GIScience Center, Department of Geography
University of Zurich, Switzerland
Description
Position A: Place descriptions from user generated content and unstructured text
Position B: Place-based map generalization
The GIScience Center at the Department of Geography, University of Zurich invites applications for 2 PhDs position to work on a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grant investigating the use of user-generated content and unstructured text in the map generalization process to generate place-based maps.
Position A will focus on the generation of place descriptions using UGC and unstructured text. These descriptions will address three aspects of place as defined by Agnew (2012): location(placenames and associated regions), locale (the environment and associated affordances within such a region) and sense of place (the experiences offered by a place to a group and the shared conceptualization of a place important to that group). Place descriptions will take two forms – population of a schema designed directly to drive the generalization process with traditional geometric data, and richer, more textually based descriptions, requiring more novel methods of incorporation into place-based maps. The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. Ross Purves and will be a member of the Geocomputation Unit in the GIScience Center, whose research focuses on the computational methods for the analysis of a wide range of geographic data sources.
Position B will develop processes that allow controlling the automated generalization operations, using place descriptions generated in the related PhD project A, such that place-based maps can be obtained. Work will start with a design of the components of place-based map generalization (data types, data flows, generalization operators, and map designs). Procedures will be developed that allow integrating the geometries, semantics, and textual descriptions of place descriptions into a form that can be usefully displayed on a map. Specialized generalization operators will be developed that can exploit place descriptions, with a focus on abstraction and schematization. Finally, coherent processes of place-based generalization will be built from these operators. The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. Robert Weibel and will be a member of the GIS Unit in the GIScience Center, whose research focuses on themes such as digital cartography and mobile systems as well as movement analysis.
Although clear initial research goals have been developed within the SNSF proposal, the PhD candidates will be expected to develop and refine these, in collaboration with their supervisory team and colleague, as a first stage of their research work.
The GIS and Geocomputation Units form part of the GIScience Centre, which hosts research groups working on diverse topics including language and space, geographic information retrieval, digital terrain modelling, uncertainty modelling, movement analysis, digital cartography and mobile systems, geovisual analytics, and spatial cognition.
Requirements
We are looking for highly motivated original thinkers, with a desire to develop a research career and with a passion for science. In return we offer excellent working conditions, a stimulating environment and Zurich’s high quality of life. Applicants are required to have completed, or to complete before appointment, a Masters level degree at a high standard in a relevant field such as Geographic Information Science (GIScience), computing science, geography or geomatics. Additionally, computational linguistics (for Position A) or cartography (for Position B). Basic programming skills, as well as a willingness to develop these are a prerequisite.
Applicants should also have a very good standard of written and spoken English. Fluency, or a willingness to learn, of one or more of Switzerland’s national languages would also be an advantage, especially for Position A.
More information and applications
