GIS

The availability of consistent and comprehensible spatial data is fundamental for scientific research, in particular in the context of long term observation series. An adequate documentation of the data quality and its history finally enables users to work responsibly with these data.

As the research community gets closer and the sharing of data becomes more common and important a simple and intuitive access to these environmental data is a key factor in large projects. Methods of spatial information analysis allow to build and link complex process models of different scientific fields.

Tasks and main research

• Developing innovative methods to store the history, quality and accuracy of spatial & temporal data (event oriented spatial databases), developing and implementing a method database, particularly in the context of the projects National Forest Inventory NFI and Datacenter Nature and Landscape DNL
• Analysing spatial and temporal data and modelling natural phenomena and processes
• Developing algorithms for open and intuitive search in geo-databases (e.g. ontologies)
• Developing and implementing concepts to provide spatially distributed geographic information (virtual database)
• Developing methods to handle the uncertainties and inaccuracies (due to measurement and spatial resolution) of spatial data when used in models
• Maintaining and advancing the NFI-database and the Datacenter Nature and Landscape (DNL), developing software for the NFI and DNL
• Maintaining and advancing the Geographical Information System of the WSL
• Knowledge transfer at university level, mainly through teaching positions, support and supervision of Master- and PhD-theses in the main topics of the GIS-Group

Further information: https://www.wsl.ch/en/about-wsl/organization/research-units/forest-resources-and-management/gis.html

Data Manager:

martin_haegeli-wsl_ch