MPhil
Ref: LIH533 MPhil
The successful candidate will work on a research and development project with Bluesky International Ltd and produce a a thesis for the degree of MPhil.
The characterisation of tree structural features is important for ecological, climate change with respect to changes in above-ground biomass and environmental studies. The University of Leicester is interested in using high point density LiDAR data sets to understand how we can extract meaningful information about the properties of trees using deep learning methodologies within an AI framework.
Bluesky International Ltd, based in Leicestershire, is a leading supplier of aerial survey, GIS and location-based data and services and has offices in the UK, US, Ireland and India. The company is a key partner of the Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology and Earth Observation Research Centre (METEOR) of the University, based at Space Park Leicester. Amongst other services, the company delivers nationwide individual tree mapping to key clients, e.g. Ordnance Survey. In view of the “Flying Cities” campaign Bluesky has recently installed on its airplanes one of the most advanced LiDAR sensor suites on the market, capable of acquiring up to 100 points per square meter.
Bluesky has identified a revenue opportunity in the provision of enriched maps of individual trees including tree structural measurements and species classification. However, the associated research for the development of automated algorithms for the processing of high point density LIDAR datasets requires expertise in data science that the company currently does not have across its staff.
This R&D project will therefore experiment and develop approaches for the processing of the point cloud towards the extraction of tree structural features, with accuracy, speed and confidence. The immediate outputs of this project would be an annotated software code, ideally open source, for tree localisation and structural feature extraction, leading to a synthetic technical documentation of the approach and wider considerations. Of further interest is the detection of objects within the structure of the tree that are temporary features and objects.
The selected candidate will be based at the School of Mathematics, and offered the opportunity to gain industry exposure by executing part of the activities at company premises and at Space Park Leicester.
Entry Requirements:
Essential
- Bachelors Degree (with Honours) with at least a UK 2.I classification or equivalent in mathematics, computer science, informatics, or relevant science subject.
- Experience in computer programming or coding (python, C++, Matlab).
- Evidence of previous report or thesis writing.
Desirable
- Masters (MSc) or other taught programme postgraduate taught programme qualification in a relevant subject
- Familiarity with data mining, data analytics, machine learning and mathematical modelling techniques
- Experience in working in a business environment
- Experience of working in a team and independently.
- Experience of making presentations (communication in an oral format).
- Experience with LiDAR data and/or LiDAR data processing systems.
The University of Leicester English language requirements apply where applicable.
Skills and knowledge developed during the project:
- Remote sensing of forests
- Modelling and reconstruction of complex spatial structures, including tree structural parameters extraction, from under-sampled observations
- Data segmentation
- Data classification
- Statistical learning theory
- Machine learning
How to Apply
Please refer to the application advise and link to the online application at https://le.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/funded-opportunities/erdf-lih533-tyukin-maths
Application enquiries to [Email Address Removed]
Eligibility
Open to UK/EU and International applicants
*international applicants must be able to pay the difference between UK and International fees themselves
The MPhil student:
- have graduated within the last 3 years in a related discipline;
- adhere to project confidentiality; at the start of the project
- assign any arising IP from the project;
- base their MPhil degree thesis on the research outcomes of the project;
- work closely with the SME company to undertake the research project;
- deliver monthly progress reports and a comprehensive project report to the University and sponsoring SME in addition to the MPhil thesis.
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