Laboratory of geographic information systems

The laboratory is dedicated for research and development of methods for acquisition, processing, analysis and visualisation of geospatial data, such as:

• optimizing strategies for 3D data collection in high resolution,
• integrating 3D geospatial data,
• spatial interpolation for digital modelling of landscape surfaces,
• modelling of spatially distributed natural phenomena, for example, solar irradiation, surface temperature, overland water flow, soil erosion;
• optimizing geospatial methods by paralelization;
• interactive modelling and visualisation by physical 3D model of landscape and image projection (Tangible landscape);
• developing open-source tools GIS tools.

Researchers:

• Dr. Michal Gallay
• prof. Jaroslav Hofierka (leader)
• Dr. Ján Kaňuk
• prof. Vladimír Sedlák

Lab administrator: doc. RNDr. Ján Kaňuk, PhD.

Research infrastructure

• Tangible Landscape – the kit comprises a desktop PC with OS LINUX Ubuntu and GRASS GIS, xBox 1 Kinect, data projector, kinetic sand and table;
• GNSS toolkit TOPCON EPP Set – Hiper ll: Digital UHF 410-440 MHz s GSM/GPRS
• Unpiloted aerial system Aeroscout Scout B1-100 with dedicated control system, lidar system Riegl VUX-1 and a passive hyperspectral system SPECIM AISA Kestrel  10;
• Terrestrial lidar Riegl VZ-1000 with integrated digital camera NIKON D-700;
• Photogrammetric workstation PHOTOMOD v5.2 RACURS for processing aerail stereo imagery;
• Unpiloted aerial system DJI PHANTOM 4 with Parrot Sequoia mutlispectral camera, RGB camera,
• Plotter HP DesignJet Z2100 Photo.
• GIS software: ArcGIS Pro, GRASS GIS, Quantum GIS, LAStools, ENVI, RiScan Pro, RiAcquire, RiProcess

Selected papers

1. HOFIERKA, J., GALLAY, M., ŠAŠAK, J., BANDURA, P. (2018). Identification of karst sinkholes in a forested karst landscape using airborne laser scanning data and water flow analysis. Geomorphology, 308, 265-277.
2. KAŇUK, J., GALLAY, M., ECK, C., ZGRAGGEN, C., DVORNÝ, E. (2018). Technical Report: Unmanned Helicopter Solution for Survey-Grade Lidar and Hyperspectral Mapping. Pure and Applied Geophysics. 175(9), 3357-3373.
3. SEDLÁK, V., HOFIERKA, J., GALLAY, M., KAŇUK, J. (2018): Specific solution of deformation vector in mining subsidence for GIS applications to reclamation of the abandoned mining territory in East Slovakia. Archives of Mining Sciences, 63(2), 511-531.
4. ONAČILLOVÁ, K., GALLAY, M. (2018). Spatio-temporal analysis of surface urban heat island based on LANDSAT ETM+ and OLI/TIRS imagery in the city of Košice, Slovakia. Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 13(2), 395 – 408.
5. HOFIERKA, J., GALLAY, M., KAŇUK, J., ŠUPINSKÝ, J., ŠAŠAK, J. (2017). High-resolution urban greenery mapping for micro-climate modelling based on 3D city models. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences (ISPRS Archives), XLII-4/W7, 7-12.
6. HOFIERKA, J., LACKO, M., ZUBAL, S. (2017). Parallelization of interpolation, solar radiation and water flow simulation modules in GRASS GIS using OpenMP. Computers & Geosciences, 107, 20-27.
7. GALLAY, M., ECK, C., ZGRAGGEN, C., KAŇUK, J., DVORNÝ, E. (2016). High resolution airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral imaging with a small uav platform. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLI-B1, 823-827, doi:10.5194/isprs-archives-XLI-B1-823-2016, 2016.
8. GALLAY, M., HOCHMUTH, Z., KAŇUK, J., HOFIERKA, J. (2016). Geomorphometric analysis of cave ceiling channels mapped with 3D terrestrial laser scanning, Hydrolology and Earth System Sciences, 20, 1827-1849.
9. GALLAY, M., KAŇUK, J., HOCHMUTH, Z., MENEELY, J., HOFIERKA, J., SEDLÁK, V. (2015): Large-scale and high-resolution 3-D cave mapping by terrestrial laser scanning: a case study of the Domica Cave, Slovakia. International Journal of Speleology. 44(3), 277-291.
10. KAŇUK, J., GALLAY, M., HOFIERKA, J. (2015): Generating time series of virtual 3-D city models using a retrospective approach. Landscape and Urban Planning, 139, 40-53.
11. HOFIERKA, J., KNUTOVÁ, M. (2015): Simulating Spatial Aspects of a Flash Flood Using the Monte Carlo Method and GRASS GIS: a Case Study of the Malá Svinka Basin (Slovakia). Open Geosciences, 7(1), 118-125.
12. GALLAY, M., KAŇUK, J., HOFIERKA, J. (2015): Capacity of photovoltaic power plants in the Czech Republic (Kapacita fotovoltických elektrární v Českej republike). Journal of Maps, 11(3), 480-486.

Related projects and grants

• SURGE: Simulating the cooling effect of urban greenery based on solar radiation modelling and a new generation of ESA sensors (contract with the European Space Agency)
• UrbanHist (grant programu EÚ Horizon 2020 výzva Inovative Training Networks, MSCA-ITN)
• TOKAJGIS (SKHU/1601/4.1/052)
• APVV-15-0054: Physically based segmentation of georelief and its geoscience application (SEGMENT)
• APVV-0176-12: New methods of spatial modeling with laser scanning data and 3-D GIS  (SPATIAL3D)
• VEGA 1/0963/17: Landscape dynamics in high resolution

Collaborating institutions

• North Carolina State University, Centre for Geospatial Analytics, USA
• Aeroscout GmbH, Lucerne, CH
• Queen’s University Belfast, School of Natural and Built Environment, UK
• Univerzita Palackého, Katedra geoinformatiky, Olomouc, CZ
• University of Cologne, Institute of Geography, GER

Contract partners

• Photomap s.r.o
• SAFTRA 3D mapping, s.r.o.

Related links

• Copernicus Academy
• Tangible landscape

Gallery