In Swedish

Joint Projects and On-going Research

Several PhD-candidates are currently studying spatial relations between health status and the environment by modelling exposures of pollution using GIS. This large multidisciplinary project includes experts in medicine, meteorology, physics, etc.

The GIS centre is also involved in a project aiming to reconstruct past plant cover changes using fossil pollen archived in lake sediments and computer simulation models. GIS is currently used for processing modern vegetation data and conducting computer simulations and will soon be used to create the maps illustrating historical plant cover.

Some staff members are involved in researching and developing algorithms and spatial modelling techniques. We are currently studying real-time integration and generalization of cartographic data for creating mobile map services (according to international standards). Several projects are in cooperation with the National Land Survey of Sweden, local municipalities and private companies.

We collaborate in many projects in Africa, Asia, and Central America. An essential issue in our involvement is the applied use of geographical IT within the research and/or planning process (where IT is used to help, and not to complicate!). We collaborate with many different organisations and faculties. Two examples are a multidisciplinary ”peace and development” project in Uganda and a ”regional development” project in Sri Lanka.

Below is a presentation of on-going project in which the GIS Centre is involved.

GIS for the Analysis of Health Related Effects Caused by Air Pollution - a joint project with, among others, the departments of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Atomic Physics at Lund University, Region Skåne and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. The spreading and behaviour of particles in the air is measured and modelled, while the health related effects are studied based primarily on interviews, inquiries and medical care data. Contacts: Susanna Gustafsson, Karin Larsson and Emilie Stroh.

The Municipality of Lund and Lund University’s web-based map – a collaboration between the municipality of Lund and Lund University’s Information Office and GIS Centre, where an interactive web-based map of Lund and the University is created. Contact: Lars Harrie.

EU-Project for Mobile Map Services – GIMODIG- the goal with the project is to develop methods to deliver geographical data to mobile users through data integration and generalization in real-time. Contact: Lars Harrie.

Reconstruction of Historical Landscape using Fossil Pollen – fossil pollen can be used to analyse vegetation changes in a landscape since the last ice age. GIS is used to digitise and analyse current vegetation maps. This information can thereafter be used to simulate spreading and deposition of pollen, and model prehistoric vegetation patterns. Contact: Anna Broström.

Peace and Development Project in Uganda – a collaboration with Makerere University, Kampala and Göteborg University. GIS is used as an analytical tool in matters such as poverty, social conflicts, HIV/AIDS and gender studies. Contact: Petter Pilesjö.

Regional Development in Sri Lanka – economists, political scientists and human geographers in Sri Lanka and Sweden research regional and local development trends and patterns using GIS. Capacity building in the field of GIS also plays an important part of the project. Contact: Petter Pilesjö.

European Level Developments of Flexible Learning Models within GIS for Vocational Training (EGIS) - The main objective with the project is to establish a co-operation between European Universities and GIS user organisations and to develop modularised courses intended for Internet based learning. Another objective is to establish links of communications between the partners in the project to disseminate and share “best practises” in different teaching situations and for different types of students. Contacts: Petter Pilesjö and Ulrik Mårtensson.

Projects and GIS Implementation in Developing Counties - Throughout recent years, the GIS Centre has been active in evaluation, capacity building, database construction, GIS implementation and applied research projects in many developing countries. To name a few are Tunisia, Nigeria,  the Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Laos, Pakistan, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, the Lake Victoria Region (Africa) and Africa South of the Sahara. Most projects were financed by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the World Bank. Contacts: Petter Pilesjö and Ulrik Mårtensson.