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details

Name
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Geography
Address
Faculteit Wetenschappen Pleinlaan 2
Zipcode
B-1050
City
Brussels
Country
Belgium
Phone
+32 (0)2 629 33 82
Email
mvmolle@vub.ac.be, Jan.Debruyne@vub.ac.be
Centre Website
http://www.vub.ac.be/DGGF/

organisation profile

Scientific research at our department is performed by three research groups:

the Physical Geography (FARD) research group;
the Social Geography (MARD) research group; and
the Cartography and GIS (CGIS) research group.

Research topics of the Physical Geography research group  
   Ice and Climate 
The research concentrates on the dynamics of natural ice masses (continental ice sheets, ice caps and glaciers) and their interaction with the climate system. The emphasis is laid on the development and application of numerical models and on field work. Ongoing research projects focus on dynamics of the continental cryosphere, ice-sheet model development, alpine glacier studies and global climate modelling.

   Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology 
The research activities within the field of Geomorphology and Quaternary geology are to be situated within the Global Change context. The soil erosion research puts emphasis on the mapping of soil erosion amounts and control variables at the local and global scale. Essential tools are the application of semi empirical models in a GIS environment. The need for conservation of fertile soils for sustainable agriculture needs no argumentation. Studies contributing to this goal are of necessity. The study of Quaternary deposits is an essential part of the research activities. 

Research topics of the Cartography and GIS research group
  Map projection research
Map projection research focuses on the definition of new strategies for reducing distortion on small-scale map projections. Next to the development of tailor-made map projections, the CGIS group is also developing new strategies for semi-automated map projection selection, to assist cartographers in making a proper map projection choice. 

  Error modeling and error propagation in GIS 
Research activities in the domain of error modeling and error propagation focus on the modeling of uncertainty in categorical data (area-class maps, satellite derived land-cover data). Strategies are developed to explore the spatial structure of uncertainty in categorical GIS coverages and to incorporate this knowledge in the error modeling process. 

  Land-use/land-cover mapping
Many of the research activities that are carried out by the CCG have to do with the extraction of land-cover/land-use information from optical sensor data, at low, high-, as well as very-high resolutions. Recent work is focusing on: 

The use of soft classification methods and knowledge-based post-classification techniques for characterizing land cover and land use in built-up areas, using VHR multi-spectral and hyper-spectral image data.
Sub-pixel classification of land-cover imperviousness based on HR-data, using VHR data as a source for calibration.
The use of (geostatistical) simulation to quantify uncertainty in the output of GIS and ecological models, caused by uncertainty in source data (e.g. classified satellite data) and model definitions. 

results in other services

  • Marine environmental research project (EDMERP)

edmo metadata

EDMO record id
261
Collating centre
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Management Unit of North Sea and Scheldt Estuary Mathematical Models, Belgian Marine Data Centre (MUMM-BMDC)
Latest update
16 September 2020 11:12:51 AM