Tag Archives: 3d gis

WHEN THE SAME CONFERENCE CALLS YOU BACK, BUT THIS TIME FOR A DIFFERENT ROLE

WHEN THE SAME CONFERENCE CALLS YOU BACK, BUT THIS TIME FOR A DIFFERENT ROLE

Last year, we contributed our research to AGERS 2025, the IEEE Asia-Pacific Conference on Geoscience, Electronics and Remote Sensing Technology.

This time, I received an invitation to return for AGERS 2026, not only as a researcher, but as a Technical Program Committee (TPC) Member.

The role comes with a different responsibility. It means contributing behind the scenes by supporting the technical review process, evaluating research quality, and helping ensure that the work presented at the conference meets appropriate academic standards.

AGERS brings together researchers working across geoscience, electronics, remote sensing and emerging technologies throughout the Asia-Pacific region. These areas are also closely connected to much of the work we are doing in geospatial science, GeoAI and 3D urban modelling.

It is always nice when participation in a research community develops into an opportunity to contribute back to that same community.

Thank you to the AGERS 2026 organising committee for the invitation and confidence.

Looking forward to doing my small part in making the conference a good one.

#AGERS2026 #AcademicService #RemoteSensing #GeospatialScience #ResearchCommunity

CALL FOR PAPER ICDSG2026


Call For Papers:

📝 The 2nd International Conference on Data Science and Geoinformatics 2026 (ICDSG 2026)

🖥 Hybrid Conference (25-27 November 2026)

📍 Venue:

Bali, Indonesia

📍 Sovereign Bali Hotel

 Tracks

———————–

The conference welcomes all topics that are relevant to:

📌 Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

📌 Geoinformatics and GeoAI

📌 IoT and Security in Geoinformatics

Important Dates

————————

📆 Submission Deadline

5 September 2026 

📆 Registration Deadline

20 October 2026

📆 Conference Date

25-27 November 2026

Keynote Speakers

————————–

1. Prof. Dr. Alexander Zipf (Heidelberg University, Germany)

2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Putu Harry Gunawan (Telkom University, Indonesia)

3. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Surya Michrandi Nasution (Telkom University, Indonesia)

4. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tarawut Boonlua (Mahasarakham University, Thailand)

5. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uznir Ujang, (UTM, Malaysia)

For more information, please visit our conference website.

https://icdsg.org/2026

GROOMING RESEARCHERS, ONE STUDENT AT A TIME 🎓


GROOMING RESEARCHERS, ONE STUDENT AT A TIME 🎓

Today, I had a mock proposal presentation session with my MPhil student Melati, as she prepares for her upcoming proposal presentation.

In our lab, this is part of the process. Before students go into an important presentation, we spend time going through not only what to present, but also what to do and what not to do during the presentation. How to structure the story, how to explain the research clearly, how to respond to questions, and even the small things that can make a big difference in how confidently the work is delivered.

But there is another part that I personally pay attention to.

Beyond the research itself, I try to identify what each student individually needs to improve.

For one student, it may be confidence. For another, it may be how they communicate technical ideas. Some need to improve their slides, some need to sharpen their research argument, while others need to learn how to answer questions more strategically.

Because every student is different, the way we groom them should also be different.

Perhaps that is one thing that makes our research lab a little special 🫢

We do not really have a one-size-fits-all approach.

We groom our students in a tailor-made version, one researcher at a time.

All the best for your proposal presentation Melati! 💪🏻

#ResearchSupervision #MPhilJourney #ResearchTraining #PostgraduateLife #3DCityModelingLab

OVERALL THERMAL TRANSFER VALUE (OTTV)

Screenshot

OVERALL THERMAL TRANSFER VALUE (OTTV)

Another piece of work from our lab has officially been published. 😊

Congratulations to Wiliyan Ricky on the publication of our paper:

“Integrating 3D City Models and OTTV Calculation for Urban Cooling Assessment.”

This paper was presented at an international conference in the Philippines and is now officially published in the conference proceedings, which are indexed by Scopus.

The study integrates 3D City Models with Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV)calculations to evaluate the cooling performance of buildings in urban environments. By combining geospatial information with building energy analysis, the framework enables planners to identify buildings with higher cooling demand and supports evidence-based decisions for creating more energy-efficient and climate-responsive cities.

One of the key contributions of this work is demonstrating how 3D GIS and CityJSON can move beyond visualization to become analytical platforms for urban sustainability and energy assessment. This approach has strong potential for supporting future smart city initiatives, particularly in tropical climates where cooling demand is a major concern.

Congratulations once again to Wiliyan for this achievement. It is always rewarding to see our students continue producing meaningful research and sharing it with the international research community.

Looking forward to the next publication and the next challenge.

Publication: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-23463-6_6

#Scopus #3DGIS #3DCityModels #UrbanCooling #CityJSON

FROM MAPPING TRENDS TO BUILDING BENCHMARKS

FROM MAPPING TRENDS TO BUILDING BENCHMARKS

This is our latest review paper that has been published in Spatial Information Research (Springer) journal.

Title:

Using Structural Topic Modelling to Identify Fragmentation and Integration in AI-Driven Townscape Assessment

As Artificial Intelligence continues to reshape urban analytics, we wanted to answer a simple but important question:

Where is the field of AI-driven townscape assessment heading?

To answer this, we systematically reviewed research published between 2007 and 2025 and applied Structural Topic Modelling (STM) to uncover how the field has evolved over time.

Our findings revealed that while areas such as image-based urban modelling, LiDAR, point cloud processing, vegetation mapping, and urban clustering have matured significantly, several important aspects of townscape assessment, including architectural style, skyline, topography, and water-related attributes, remain underexplored.

One of the key outcomes of this study is the introduction of TownscapeBench v0.1, an open reporting framework designed to improve the reproducibility and benchmarking of AI-enabled townscape assessment. We hope this framework will serve as a useful reference for researchers working at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, GIS, and Urban Analytics.

Research is not only about developing new algorithms. Sometimes, it is equally important to step back, understand where a field currently stands, identify existing gaps, and provide a roadmap for future research.

My sincere appreciation goes to my team for the excellent collaboration. I look forward to seeing how this work contributes to the next generation of AI-driven urban and geospatial research.

📄 Read the paper here:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s41324-026-00696-7

#ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #Townscape #UrbanAnalytics #GIS

A SIMPLE “YES” TO HELPING A COLLEAGUE

A SIMPLE “YES” TO HELPING A COLLEAGUE

Sometimes, the best opportunities begin with a simple message.

Earlier this year, a colleague from Morocco reached out and asked whether I would be willing to support the 7th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications (AiA’26) as a member of the International Program Committee.

Of course, I was happy to help.

Academic research has always been built on collaboration. Whether it is reviewing conference papers, evaluating research quality, or sharing ideas, every contribution helps strengthen the scientific community.

This year, I had the privilege of serving on the International Program Committee for AiA’26, contributing to the peer review process alongside researchers from around the world. It is always a rewarding experience to read new ideas, provide constructive feedback, and help ensure that only high-quality research is presented at the conference.

Artificial Intelligence continues to transform many aspects of our lives, making conferences like AiA an important platform for researchers to exchange ideas, build collaborations, and showcase innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

I sincerely thank the organising committee for the invitation and for this certificate of appreciation. I truly appreciate the trust they have placed in me.

I hope this will be the beginning of many more collaborations with colleagues from Morocco and other parts of the world.

After all, science grows stronger when we help one another.

#ArtificialIntelligence #InternationalCollaboration #AcademicService #PeerReview #Morocco

AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN A PhD JOURNEY

AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN A PhD JOURNEY

Congratulations to my PhD student, Samantha Soo Chin Yee, on successfully passing her PhD Qualification Assessment (QA).

The Qualification Assessment is one of the most important milestones in a PhD journey. It is not simply another presentation. It is a formal assessment where the candidate must convince a panel of examiners that the research is original, scientifically sound, feasible, and has sufficient novelty to continue as a PhD project. Passing the QA means the student has demonstrated the capability to carry out independent doctoral research.

I am especially proud because Samantha achieved this milestone in just her 8th month as a PhD student.

According to the chairman, she answered the examiners’ questions confidently, and the panel acknowledged both the novelty and significance of her research. Better yet, the entire QA session was completed in only 1 hour and 20 minutes, including a 19-minute presentation, which reflects her excellent preparation and clear understanding of her work.

Looking back, it has been an incredible start to her PhD journey. Within her first year, Samantha has already:

  • Published a paper in the ISPRS Archives indexed in Web of Science.
  • Collaborated with researchers from Karabük University, Türkiye, and an industry partner from Spain.
  • Successfully passed her PhD Qualification Assessment.

These achievements did not happen by chance. They are the result of consistent effort, discipline, and a willingness to learn.

Congratulations once again, Samantha. This is only the beginning of your PhD journey, and I look forward to seeing your research continue to grow and make meaningful contributions to the geospatial community.

Keep up the excellent work. The best is yet to come.

#PhD #QualificationAssessment #Research #GeospatialScience #UTM

AN AFTERNOON OF FUTURE GIS RESEARCH

AN AFTERNOON OF FUTURE GIS RESEARCH

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to serve as a panel examiner for the PSM II (Final Year Project) presentations in the Geoinformation programme.

Throughout the afternoon, six final-year students presented their research:

• Mohamad Shazwan Haikal bin Sartunis – Assessing land cover change dynamics and future land cover prediction in Lenggong Geopark using GIS analysis.

• Janahan A/L Balakrishnan – Feasibility study of offline GIS processing for marine spatial analysis using Progressive Web Application and PostGIS integration.

• Hazthavarthini A/P Kersenan – Spatio-temporal analysis of paddy yield vulnerability to short-term weather variability in Sekinchan, Selangor using GIS.

• Nur Ira Syahirah binti Abu Bakar – LOD4-based quantitative assessment of indoor solar exposure using 3D city models.

• Fatimah Az Zahrah binti Mohammad Asri – Analysis of Wi-Fi signal distribution and quality at UTM campus using GIS.

• Tan Qiao Ying – Assessment of urban expansion patterns in Perak using Google Earth Engine and web-based visualisation.

It is always encouraging to see undergraduate students applying advanced geospatial technologies such as GIS, 3D city modelling, Google Earth Engine, web GIS, PostGIS, and spatio-temporal analysis to solve real-world challenges. The diversity of topics also reflects how broad and impactful the geospatial field has become, covering environmental monitoring, agriculture, urban planning, smart cities, energy analysis, and wireless communication.

The presentations went smoothly, and I was impressed by the effort, preparation, and confidence shown by every student. Beyond evaluating their work, sessions like these are valuable opportunities to exchange ideas, provide constructive feedback, and help students strengthen their research before graduation.

Congratulations to all six students for reaching this important milestone. I wish each of you all the very best in completing your final projects and in your future careers.

My sincere appreciation also goes to all the supervisors for their continuous guidance and dedication in nurturing the next generation of geospatial professionals.

#GIS #GeospatialScience #FinalYearProject #PSMII #UTM #3DGIS

MOCK PRESENTATION SESSION FOR SAMANTHA

MOCK PRESENTATION SESSION FOR SAMANTHA

Behind every successful defense is a team that challenges, supports, and inspires. 🎓

Today, our lab came together for Samantha’s mock presentation session, creating an opportunity to simulate the experience of a real thesis defense. Lab members actively engaged by asking insightful questions, sharing constructive feedback, and offering valuable suggestions to help refine her presentation and strengthen her responses.

Mock presentations are an essential part of the research journey. They build confidence, sharpen critical thinking, and prepare presenters to communicate their work with clarity and confidence.

A sincere thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to today’s session. Your encouragement and thoughtful feedback made the session truly meaningful. We wish Samantha all the best as she takes the next step toward her defense. Keep shining, Sam! 🌟

#LabLife #Research #MockPresentation #PhDJourney #Teamwork

H-INDEX 20: A MILESTONE I NEVER EXPECTED

Screenshot

H-INDEX 20: A MILESTONE I NEVER EXPECTED

Today, while checking my Google Scholar profile, I noticed something that made me pause for a moment.

My H-index has reached 20.

To be honest, when I first started my academic journey, I never imagined I would get here. I believe at the moment I have the highest H-index in my department for GIS field of study.

Some people may say that an H-index of 20 is not particularly high. In certain disciplines, it might even be considered modest. But for me, and for the field that I work in, it is a meaningful milestone.

The research areas I have been involved in, we were once considered highly specialised and niche. The community was relatively small, and naturally, there were not many researchers working on similar topics.

Sometimes it felt like being a minority within an already small minority.

Publishing was not always easy. Finding collaborators was not always easy. Convincing others of the value of certain research directions was not always easy.

But we kept going.

Over the years, I have been fortunate to work with many wonderful students, colleagues, collaborators, and mentors. Every paper, citation, discussion, supervision session, conference presentation, and research project contributed to this journey.

So this milestone does not belong to me alone.

It belongs to everyone who has contributed, collaborated, cited our work, challenged our ideas, and helped shape the research community that exists today.

What makes me happiest is not the number itself.

It is seeing how much the community has grown.

Topics that once attracted only a handful of researchers are now receiving increasing attention. New ideas are emerging, new collaborations are being formed, and the research landscape has become far more vibrant and exciting than when I first entered the field.

I am grateful to have witnessed that growth and even more grateful to have played a small part in it.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.

Now, back to work. There are still many interesting questions waiting to be explored.

#ResearchJourney #GoogleScholar #HIndex20 #Geoinformatics #AcademicLife