Geographical Information Systems and Science:

Case studies, energy and buildings research

Ed Sharp:

ed.sharp@ucl.ac.uk | www.esenergyvis.wordpress.com | @steadier_eddy

What is GIS?

What is GIS?

Geographical Information Systems

• Desktop
  • ArcGIS
    • Comprehensive & Intuitive,
    • Industry standard
    • ArcPy
    • Expensive
  • Opensource
    • QGIS
    • Grass
    • Free
    • Less comprehensive & Intuitive
  • Command line
    • Python – Basemap etc
    • R – gg plot

• Bespoke
  • Possible to write many processes into e.g python
• Web – e.g. Google
• Remote sensing
• Databases
• CAD?

What is GIS?

Geographical Information Science

• Processes surrounding the systems
  • Algorithms
  • Software design
  • Application or processes
  • Data storage
  • Standards
• Covered in many UG courses and Masters
• Research/Development
• Incorporates
  • Geography
  • Maths
  • Physics
  • Computer Science
  • Cartography

Users

• The definitions above depend on the person/ user
• Students
• Professionals ……
• Developers
• Scientists/academics
• Where am I?

What is GIS?

Case Studies

MSc GIS: 3D buildings from LiDAR data

MSc GIS: Sea Surface Temperatures

MRes: Fuel Poverty

PhD: Gridded modelling of wind generation

PhD: Hourly variability in wind generation, electricity demand and residual demand

Increased variability in both scenarios, higher capacity factors throughout the later in years under Gone Green on the left, especially in the colder months.

Predictable variability under both scenarios for all years.  Little evidence of the impact of heat pumps on the temporal patterns of electricity demand.

The Gone Green scenario experiences greater variability as a result of more wind capacity, particularly offshore.

Wind Generation

Electricity Demand

Residual Demand

PhD: Hourly variability in residual demand

PhD: Spatial analysis

Correlation between generating grid squares for each scenario, 2010 - 2035.

See  Sinden (2007) for original method