Earth Observation - Specialization
Learn how to monitor, understand and predict Earth’s environment, hydro- and cryosphere.
Earth Observation
Learn how to monitor, understand and predict Earth's environment, hydro- and cryosphere.
The effects of global climate change have an ever-increasing impact across the planet, affecting both human societies and ecosystems. In addition, human activities affect the environment on local, regional, and global scales. Efficient climate and environmental monitoring, understanding and prediction are essential to provide a scientific basis for decision-makers dealing with climate and environmental issues.
Students following the specialization 'Earth Observation' will learn to develop and use instruments, observation techniques, and data processing methods to monitor and study the oceans, groundwater, landmasses, and ice from satellites and aircraft, as well as detection and classification of objects in such data using, e.g. advanced machine-learning methods.
Areas of study include ocean currents, water levels, the height of ice sheets, mapping of sea ice, crop types, vegetation, and soil moisture on land, as well as monitoring of objects such as ships, icebergs, and vehicles.
Graduates will be able to develop and use instruments and methods which will help improve our ability to monitor Earth's climate and environment as well as perform monitoring for security applications, e.g. for national and international civil authorities (e.g. the European Union), meteorological institutions, as well as engineering consultancy companies.
Academic focus
The academic focus of this specialization is design, development and use of instrumentation, observation techniques, models, methods, systems, services, and decision-making support tools in the monitoring of marine and water resources, climate, land, atmosphere, environment and cryosphere, i.e. sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets as well as monitoring of objects of relevance for security applications.
Observation techniques include multispectral satellite images, radar and microwave radiometer data, and gravimetric and electromagnetic measurements. Also, methods and techniques such as numerical modelling, inversion, data assimilation, analysis, and processing of temporal and spatial datasets, as well as geographic information systems (GIS), are included in the specialization.
Within the specialization 'Earth Observation', it is possible to focus primarily on either instrumentation, data processing or physical and mathematical modelling.
Requirements for the specialization
If students - in addition to the general requirements for the programme - meet the following four more strict requirements for the selection of courses, the title of the specialization 'Earth Observation' will be added to the diploma under the title of the general programme: 'Earth and Space Physics and Engineering'.
1.
Students must have passedat least 15 ECTS programme-specific courses in Measurement Technology from the following list:
Mandatory course:
| 30350 | Remote Sensing | 10 | point | Autumn E4 (Tues 13-17, Fri 8-12) |
Choose at least 5 ECTS among the following courses:
| 02456 | Deep learning | 5 | point | Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17) |
| 02506 | Advanced Image Analysis | 5 | point | Spring F5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 30340 | Radar and Radiometer Systems | 10 | point | Spring F3 (Tues 8-12, Fri 13-17) |
| 30540 | Mapping from Aerial and Satellite Images | 5 | point | Autumn E5A (Wed 8-12) |
| 30555 | Microwave remote sensing models and data | 5 | point | January |
| 30574 | Earth observations for monitoring changes (EO4Change) | 5 | point | June |
2.
Students must have passed at least 5 ECTS programme-specific courses in Physical Large Scale Structures and Processes from the following list:
| 25302 | Physical oceanography | 5 | point | Autumn E5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 30552 | Satellite Geodesy | 5 | point | Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17) |
| 30745 | Earth and Planetary Magnetism | 5 | point | Spring F3A (Tues 8-12) |
| 30752 | Cryosphere physics and observation | 5 | point | Autumn E5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 30755 | Climate change - physics and observations | 5 | point | Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17) |
Programme-specific courses beyond 30 ECTS will count as elective courses.
3.
The topics of both the mandatory project in 'Earth and Space Physics and Engineering' and the Master's Thesis must be within the specialization field.
4.
Students must have passed a sufficient number of elective courses – and preferably selected from the following list of the recommended elective courses - to bring the total number of ECTS points of the entire study up to 120:
| 02409 | Multivariate Statistics | 5 | point | Autumn E1A (Mon 8-12) |
| 02417 | Time Series Analysis | 5 | point | Spring F4B (Fri 8-12) |
| 02450 | Introduction to Machine Learning and Data Mining | 5 | point | Spring F4A (Tues 13-17), Autumn E4A (Tues 13-17) |
| 02471 | Machine learning for signal processing | 5 | point | Autumn E1B (Thurs 13-17) |
| 12320 | Hydrology | 10 | point | Spring F2 (Mon 13-17, Thurs 8-12) |
| 30510 | GPS, GIS and Setting out | 5 | point | June |
| 30545 | Analysis of spatial and temporal data within geoscience | 5 | point | January |
| 30760 | Inverse Problems and Machine Learning in Earth and Space Physics | 5 | point | Spring F1B (Thurs 13-17) |
Other relevant elective online courses may be found in the EuroTeQ Partner Universities' course catalogue
Specializations are merely recommended ways of choosing the courses in the curriculum. Applicants are not admitted to a specialization but to the programme and it is possible to choose among all the courses in the curriculum following the directions given. However, if a specialization has been fulfilled the title of the specialization may be added to the diploma.
Head of Specialization
John Peter Merryman Boncori Head of Microwaves and Remote Sensing Phone: +45 45253755 jpmb@dtu.dk