Barometric and trigonometric heighting. Precise levelling. Mechanical distance measurements. Electronic angle and distance measurement, total stations, and reflectorless EDM. Coordinate transformations and positioning by trigonometric sections. Route and construction surveys. Geodetic control surveys: from triangulation to GPS. Digital terrain models. Contouring. Practical use of GPS. Introduction to the design of surveys and specifications. Related issues of occupational health and safety.

Two weeks of practical exercises following spring examinations. Management of occupational health safety issues. NOTE: Credit will not be given for both GGE 2013 and GGE 2014.

A series of practical surveying exercises completed remotely during summer term. Management of occupational health and safety issues. NOTE: Credit will not be given for both GGE 2013 and GGE 2014.

Introduction to basic priniciples and current issues in land administration from Canadian and international perspectives. Covers views of land tenure, land management, land information, management, reform of cadastral systems, and coastal zone management. Includes practical exercises reinforcing course topics while building communications and analytical skills.

Develop a deep understanding of surveying observations and their errors and apply it in design of control surveys that efficiently meet client requirements. Students learn operational principles of instruments, behavior and mitigation of observation errors, interpretation of specifications for surveys,  and design and analysis of control surveys. Angle, azimuth, distance, and height difference observables are covered. Issues of occupational health and safety in survey design will also be addressed.  

Apply principles of survey design and analysis to a control survey involving total station, differential levelling, and GNSS observations. Students undertake two weeks of practical exercises in survey planning, execution, and analysis following spring examinations. Management of occupational health and safety is discussed and applied in field operations.  NOTE: Credit will not be given for both GGE 3033 and GGE 3034.

Apply principles of survey design and analysis to a control survey involving total station, differential levelling, and GNSS observations. Students undertake a series of practical exercises in survey planning, execution, and analysis completed remotely during the summer term. Management of occupational health and safety is discussed and applied in field operations. NOTE: Credit will not be given for both GGE 3033 and GGE 3034.

Principles of space geodesy. Satellite based positioning systems, especially the Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) including observations, development of mathematical models, static and dynamic positioning, error analysis, software structure, and processing considerations. Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GNSS positioning.

Overview and physical basis of remote sensing. Space- and air-borne sensor systems, active and passive sensors. Fundamental geometry of photogrammetry. Image statistics. Rectification of digital imagery. Image enhancement, spectral and spatial filtering. Multi-spectral transformations. Thematic information extraction, classification and accuracy assessment, change detection. 

Introduction to hydrography: geomatics aspects, trends and prospects, role in offshore management. Depth determination: seabed and seawater properties, non-acoustic methods, underwater acoustics, vertical and oblique incidence methods, bathymetric and imaging methods. 

Introduction to GIS technology; Application of GIS; understanding the nature of geographic data, from geographic data to geographic information (GI), Information Systems (IS), and GIS; earth size and shape; tracing and mapping entitles on the earth; geographic data sources and collection methodologies; evaluating the quality of the data sources; representing geographic data in the GIS; loading and managing geographic data in the GIS; analyzing geographic data, solving geographic related problems using GIS, mapping the results of that analysis using GIS, and publishing the results of the analysis on the web. 

Terrestrial, celestial and orbital coordinate systems; coordinate transformations; positioning in 3 dimensions, on the ellipsoid and on a conformal mapping plane. Height systems. Temporality of geodetic parameters. Earth observation systems.

Photogrammetric principles, systems, sensors, and products. Geometry of vertical, tilted and stereoscopic aerial photographs. Fundamental photo and model space coordinate systems. Photogrammetric measurement and refinement. Direct and inverse coordinate transformations. Collinearity and coplanarity conditions, direct linear transformation and rational function models. Interior and exterior orientations. Concepts of aero-triangulation. Principles of images matching and epipolar geometry, DEM generation and orthorectification. Close range and UAV photogrammetry, Flight project planning. Integration of LiDAR and Photogrammetry.

Mapping concepts and Geographic Data Management and Analysis: (a)Mapping concepts: cartographic generalization and multiple representation, representation of the terrain (DEM/DTM/DSM/nDSM/Point Clouds, 3D city models), interpolations methods, map design and interactive visualization; (b) Geographic Data Management and Analysis: database design theory, conceptual models (entity relationship model, UML), logical models (relational, object and object relational model), physical models, spatial index structures, algorithms for analysis of geographic data, graph theory, introduction to XML and XML-based languages for GIS, Spatio-temporal modelling in GIS.

A full year course (fall term then winter term) involving the design and implementation of a geomatics activity or project and a reporting on the results or outcome, all under the direct supervision of a faculty member or equivalent in industry. Lecture topics include: engineering economics and business management issues specific to geomatics; financial decision making in geomatics. Must be done in the student’s final year of the programme.

Descriptive and theoretical introduction to physical oceanography, focusing on the coastal zone and the continental shelf. Components of physical oceanography that affect the accuracy and operational conduct of hydrographic surveying. Detailed studies of the controls on sound speed structure (seawater properties, propagation and refraction). Detailed studies of the controls on surface water level (tides, waves and swell, vertical reference surfaces). Constituent extraction from tidal observations and prediction of tides. Discrete and continuous tidal zoning, including an introduction to coastal hydrodynamic models. 

Descriptive marine geology including all ocean depths, but focusing on the coastal zone and continental shelf. Components of surficial sedimentology that affect the accuracy and operational conduct of hydrographic surveying. Detailed studies of the controls on seafloor processes (deposition and erosion) and bottom backscatter strength (sonar performance, geomorphology, sediment classification). Descriptive and introductory-theoretical marine geophysics including single-channel, 2D multi-channel and 3D multi channel reflection seismic surveying. Marine refraction seismology. 

Complex Multidisciplinary Field Project (CMFP) focused on autonomous survey vessel operations to support a specific ocean mapping and nautical charting problem. The CMFP will include survey planning, equipment preparation, data acquisition, and data processing to generate ocean mapping deliverables.

Advanced Canadian law affecting real property, boundaries, and surveys. Land registration, systems and associated issues. Boundary descriptions and interpretation of boundary evidence  Role of the surveyor as an expert witness. Specialized topics including conodminiums, water rights and boundaries, international water boundaries, and indigenous rights to land.

Introduction to urban and site planning and related environmental management issues. The evolution of cities, community planning and municipal administration, principles of land use, and the administration and enforcement of planning regulations. In the context of geomatics: site analysis and the physical, social, and environmental impacts of development on a site and its surroundings. The economics of land development.

Restricted to students in their final year.

Directed study in an approved topic in geomatics. Supervision by a faculty member. Normally done in a student’s final term. Credit will be given for only one of GGE 5913, GGE 5923, or GGE 5933. 

Directed study in an approved topic in geomatics. Supervision by a faculty member. Normally done in a student’s final term. Credit will be given for only one of GGE 5913, GGE 5923, or GGE 5933.

Directed study in an approved topic in geomatics. Supervision by a faculty member. Normally done in a student’s final term. Credit will be given for only one of GGE 5913, GGE 5923, or GGE 5933. 

Learn the fundamentals of coordinate systems, particularly those used in geodesy and geomatics. Topics include: celestial, terrestrial, orbital, and local coordinate systems; theory of heights and vertical reference systems; coordinate transformations; map projections; time keeping and time systems; realization of coordinate systems. 

Calculus of variations; quadratic forms; least-squares principles; least-squares method, weight matrix, variance factor; parametric, conditional and combined adjustment.  

Quality control, uni- and multivariate statistical testing; approximation, prediction, filtering in observation and frequency domains; constraint functions; weighted parameters; nuisance parameters; sequential adjustment; Kalman filtering. 

Learn introductory geodesy. This course covers institutional organization of geodesy; history of geodesy; motions of the Earth; tools to measure the motions of the Earth; measurement and theory of the Earth’s gravity field; the geoid, ellipsoids, and datums; geodetic control in Canada; and reducing the impact of natural hazards on the Earth. 

Principles and characteristics of Laser scanning systems, their components, products, and limitations. Explore different laser scanning platforms including stationary and mobile mapping systems. Learn fundamentals of LiDAR Georeferencing, Strip Adjustment, and point cloud registration. Design data collection pipelines for Laser scanning applications. Perform essential point cloud processing and accuracy assessment. 

Performance requirements, mathematical models, observation methods, processing strategies, uncertainties and other characteristics associated with moving marine, land, airborne, and space vehicle positioning, orientation and attitude applications, using autonomous, terrestrial, satellite, and acoustic methods.  

Develop skills in design, execution, and analysis of diverse control and monitoring survey types. Students explore specifications for common types of survey, and later study specialized requirements and techniques for surveys in areas of limited extent, underground surveys, and surveys for monitoring movement over time. Unique health and safety considerations associated with these survey types are discussed. 

Understand and apply integrated analysis of deformation of the rock mass caused by materials extraction. Overview of problems related to integrated monitoring and deterministic modelling of deformations of human-made and natural structures. Learn and apply stress-deformation analysis based on principles of continuum mechanics including principles of finite element method, review of monitoring techniques and principles of integrated analyses, definitions of sustainable mining, rock mechanics with applications in underground mining, open pit mining, and oil and gas extraction. 

Learn about problems related to integrated monitoring and deterministic modelling of deformations of engineering and natural structures with a strong focus on numerical analysis. Summary of stress-deformation analysis using finite element method, short review of deformation monitoring techniques and principles of integrated analyses, examples of analysis of deformations caused by underground mining and open pit mining, and use of the results in design of monitoring schemes.   

Review of coordinate systems. Orbital dynamics. GPS for high precision positioning and navigation. Major practical lab in GPS positioning.  

Build an in depth understanding of Earth’s gravity field and its application to various aspects of Geomatics. Students learn the theory of Earth’s gravity field and its temporal variations. Space, airborne and terrestrial observational methods associated with absolute, relative, network, and moving-base gravimetry are covered, as well as errors in these techniques. Mathematical models, gravity field parameter transformations, and a selection of applications (e.g., geoid determination, height systems, mass transfer) are also covered. 

Introduction to software implementation, including image data formats, programming standards, libraries, writing, compiling and running software codes. Computer vision methods, algorithms, and applications, including edge detection, feature extraction, image matching, mathematical morphology, image segmentation, image classification, object detection, and 3D creation.  

Advanced acquisition, processing and delivery of ocean mapping data. Topics covered include: Multibeam sonar system setup, integration, application and troubleshooting; survey planning and reporting; advanced multibeam sonar data processing, including water column object detection; and hydrographic data management.  

Overview of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Fundamentals, algorithms, and applications of widely used ML and AI methods in geospatial data analysis, including Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Fuzzy Logic, Wavelet Transformation, Artificial Neural Network, and Deep Learning.  

Programming skills required in the geospatial industry. Development of standalone programs, use of geospatial libraries, and extension of the functionality of geomatics software systems.  

Offers an overview of key techniques and technologies in big data analytics, and how data science is different from related fields. Through a combination of lectures and hands on exercises using R, MongoDB, and D3 visualization tools, students will learn to explore, clean, refine, analyze and visualize geospatial, streaming, unstructured and structured types of big data. 

Strengthen skills in 3D geospatial data processing, managing and modelling; problem-solving; and teamwork. This course is designed to follow on from GGE4423 and GGE4313. Students will gain a more profound knowledge of 3D geospatial data and learn to design appropriate pipelines for 3D geospatial data processing, managing and modelling. Theoretical concepts along with hands-on individual and team-based experiences guide the students through analysis with 3D GIS platforms.