FULLY FUNDED Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Large Scale Complex IT Systems (LSCITS): Modelling Geographic changes using computer science and software engineering techniques, sponsored by the Ordnance Survey

Applications are invited for a student to work on a research project exploring how geographic objects change over time and how such changes can be modelled using Computer Science and Software Engineering techniques. The research project is fully funded and will be carried out in conjunction with studying for an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Large Scale Complex IT Systems (LSCITS). The Programme is a full time, 4-year doctoral level research degree involving a taught component, similar in scope to an MSc, and a research component requiring the Research Engineer to work closely with a sponsoring organisation The project is in collaboration with the Ordnance Survey. Candidates who successfully complete an EngD thus receive both advanced research training, as well as industrial skills, particularly on technology transfer.

Further information on the Ordnance Survey can be found at: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

Required Research
The research will involve investigating the manner in which geographic objects (with particular reference to settlements, roads and buildings) change over time and how this may be modelled. The challenge, as will be the case even more so with historical objects, is that the extents of settlements in particular are often ill determined and where there is a well defined official boundary the social boundaries may be quite different.

Furthermore the Research needs to consider the relationship between places through time. For example what is the relationship between Winchester and Venta Belgarum the Roman town that occupied the area now called Winchester. Is this Winchester by another name or something different? In modern times similar issues exist, what for example is the relationship between localities that are either absorbed or displaced by the construction of a new town or estate? The focus of the research is not to necessarily resolve the issues of how these relationships change, but rather how to represent them.

The research should take into account both contemporary and historical geography. The general technological framework should be that of the Semantic Web and Linked data. There is therefore an emphasis on developing “verbal” rather than cartographic solutions where the temporal, topological and mereological relationships are more important than exact geometry. It is also important that the language used to reflect the relationships are appropriate to both the historical and contemporary uses and it is most important that such vocabulary enables an end user to query such resources in a way that is natural to them.


Research Outputs

- Developed ontologies that define the contemporary and historical vocabularies;
- Developed ontologies describing the concepts involved (e.g. settlements etc);
- Experimental gazetteers realising the ontologies and which are interlinked to demonstrate how users can transverse between contemporary and historical geographies.

The project will be supervised by Glen Hart at Ordnance Survey, and Professor Helen Petrie and Dr Christopher Power, of The University of York. The student will be primarily based at the University of York with extended visits to Ordnance Survey.