Turning Location Data into Better Decisions
Almost every major infrastructure challenge has a location.
Where should a new road be built?
Which areas are most vulnerable to flooding?
How is a city expanding?
Where are natural resources changing?
And how can satellite information help decision-makers understand what is happening across an entire region?
These are the kinds of questions addressed by Geographic Information Systems, or GIS.
On 19 October 2023, MAHANAKORN and SuperMap Software brought researchers and technology specialists together for the SuperMap GIS Innovation and Application Workshop on campus. The event focused on the latest developments in GIS, spatial intelligence and their applications to real-world challenges.
The collaboration also included an agreement giving MAHANAKORN access to the latest generation of SuperMap GIS software for education and research.
From Satellite Data to Smart Cities
GIS is much more than displaying information on a map.
Modern geospatial platforms can combine information from satellites, sensors, infrastructure and other data sources to help researchers and planners understand where things are happening and how different locations relate to one another.
The workshop explored applications including:
- satellite and Earth-observation data
- 3D GIS technology
- smart-city development
- transportation
- land management
- agriculture
- natural-resource management
- water conservation
- disaster management
One session focused specifically on geospatial intelligence for smart-city development in Thailand, showing how spatial data can become part of urban planning and decision-making.
Seeing the World as Data
Imagine a city as thousands of layers.
Roads.
Buildings.
People.
Utilities.
Water systems.
Traffic.
Land use.
Environmental conditions.
Satellite imagery.
GIS allows those layers to be viewed, analysed and connected.
That can help engineers and planners move beyond simply knowing that a problem exists.
They can begin asking where it is happening, what surrounds it and how conditions may be changing over time.
For students, that creates connections between geospatial technology and several different fields.
Civil engineers can use spatial information when studying infrastructure and urban environments.
Computer engineers can work with large datasets and intelligent analysis.
Electronics engineers can help build the sensing and communication systems that collect information from the physical world.
Connecting GIS with Space Technology
The workshop also connected with MAHANAKORN’s wider work in satellite technology.
A presentation on Satellite Applications: From Upstream to Downstream looked at the university’s history in satellite development and how information collected from space can be translated into applications on Earth.
That connection is important because satellite images become much more useful when they can be analysed alongside other information.
A satellite may capture what an area looks like from above.
GIS can help turn that image into data that can be compared, measured and used to support decisions.
This creates applications that stretch from city planning to environmental monitoring and disaster management.
Technology That Crosses Disciplines
One of the goals highlighted by MAHANAKORN was to make GIS technology relevant beyond a single engineering field.
The university stated that students across different faculties could benefit from learning how spatial software can be applied within their own disciplines.
That reflects how many modern problems are increasingly interdisciplinary.
A smart-city project may require civil infrastructure, sensors, communications, software and data analysis at the same time.
Geospatial technology becomes one of the tools that can help connect those pieces.
Where Could You Take It Next?
Students interested in smart cities, geospatial technology and data-driven engineering can begin building relevant foundations through:
Civil Engineering
Develop knowledge in infrastructure, transportation, water systems and the built environment — areas where spatial data can support better planning and engineering decisions.
Computer & AI Engineering
Build foundations in computing, artificial intelligence and data analysis for intelligent systems that increasingly rely on large and location-based datasets.
Explore Computer & AI Engineering →
Communication & Electronics Engineering
Explore electronics, sensing and communication technologies that help collect and transmit real-world information into connected digital systems.
Explore Communication & Electronics Engineering →
Postgraduate Research
Take geospatial, infrastructure and technology research further through advanced study and interdisciplinary research opportunities.
Explore Postgraduate Research →
A map can show where something is. Geospatial technology helps us understand what is happening there — and what we might do next.