Current Projects

Modeling Afterslip Crustal Deformation Of Sundaland’s Earthquake For Malaysia (Total Research Grant: RM106,000)

Funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS)  (2017 – 2020): Modeling Afterslip Crustal Deformation Of Sundaland’s Earthquake For Malaysia,   [Project Leader]. Major earthquakes of Mw >8.0 struck the Sundaland platelet since December 2004 due to convergence between Indian and Australian plates along its western and southern boundaries. Since then the plate has been undergoing significant afterslip deformation that is continuously distorting geodetic network within affected countries such as Malaysia. The deformation produced coordinate shift in geodetic network thus, causing errors in Global Positioning System (GPS) / Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite measurements which limits its accuracy for high precision positioning applications. In addition, the afterslip deformation exhibits on-going non-linear motion that needs to be modeled for maintaining accuracy of the geodetic network in Malaysia. The existing crustal deformation model such as piecewise linear model is imprecise and do not adequately describe the actual afterslip deformation. This project is aimed at modelling the regional crustal deformation that is affecting geodetic network and geospatial accuracy in Malaysia. The fundamental works will involve determination of afterslip deformation parameters namely; co-seismic, post-seismic offsets and decay rate, to account for the non-linear effect of the crustal deformation. The study will output a novel afterslip deformation model for minimising the effect of non-linear motion on geodetic network. The work is crucial in order to improve the accuracy of Malaysian geodetic network that serves as a horizontal datum for critical application such as national boundary determination, oil and gas field exploration, agriculture for food security, surveying and navigation, and geohazard management in the country.

Development of Prototype Near Real-Time GNSS Meteorology System (Total Research Grant: RM450,000)

Research Contract by MOSTI (2015 – 2017): Development of Prototype Near Real-Time GNSS Meteorology System [Project Leader]. This project aims at establishment of near real-time monitoring of atmospheric water vapour using the ground-based GPS meteorology over Peninsular Malaysia. The benefit of near real-time monitoring of atmospheric water vapour will enhance precision meteorology and   support weather and climate prediction for Malaysia region. This project is a contract-research funded by Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). Further information on the project can be viewed through http://161.139.104.104/my-gpsmet-old/.

Agriculture For Food Security: Geospatial Management of Piper Nigrum Disorder For Productivity Enhancement (Total Grant: RM50,000)

Research Grant University (2015 – 2017): Agriculture For Food Security: Geospatial Management of Piper Nigrum Disorder For Productivity Enhancement [Project Leader]. This project focuses on the Piper Nigrum agriculture or known as black pepper that is widely used as a common traded spice and seasoning over the world. The study area is a farm about 200 acres located in Lembah Makanan Organik, Mukim Sedili Kechil, Kota Tinggi, Johor. About 30 acres of this land has been growth with Piper Nigrum trees and the rest of it still in the planning stage.  The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of Piper Nigrum trees disease on its productivity. To reach the overall aim of the study, the following objectives are specified; (1) to develop geospatial database for Piper Nigrum crop area, (2) to identify the areas of trees for infection, (3) To analyze the level of infectious disorder towards the productivity of Piper Nigrum, and (4) to suggest suitable geospatial location in the study area for higher productivity. In doing so, the aerial photos captured by using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) incorporated with Global Positioning System (GPS) will be processed to prepare the topographic database and position of each herbal trees in the study area. In addition, soil moisture of the study area will be measured to form the soil moisture map. Subsequently, water flow in the study area will be modelled and the influence of soil water content on herbal trees disease and their productivity will be investigated by using Geographical Information System (GIS) tools. Finally, the above results will be used to propose a suitable location in the study area for higher productivity of the Piper Nigrum. It is expected this research project will present significant management plans to boost herbal crop production of the study area.