Ireland over the last 30 years from satellite imagery | EPA |
| Camila Tavares Pereira | Transferability of resilience in informal settlements (TRIS): a model for assessing climate risk and empowering women as decision makers | SFI |
Junior Career Researchers
PhD students in the Geoinformatics research cluster as of October 2023 are:
| Name | Topic | Supervisors | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Chalencon | Cork coastline vulnerability assessment from remotely sensed and field data | Fiona Cawkwell and Jimmy Murphy (School of Engineering) | Cork County Council |
| Talia Huffe | Land use and sustainability – exploring the potential of alternative proteins | Paul Holloway and colleagues from Teagasc | Teagasc |
| Hannah Mealy | The ability of a naturally established forest on cutaway peatland to sequester Carbon | Fiona Cawkwell and Paul Leahy (School of Engineering) | Bord na Mona |
| Alex Castellon Meyrat | Indicators of Soil Health | Paul Holloway and colleagues from Teagasc | Teagasc |
| Daniel Moloney | A study investigating the conservation strategies deployed in both captive and wild settings with particular focus on behaviour and movement of animals | Paul Holloway and colleagues from the School of BEES and Fota Wildlife Park | Fota |
| Brid O'Connor |
The status of sensitive fish species within Irish waters and their vulnerability in relation to fishing and discarding practices
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Paul Holloway and colleagues from the Marine Institute | Marine Institute |
| Rafael da Silva Damasceno Pereira |
Assessing climate risk in informal settlements and empowering women as decision-makers
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Paul Holloway and Camila Tavares Pereira | SFI |
Research assistants in the Geoinformatics research cluster as of October 2023 are:
Research Led Teaching
The staff of the Geoinformatics Research Group are committed to educating the next generation of students about GIS and remote sensing, and so are involved in a number of postgraduate and undergraduate programmes. The two primary Geoinformatics postgraduate degrees are the MSc Geoinformatics and the HDip GIS - you can find out more about the programmes by clicking on the name. Both these programmes are recruiting students to start in September 2024.
Recent Publications
Books
Perhaps the ultimate "go to" GIS textbook! Understanding GIS through Sustainable Development Goals by Paul Holloway applies a pedagogical shift to learning GIS, as the readers employ the concepts and methodologies on real-world problems. This book provides 16 case studies across most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with step-by-step practical instructions using QGIS(Quantum Geographic Information System), an open-source software. It helps readers develop GIS skills on real-world data, while learning the fundamentals including spatial data models, projections, and spatial databases, different cartographic methods, such as graduated symbology, change maps, and dynamic visualization, as well as more intermediate and advanced spatial analysis such as geoprocessing, multiple criteria analysis, and spatial statistics. The topics chosen are taught in secondary and tertiary education institutions which make this a textbook for all students and educators.
2023 Publications
J. O’Mahony, A. Vanmechelen & P. Holloway (2023) Quantifying the distribution and potential biotic interactions between deer and flora using species distribution modelling, Annals of GIS, DOI: 10.1080/19475683.2023.2226196
Nowbakht, P., O'Sullivan, L., Wall, D. P., & Holloway, P. (2023). Implementation of novel polygon-based obfuscation methods to improve privacy of agricultural data. Transactions in GIS, 27, 84–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.13009
M. Nic Lochlainn (2023) Take back the city: occupation, housing activism, and digital/material contention in post-crash Dublin, City, 27:3-4, 394-412, DOI: 10.1080/13604813.2023.2197550
Networks and Engagements
Funded research-related projects which cluster members have been involved with in recent years include:
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Irish land Mapping Observatory (EPA funded).
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Mapping Peatlands of Ireland at a hierarchy of scales (Friends of the Irish Environment funded).
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The Use of Earth Observation in Monitoring the Dynamics of Saltmarsh Distribution and Extent (British National Space Centre funded).
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Mining and analysis of telemetry data obtained from bio-tagged seals on the West Coast of Ireland, to investigate their use for oceanographic studies (HEA funded).
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Spatial Data Infrastructures for Thai Provinces – Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Local Governments (EU Asia IT&C Programme funded).
Non-funded projects, and work at early stages of development, include:
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Scoping, selection and procurement of the Scoilnet Online Map Viewer /digital map browser for Irish Secondary Schools (project coordinated by the National Centre for Technology in Education, DCU, Dublin).
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Cartography for the Atlas of Cork City (2005), and the Atlas of the Iveragh Peninsula (2009) (both Cork University Press).
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The conceptual and operational development of Spatialised Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping as a technique to support decision-making and policy formulation (in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Victoria, British Colombia, and University of Hawaii, USA).
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Investigations into the role of Terrestrial Laser Scanning in various geoinformatics research applications, notably in a new project, currently at the initial stages, on Spike Island (the focus being on the role of TLS and geoinformatics to support heritage management and development).
Cluster members are also very active in disseminating their work through conferences and other media, as well as in generally supporting and expanding the development and outreach activities of their profession. Recent examples of this include the Irish Earth Observation Symposium, which was held in Cork in 2008 with the theme of “Opportunities for Earth Observation in Ireland” and attracted nearly 70 delegates; the UK Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society annual conference, held at UCC in 2010, which brought nearly 200 people together to discuss “Visualising the World: From the Sea-bed to the Cloud-tops”; and a joint meeting, presented by representatives from Ordnance Survey Ireland and Twelvehorses Ltd, and hosted by the cluster on behalf of IRLOGI, on the decisionmap.ie project.
The work done by the Geography Department cluster is augmented by close relationships with other researchers within UCC, one of the strongest ties being to the MaREI Applied Remote Sensing and GIS group with several joint projects over the years, including PhD student supervision and research partnerships.
The Geography Department at UCC was a founding member of AGILE, the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe; and is also a Sponsor Member of IRLOGI, the Irish Organisation for Geographic Information.
Find out more about the activities of the Geoinformatics cluster by emailing Fiona Cawkwell or Paul Holloway.
Graduate Students
Recent postgraduate students include:
- Parvaneh Nowkbaht (PhD, 2019-2023)
- Rory Scarrott (PhD, 2017-2022) Ocean-Surface Heterogeneity Mapping: exploiting hypertemporal datasets in support of seascape ecology research.
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Richa Marwaha (PhD, 2017-2021) National Farm Scale Estimates of Grass Yield from Satellite Remote Sensing.
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Ruben de la Torre Cerro (MRes, 2019-2021) Incorporating Biotic Interactions in Phenology.
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Preethi Malur Balaji (PhD, 2013-2020) Characterisation and Monitoring of Forest Disturbances in Ireland Using Active Microwave Satellite Platforms.
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Stuart Green (PhD, 2014-2019) Investigation Into the Bio-Physical Constraints on Farmer Turn-Out-Date Decisions Using Remote Sensing and Meteorological Data.
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Luke Lambert (MRes, 2017-2019) Urban Green and Blue Space in Cork City and its Importance to Bird Diversity.
- Sarah Kandrot (PhD, 2011-2016) Monitoring and Modelling of the Impacts of Storms Under Sea-Level Rise on a Breached Coastal Dune-Barrier System.
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Iftikhar Ali (PhD, 2013-2016) Retireval of Grassland Biophysical Paramterers Using Multitemporal Optical and Radar Satellite Data.
- Dinah Birmbaum (PhD, 2011-2016) Implementing the Water Framework Directive in Irelan: Techncial and Social Aspects of Co-operation for River Basin Management at Local Government Level.
- Romina King (PhD, 2010-2015) Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Guam - a case study of the perceptions, attitudes, behaviours and knowledge of a small rural community towards their watershed.
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Haibo Huang (PhD, 2007-2011) Usability-Enhanced Co-ordination Design of Geovisualisations to Communicate Coastal Flood Risk Information.
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Maria Garriga Alonso (MPhil, 2011) The Role of Spatial Data Infrastructures for the Sustainable Development of Coastal Areas; Shoreline Representation Issues as illustration of the challenges involved at the local level of SDI implementation: the Case Study of Cadiz Province, Spain.
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Brian O’Connor (PhD, 2007-2011) Monitoring the Vegetation Start of Season Across the Island of Ireland Using the MERIS Global Vegetation Index.
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Diego del Villar (MSc, 2009-2010) Using Telemetry Derived Temperature Data for Instrumented Seals in the Southwest of Ireland.