Education of Geo-information Sciences and Remote Sensing

Geo-information science thesis topics are narrowly related to the research programme of the Laboratory of Geo-informationt Science and Remote Sensing (GIRS). This research program covers a wide range of subjects. The following main themes have been selected to delineate the laboratory's identity:

1. Sensing & measuring
2. Modelling & visualization
3. Integrated land monitoring
4. Human - space interaction
5. Empowering & engaging communities

The thesis research is conducted under supervision of a staff member of the GIRS group, but might also take place in another institute or company.

• Students have to follow the GRS thesis procedure. Complete guidelines for doing a thesis Geo-information Science are available via Brightspace.
• Required documents and forms are available via Brightspace. Contact us for access to this Brightspace page.
• For the planning of the thesis research an overview with dates for the midterm presentations and colloquia are scheduled.
• Thesis topics can be selected from the GRS thesis topic list or under conditions be proposed by individual students.
• Past thesis projects can be consulted (last years)
  (before 2022).

Compulsory course in

• Master Geo-Information Science (MGI)

Restricted Optional in

• Master Biosystems Engineering (MBE)
• Master Urban Environmental Management (MUE)

The aim of thesis rings is to provide you with the opportunity to improve your scientific writing skills in interaction with other MGI students. You will receive constructive feedback to improve your own writing skills. Thesis rings help you to improve your document before turning it in to your supervisor who will focus mostly on the content. Reviewing other reports, and discussing these reviews in a group setting, will help you identify common mistakes, inspiring approaches and in the end will result in higher quality thesis reports.

A thesis ring is a group of about 6-8 MGI thesis students that will peer-review each other’s written work. The thesis ring meets every week for one hour. For every meeting two students submit a part of their proposal/thesis beforehand. All other students review these submitted documents before the meeting and discuss these during the meeting. There will be a tutor present to chair the meeting and to provide additional support.

At the start of the academic year (early September) an email will be send to all GRS thesis students giving the opportunity to enrol in a thesis ring. During the academic year students can email the thesis ring coordinator (Alvaro Lau Sarmiento) to inquire if there are still spots available in the thesis ring.

Joining a thesis ring during your MSc thesis is voluntary (not obligatory). Once you have joined a thesis ring, full commitment is expected! The thesis ring only works when students actively participate, and when there is a critical mass of students to provide feedback and contribute to discussions.

We use MS Teams for the planning of submissions, sharing of documents, exchange of good practice examples, instructions and other supporting information. More details on the thesis ring procedure (submitting documents, giving feedback etc.) can be found on MS Teams.

• MSc thesis topic: Agent-based modeling and simulation of shared space in virtual reality
• Msc thesis topic: Agent-based simulation of the forest-water-people nexus
• MSc thesis topic: Augmented reality display on windshields: Improving the spatial awareness of autonomous car drivers
• MSc thesis topic: Commodity crops recognition in satellite images using Fourier transform: A new look at signal to frequency domain for detecting commodity crops.
• MSc thesis topic: Detecting reindeer carrion in the Arctic tundra of Svalbard
• MSc thesis topic: Domain adaptation for mapping commodity crops in Africa
• MSc thesis topic: Drought-induced structural changes in Chilean mediterranean evergreen forest
• MSc thesis topic: Estimating Foregone Forest Loss around a REDD project
• Msc thesis topic: Using Sentinel-2 for monitoring grazing activities in the Netherlands
• MSc thesis topic: Ethics in GIS
• MSc thesis topic: Exploring agro-ecological intensification in topical agricultural landscapes through agent-based modelling: the case of semi-arid Burkina Faso

• MSc thesis topic: Exploring novel quinoa variants: High-throughput phenotyping data analysis under drought stress
• MSc thesis topic: Exploring resilience in Socio Ecological Systems
• MSc thesis topic: Exploring system dynamics as a result of human decision-making; the case of the Agrodiversity v.2 agent-based model
• MSc thesis topic: Eye-tracking in immersive virtual environments: Collection, validation, and analysis
• MSc thesis topic: Feature Space Coverage and Uncertainty in Spatial Biomass Prediction
• MSc thesis topic: Few-shot learning for fine wetland classification: a meta-learning approach
• MSc thesis topic: From pot-to-plot: Correlating high-throughput phenotyping data from a greenhouse experiment to field performance
• MSc thesis topic: Herb-rich grasslands: Exploring effects on nitrous oxide emissions and yield by classifying field plots with multispectral UAV data
• MSc thesis topic: High-resolution UAV imagery for fruit counting in orchards utilizing deep learning
• MSc thesis topic: Incorporating uncertainty in spatial decision making
• MSc thesis topic: Inventory stem map alignment based on T-LiDAR based map

• MSc thesis topic: Interpreting training data weights in random forest predictions
• MSc thesis topic: Land surface phenology dynamics in Chile Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.
• MSc thesis topic: Mapping tourist and citizen interests in St.Eustatius: leveraging geospatial data for sustainable development
• Msc thesis topic: Perception of Places in an Urban context
• MSc thesis topic: Potato disease identification with UAV remote sensing
• MSc thesis topic: Potential of remote sensing techniques for carbon farming
• MSc thesis topic: Reinforcement Learning-Based Obstacle Avoidance and Imaging Optimization for UAV Tunnel Inspection in Simulated Environments
• MSc thesis topic: Seal monitoring in the Waddensea: estimating population count and body conditions using UAV imagery
• MSc thesis topic: Spatiotemporal changes in Mongolian snow cover characteristics
• MSc thesis topic: Understanding citizens’ perception of urban densification through virtual reality
• Msc thesis topic: Using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 for mapping crop emergence

The main objective of an internship is to select a personal GI professional field of interest within the large working Geo-Information domain and gain “real” working and/or research experience on an academic level. The MGI internship (GRS704XX) stands for a minimum of 24 ECTS, which corresponds with a period of 4 months. However, a varying internship period of up to 36 ECTS is possible in consultation with the study adviser. The evaluation of the internship is based on the professional skills of the candidate (45%), the internship report (45%) and a self-reflection report (10%). The guidelines of evaluation are in accordance with the rubric of assessment developed at this university.

The MGI internship (GRS704XX) stands for a period of work, study and reflection outside the academic walls of the University. The aim is first, to explore the nature and range of your personal work choice as an up and coming GI academic professional and/or researcher. This period offers, the student to experience a working environment the university can hardly provide. However, educational aims must be met. General aims are:

• applying your acquired knowledge and skills in a working situation;
• gaining insight into possible future working environments;
• being introduced to potential employers;
• gaining insight into the working networks in which graduated GI and Remote Sensing academics and professionals operate.

It is compulsory the student formulates at least three personal learning goals before starting the internship. These personal learning goals must be discussed and approved by the GRS internship supervisor.

The MGI internship stands for a minimum of 24 ECTS. This corresponds with a period of 4 months. However, a varying internship period of up to 39 ECTS (±6 months) is possible. The choice of internship length is left entirely up to the student in consultation with the study adviser.

The internship takes place at any organization active in the field of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing in its broadest sense. Therefore, any company, institute or organization that is involved in any aspect of GIS or Remote Sensing is a potential place of internship. The range of suitable places is therefore very big (WUR-MGI users only). The only main restriction is the internship must fulfill an academic standard in correspondence with your study. This means at least 60% of the internship must be spent on a personal project-/research topic at MSc level. This topic must be approved by the GRS internship supervisor before the internship can start. Subsequently, the internship supervisor of the hosting organisation must have an academic title to guarantee the competencies and expertise the internship requires.

Foreign students wishing an internship in the Netherlands must take into account that a strict application protocol must be followed. This has to do with acquiring a temporary working permit for the internship period. Following this protocol from beginning to end takes at least 3 weeks. Therefore, it is wise to contact the internship coordinator well in advance. In case the internship will be spent abroad, a longer preparation period must be taken into account.

MGI students are expected to actively involve themselves in finding an internship. To assist you herein, you can use the experience of fellow students or looking through professional magazines and on the internet to find names of organizations and individuals.

To find internship possibilities, -providers, -regulations, -documents etc. please consult the Internship Brightspace site (WUR-MGI users only).

The current internship coordinators are Erika Speelman and Johannes Reiche and should be contacted via the MGI internship email: internship.mgi@wur.nl.

• GRS10306 Introduction Geo-information Science
• GRS10806 Geo-information Science for Planning and Design
• GRS20306 Remote Sensing
• GRS20806 Geo-information Tools
• GRS21810 Management of Geo-information in Organisations
• GRS22306 Geo-information Science for Society
• GRS23306 Geo-information Science BSc research project
• GRS30306 Spatial Modeling and Statistics
• GRS31310 Advanced Applications
• GRS32306 Advanced Earth Observation
• GRS33306 Spatial and Temporal Analysis for Earth and Environment
• GRS33806 Geo Scripting
• GRS34306 Geo-information Science in Context
• GRS35306 Smart Environments
• GRS35806 Data Visualization
• GRS5040x Capita Selecta
• GRS60312 Remote Sensing and GIS Integration

• AIN31306 Deep Learning
• HSO20306 Environmental Assets for Health
• MAT27306 Quantitative Research Methods
• YMS31403 Metropolitan Data 2