GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Cartography

Research focus

The Peer review has evaluated this group as Average

Advanced structured cartographic 3ddata management, cartographic correlation-georeferencing tools, practical and theoretical aspects of GIS have been investigated. Problems related to standardization (CEN and/or ISO and/or national), data interoperability and data quality are considered (up to now, no complete standardization and evaluation criteria for geographic data quality are available). Furthermore, on the software side, three main technological solutions are investigated to manage geographic data: GIS (desktop applications for high level data analyses, e.g. geometric, topologic and geostatistical methods); WebGIS (internet applications to publish GIS data on the web for querying); Mobile GIS (PDA or mobile phone-based applications to view maps and specific features on the map, e.g. points of interest). The integration of these solutions is the main topic in order to push further their effectiveness and spread out their operability to different application fields for private and public subjects. Main research activities: ? Cartography and GIS data structure (GeoDbase). Topics: technical prescription, guideline and inspection of medium scale, large scale cartography up to architectural scale; Topographic DataBase specification (involved in the Intesa-Stato-Regioni agreement); studies on the reorganization of existing Geo-Databases; integration between geodata sets with cadastral/administrative data in a unique database at municipal district level, synergic methodological approach through local level association. Construction of 3D-GIS models which joint the properties of the bi-dimensional GIS systems with a three-dimensional representation of multiscale complex urban built environment related to 3D-interaction between new designed elements and manufacture (Buildings, utilities, roads etc.), DSM analysis, natural complex shape (coasts, scarp, river, canal) and existing infrastructure, in order to support environmental impact and risk analysis, tourism information management and preservation of cultural sites. ? 3D-GIS/WebGIS. The research include problem solving for generating modern geographic 3D-DB, algorithms and software implementation for object recognition-reconstruction from Laser Scanner data and numeric cartography, multi-scale DTM modeling through automatic breakline extraction and discontinuities analysis, developing tools inside 3D-WEBGIS of Historical Centers to support 3D-views transformation analysis orienting new addresses in the planning project. Furthermore, DIIAR is in charge for realizing: “The Guideline for georeferencing cultural heritage to define a risk map in Lombardy”, GIS designing inside client/server architecture to support agile interoperable data transfer and implementation to a larger user community, for Public Administration and e-government. ? Data Modeling. Several methods were developed for data handling such as: Digital Terrain Model reconstruction by filtering LIDAR data. The LiDAR technology, based on the scansion of the territory by airborne laser telemeters, allows the construction of Digital Surface Models (DSM), in an easy way by a simple data interpolation. However, it is often necessary to produce more refined digital models, DTM whose construction requires the identification and removal of the existing objects on the territory. The filtering of such data has been carried out using specific algorithms, suitably integrated by an automatic procedure to build DTM within the GRASS GIS software. GRASS becomes a very useful tool for this kind of projects because it is able to process a huge amount of data and, since it is an open source software package, it offers the opportunity of knowing which are the computations the algorithm is actually doing. Algorithms and software implementation for GIS embedded hydrological modeling; map conflation (automatic homologous pairs detection; rubber-sheeting and affine transformation; multi-resolution spine transformation). According to a very, very long tradition of data processing of the School of Milan, GIS data are processed using both multivariate analysis, with stochastic and non interpolation, and topological studies, referring to graph theory and symmetry group (also in the relation with human sciences, e.g. linguistics): study cases involved 3D objects and their extensions, e.g. their dynamics in the time domain. ? GML: standard and interoperability. Study, technical specification about the 3D-contents of digital cartography and migration on GIS platform, through the new standard language GML have been researched, tested and applied to improve interoperability between systems, data and subjects in order to share data. ? Standard e metadata: ISO Standards for data quality evaluation and description have been studied and applied to different data sets. Tools for geographical data set content and quality documentation (metadata) have been tested in different environments, customizing the user interface when needed. WebGIS and Mobile applications. 3D-WebGIS are designed to allow agile service distribution of GeoDB. Methodologies in order to support advanced 3D-urban planning and to share structured 3D-GeoInfo on the WEB using mobile source for real time data implementation are managed by LPS.

Departments

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Idraulica, Ambientale, Infrastrutture Viarie, Rilevamento (DIIAR)

Professors

Full Professors
Giorgio Bezoari
Carlo Monti
Luigi Mussio
Associate Professors
Maria Brovelli
Raffaella Brumana
Franco Guzzetti
Federica Migliaccio
Livio Pinto
Assistant Professors
Ludovico Biagi
Luigi Fregonese
Marco Scaioni