Virtual Reality-based Decision Support System For Change Detection in Forest Environment Using Drone-based Digital Twin
Project ID: 2531ad1496
(You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Digital Security and Resilience
UCL Lead department: Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE)
Lead Supervisor: Romain Neuville
Project Summary:
Why is this research important?
Forests are vital natural resources for human life and wildlife, as they protect biodiversity, provide multiple pivotal ecosystem services, and help mitigate the impacts of global warming. Yet, many forests are under significant threat from climate change and unsustainable human activities. To protect these habitats, Digital Twins (DTs), i.e., virtual replicas of physical objects and processes, built from drone imagery and/or Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), serve as powerful tools for managing forests more effectively, efficiently, and safely. However, despite growing interest in this technology, the digitization of forest environments is progressing slowly, hindered by the substantial and complex challenges it poses for the sector.
What will you be doing?
You will develop a framework that empowers political decision-makers, foresters, and local communities to utilize drone-based digital twins for forest lifecycle management, with a focus on change detection to evaluate the impact of their actions. This goal will be achieved through the deployment of a Decision Support System, built on a Virtual Reality platform that (1) facilitates spatio-temporal analysis across multiple scales, (2) incorporates semantically enriched digital twins powered by Artificial Intelligence, (3) utilizes visual cues to enhance cognitive processing and reasoning, and (4) provides annotation tools.
Who will you be working with?
You will collaborate closely with highly qualified international academic partners, such as the Earth Observation and Ecosystem Modelling Lab of the University of Liège (Belgium), government-owned organizations (e.g., Forestry England), consulting firms (SRL D. Bemelmans), and technology providers, such as Unity and Pix4D.
Who are we looking for?
A highly motivated and research-driven candidate with a solid academic foundation in Reality Capture for Geospatial Science, a strong passion for advancing digital twin technology, exceptional problem-solving abilities, strong analytical skills, and a collaborative mindset.