Ph.D. Defense by Maria Vasardani | >11/09/2009

On Oct 28 2009, Maria Vasardani successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis with the title "Qualitative Spatial Reasoning with Holed Regions". Her advisor is Max Egenhofer. Congratulations, Maria!

Three Funded Graduate Research Assistantships available in the Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Lab | >10/20/2009

Three funded graduate research assistantships are currently available to work in the VEMI Lab, directed by Dr. Nicholas Giudice in the Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering at the University of Maine, USA. Students will register for the degree of Masters or PhD.

All of the assistantships offer a generous support package, including a competitive stipend, complete tuition expenses, a book purchase program, a contribution to health insurance, and conference travel. All positions are immediately available but we are prepared to wait for as long as it takes for the right candidates. More information about the VEMI lab and these positions can be found at: www.vemilab.org or by emailing Dr. Giudice at: giudice@spatial.maine.edu.

Assistantship 1 relates to funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The project investigates how spatial information from different input modalities (vision, haptics, 3D audio, and spatial language) is learned, represented in memory, and acted upon when supporting spatial behaviors with both blind and sighted people. Some of the research methodologies used include Psychophysical approaches, virtual environment technology and behavioral techniques for measuring spatial cognition abilities. This project affords an excellent opportunity for a student to get involved with basic questions about multisensory information processing as well as considering applications of the research to the design of non-visual interfaces. A strong background in Experimental Psychology / Cognitive Science is important and programming skills are desired for students interested in this assistantship.

We have two funded projects in the lab investigating the optimal information requirements for the design of dynamically-updated multimodal displays to support indoor navigation. Where GPS and large commercial GIS including streets and points of interest (POI) have revolutionized outdoor navigation, there is no equivalent positioning technology or databases to support indoor travel, e.g. where-am-I information , route guidance, or access to POI.

Assistantship 2 relates to a recent project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) investigating the best design for visual and multimodal interfaces to be used in a portable navigation system providing seamless outdoor/indoor (OI)  assistance. As environmental information, data structures, technology aids, and navigation behavior differ greatly between outdoor and indoor spaces, this project represents an important step in bridging the OI space gap.

Assistantship 3 relates to a project funded by the NSF investigating the minimal information requirements for efficient spatial learning and navigation without vision, and usability research with 3D audio, haptic cues, and speech-based interfaces to support these behaviors. The ambitious goal is to develop an infrastructure independent, autonomous system for supporting indoor navigation for the blind.

Candidates for assistantships 2 and 3 will be working extensively with virtual environment technology, scripting, and the design and usability of multimodal interfaces. These positions require technical skills and are best suited for people with backgrounds in disciplines such as computer science, mechanical or electrical engineering, cognitive psychology / cognitive science, or behavioral geography.

The University of Maine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Our new 4+1 Graduate Program has started: Masters in Information Science (MSIS) | >08/31/2009

With the start of the Fall 2009 semester, our department now offers a new 4+1 graduate program in informatoin systems. The Master of Science in Information Systems program focuses on technical, managerial and policy issues associated with constructing and managing computer-based information systems for modern organizations. The objectives of this program are to meet the growing demand in society for graduates with high-level information system skills and provide a path for women and men from diverse fields to rapidly transition to information system career paths by providing them with foundation graduate level courses in information systems.

Similar to an MBA or Law degree, this program is explicitly designed to accommodate students from wide ranging undergraduate degree backgrounds.

For more information, check this website

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Two funded PhD research assistantships announced | >07/27/2009

The Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis announce the availability of two funded PhD research assistantships.  Students will be working with advisor Professor Mike Worboys and will register for the degree of PhD.  The funding will cover a stipend, tuition, and a contribution to the health insurance premium.  The first position relates to a recent project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation entitled "Information integration and human interaction for indoor and outdoor spaces."  The project abstract may be found at http://worboys.org/projects/Title%20and%20abstract.pdf.  The second position relates to recent funding received on the use of spatial information systems and sensor technologies in emergency management.  The main focus of both assistantships will be the creation of underlying models and fundamental theories.  Candidates for both positions should hold a Master’s degree, or equivalent, in a subject that can be applied to spatial information systems and geographic information science (e.g., computer science, information systems, mathematics, or geography).  The positions are available immediately, but we are prepared also to wait for the right candidates. Further information can be obtained by emailing Professor Worboys at: worboys@spatial.maine.edu.  The University of Maine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

SIE Department has Facebook page! | >07/13/2009

The SIE Department announces its presence on Facebook.  Check us out here and feel free to become one of our fans!

Ph.D. Defense by Jixiang Jiang | >05/20/2009

Jixiang Jiang successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis with the title "SPECIFYING AND DETECTING TOPOLOGICAL CHANGES TO AREAL OBJECTS" today. His advisor is Dr. Mike Worboys; Drs. Kate Beard, Max Egenhofer, Silvia Nittel, and Bob Franzosa served on his Ph.D. thesis committee. Congrats, Jixiang!

Ph.D. thesis defense by Guang Jin | >04/22/2009

On April 8, 2009, Guang Jin successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis with the topic "Towards spatial queries over continuous phenomenon using sensor networks."  His work included several approaches to compute field-based and object-based queries for detecting, estimating, and tracking continuous phenomena such as toxic chemical clouds and their boundaries using novel wireless sensor network technology.  Guang has published ten papers throughout his graduate studies at UMaine and was supported by two NSF grants and a UMaine UGRA award. His advisor and committee chair was Dr. Silvia Nittel.  His other committee members were Drs. Mike Worboys, Kate Beard, Clayton Wheeler, and Matt Duckham.  Congratulations, Guang, on a job well done!

 

Onsrud receives Fulbright Specialists Award | >01/29/2009

Harlan Onsrud has been selected for a Fulbright Specialists project in Law in Australia at The University of Melbourne during February and March 2009, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.  Onsrud will develop and present five major lectures, known collectively as the 2009 Melbourne Fulbright Lectures on Cyberlaw and Spatial Technologies, focusing on key legal and policy issues with which the global spatial technology and mobile computing communities have been struggling. The lectures will be presented in a variety of academic forums and archived on the web to form a framework for global academic and practitioner discussions of the issues. The Fulbright Specialists Program, created in 2000 to complement the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program, provides short-term academic opportunities (two to six weeks) to prominent U.S. faculty and professionals to support curricular and faculty development and institutional planning at post secondary, academic institutions around the world. Congratulations to Harlan on receiving this award!

Nittel delivers keynote address at conference "Sensing in a Changing World", in Wageningen, NL | >11/20/2008

Dr. Nittel present a keynote address at the international conference "Sensing in a Changing World" in Wageningen, Netherlands. Her keynote is titled "Geosensor Networks: New Challenges in Environmental Monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks".

NEW! - SIE newsletter now available | >10/22/2008

The SIE department has just released its Summer 2008 edition newsletter.  A pdf version of the newsletter can be found here.  We hope you find it informative and interesting and do feel free to give us your feedback.  Cheers!

Department welcomes new faculty Reinhard Moratz and Nicholas Giudice | >09/22/2008

Dr. Reinhard Moratz and Dr. Nicholas Giudice, new faculty members in the Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering, were welcomed by faculty, staff, and students at a recent social gathering hosted by Chair Michael Worboys.  Associate Professor Moratz comes to the University of Maine from Hamburg, Germany, where he was a Senior Researcher at Plath GmbH.  His research interests lie in the area of cognitive engineering for spatial applications.  In his research about Human-Robot Interaction he develops a theory about how humans and robots can use simple, natural spatial expressions to achieve mutual understanding about a joint environment.  Assistant Professor Giudice was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, prior to joining the University of Maine.  His research uses real and virtual environments to investigate multimodal spatial learning, cognitive mapping, and wayfinding behavior and the optimal information requirements for developing multimodal spatial displays to support these behaviors. His experiments compare human performance within and between modalities and output displays using 3-D sound, touch, vision, and spatial language.  We are excited about Reinhard and Nick’s arrival in our department and extend a warm welcome and best wishes for a productive first year at UMaine!  (pictured:  Reinhard Moratz, standing; Nicholas Giudice, seated)

SIE alumnus Xavier Lopez inducted into Francis Crowe Society | >05/14/2008

SIE alumnus Xavier Lopez was inducted into the Francis Crowe Society as a Distinguished Engineer at the annual Francis Crowe Society ceremony held Saturday, May 10, 2008, at Hauck Auditorium on the UMaine campus. The purpose of the Francis Crowe Society is to recognize UMaine engineering graduates as they accomplish the formidable goal of completing their engineering degrees and to recognize others who have made considerable engineering contributions and honored the profession. Lopez graduated from UMaine in 1998 with a Ph.D. in Spatial Information Engineering. Since then, he has advanced to the position of Director of Oracle Corporation's Location Services group where he leads Oracle's efforts to incorporate spatial technologies across Oracle's database, application server, and eBusiness applications. He has been active in numerous academic and government research initiatives on geographic information, is the author of a book on government spatial information policy, and has authored over 50 scientific and industry publications in areas related to spatial information technology. Congratulations to Xavier on receiving this distinguished award! (pictured: SIE Professor Kate Beard, Xavier Lopez, SIE Department Chair Mike Worboys)

SIE students graduate - UMaine Commencement May 2008 | >05/12/2008

University of Maine held its 206th Commencement on Saturday, May 10, 2008, at the Alfond Arena. Three SIE graduate students received their Master's degree in Spatial Information Science and Engineering. Three SIE undergraduate students received their Bachelor's degree in Information Systems Engineering. The SIE faculty hosted a celebratory luncheon in the department library where family and friends joined them in congratulating our graduates on their achievements, after which all proceeded to the Alfond Arena for the formal commencement ceremony. Congratulations graduates from all of us and we wish you the best for the future!

Master's in SIE graduates: Jeremy Onysko, Isolde Frank, Vijay Venkataraman

Bachelor's in ISE graduates: Ben Weber, Gabriel Irvine-McDermott, Steve Horn

Seniors model UMaine campus in 3D with Google Earth and visualize UMaine Event calendar: ISE Capstone Project | >05/08/2008

ISE seniors Ben Weber and Steve Horn presented their Capstone project on May 6, 2008, in the SIE library, Boardman Hall. For the past two semesters they have been working on completing a campus model for Google Earth under the guidance of SIE Professors Harlan Onsrud and Silvia Nittel. With contributions from students in UMaine's New Media Department, Ben and Steve have been able to model a good portion of the UM campus. Their current web page serves as a way to view campus events in this model along with resources for continued expansion and improved modeling of the campus. The project has advanced to the point where this new capability could be added to the Campus Calendar on UMaine's website. This addition to the UM website, if accepted, would link users to the Capstone project's event search page where the 3D model and campus event information would be available for download to Google Earth. Great job guys! (pictured: Steve Horn (l.), Ben Weber (r.))

SIE students participate in Graduate Research Exposition | >04/18/2008

The 10th Annual Graduate Research Exposition was held April 15-16, 2008, in the Buchanan Alumni House at the University of Maine. The Expo, which is organized by UMaine’s Graduate Student Government, is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase academic excellence and creative achievement. Graduate students from the Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering with poster or oral presentations at the Expo were: David Almeida, Stacy Doore, Matthew Dube, Christopher Farah, Jixiang Jiang, Guang Jin, Qinghan Liang, Francois Neville, Arda Nural, Maria Vasardani, and Danqing Xiao. In addition, undergraduate senior Benjamin Weber participated in the Expo with a poster presentation. Three SIE students won prizes at the Expo. David Almeida won second prize and Francois Neville won third prize in the Engineering Posters category. And Maria Vasardani won second prize in the Engineering Talks category. Congratulations to David, Francois, and Maria and to all our SIE students for a job well done! (pictured, l. to r., Expo prize winners Francois Neville, David Almeida, Maria Vasardani)