Earth Observation - Specialization
Learn how to monitor, understand and predict Earth’s environment, hydro- and cryosphere.
Specialization: Earth Observation
Learn how to monitor, understand and predict Earth’s environment, hydro- and cryosphere.
The effects of global climate change have an ever-increasing impact across the planet, affecting both human societies and ecosystems. In addition, human activities are affecting the environment on local, regional, and global scale. Efficient climate and environmental monitoring, understanding and prediction is essential to provide a scientific basis for decision-makers dealing with climate and environment issues.
Students following the specialization 'Earth Observation' will learn to develop and use instruments, observation techniques, and data processing methods to monitor and study the oceans, groundwater, landmasses, and ice from satellites and aircraft, as well as detection and classification of objects in such data using, e.g. advanced machine-learning methods.
Areas of study include ocean currents, water levels, the height of ice sheets, mapping of sea ice, crop types, vegetation, and soil moisture on land, as well as monitoring of objects such as ships, icebergs, and vehicles.
Graduates will be able to develop and use instruments and methods, which will help improve our ability to monitor Earth’s climate and environment as well as perform monitoring for security applications, e.g. for national and international civil authorities (e.g. the European Union), meteorological institutions, as well as engineering consultancy companies.
Academic focus
The academic focus of this specialization is design, development and use of instrumentation, observation techniques, models, methods, systems, services, and decision-making support tools in the monitoring of marine and water resources, climate, land, atmosphere, environment and cryosphere, i.e. sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets as well as monitoring of objects of relevance for security applications.
Observation techniques include multispectral satellite images, radar and microwave radiometer data, and gravimetric and electromagnetic measurements. Also, methods and techniques such as numerical modelling, inversion, data assimilation, analysis, and processing of temporal and spatial datasets, and geographic information systems (GIS) are included as part of the specialization.
Possible specialization
Within the specialization 'Earth Observation' it is possible through the choice of specialization courses to further specialise primarily in one of the following areas:
- Instrumentation
- Data processing
- Physical and mathematical modelling
It is also possible to choose a specialization through the synthesis and/or master projects.
Requirements for the specialization
If you - in addition to the general requirements for the education - meet the following more strict requirements for the selection of courses, the title of the specialization 'Earth Observation' will be on the diploma in addition to the title of the general programme 'Earth and Space Physics and Engineering'.
To obtain the MSc degree in Earth and Space Physics and Engineering with the specialization in 'Earth Observation,' you must fulfil the following requirements:
- Have passed the Polytechnic Foundation courses (10 ECTS) and the Programme-specific Innovation and Core Competence courses adding up to 20 ECTS
- Have passed Programme-specific courses in 2 categories adding up to 30 ECTS:
- Proramme-specific courses in Measurement Technology adding up to at least 15 ECTS
- Programme-specific courses in Physical Large Scale Structures and Processes adding up to at least 5 ECTS
- Have performed a Master's Thesis of either 30, 32½ or 35 ECTS ECTS within the field of the programme
- Have passed a sufficient number of elective courses – and preferably selected from the specialization’s list of recommended elective courses - to bring the total number of ECTS of the entire study up to 120.
Courses
The specializations have all the same requirements as the general curriculum regarding the Polytechnic Foundation and Programme-specific Core competences, including” Innovation course II”. Each specialization only varies from the general curriculum by the specific lists of programme-specific courses and Recommended Elective Courses.
Programme-specific courses in Measurement Technology
To meet the requirements for the programme-specific courses in Measurement Technology for the specialization 'Earth Observation', a student must take the following course, which is mandatory for the specialization:
| 30350 | Remote Sensing | 10 | point | Autumn E4 (Tues 13-17, Fri 8-12) |
In addition, students must choose at least one course from the following list:
| 02456 | Deep learning | 5 | point | Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17) |
| 02506 | Advanced Image Analysis | 5 | point | Spring F5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 30340 | Radar and Radiometer Systems | 10 | point | Spring F3 (Tues 8-12, Fri 13-17) |
| 30540 | Mapping from Aerial and Satellite Images | 5 | point | Autumn E5A (Wed 8-12) |
| 30555 | Microwave remote sensing models and data | 5 | point | January |
| 30574 | Earth observations for monitoring changes (EO4Change) | 5 | point | June |
Programme-specific courses in Physical Large Scale Structures and Processes
To meet the requirements for the programme specific courses in Physical Large Scale Structures and Processes for the study line 'Earth Observation', a student must choose courses corresponding to at least 5 ECTS from the following list:
| 25302 | Physical oceanography | 5 | point | Autumn E5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 30552 | Satellite Geodesy | 5 | point | Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17) |
| 30745 | Earth and Planetary Magnetism | 5 | point | Spring F3A (Tues 8-12) |
| 30752 | Cryosphere physics and observation | 5 | point | Autumn E5B (Wed 13-17) |
| 30755 | Climate change - physics and observations | 5 | point | Autumn E2A (Mon 13-17) |
Programme-specific courses beyond 30 ECTS will count as elective courses.
Recommended Elective Courses
Any course classified as MSc course in DTU's course base may be taken for credit as an elective course. This includes programme-specific courses in excess of the minimal requirements. Master students may choose as much as 10 credit points among the bachelor courses at DTU and courses at an equivalent level from other higher institutions.
We recommend that you use some of your ECTS points for elective courses on either more of the above-mentioned programme-specific courses or some of the courses mentioned in the list below, as these courses are particularly relevant to the specialization:
| 02409 | Multivariate Statistics | 5 | point | Autumn E1A (Mon 8-12) |
| 02417 | Time Series Analysis | 5 | point | Spring F4B (Fri 8-12) |
| 02450 | Introduction to Machine Learning and Data Mining | 5 | point | Spring F4A (Tues 13-17), Autumn E4A (Tues 13-17) |
| 02471 | Machine learning for signal processing | 5 | point | Autumn E1B (Thurs 13-17) |
| 12320 | Hydrology | 10 | point | Spring F2 (Mon 13-17, Thurs 8-12) |
| 30510 | GPS, GIS and Setting out | 5 | point | June |
| 30545 | Analysis of spatial and temporal data within geoscience | 5 | point | January |
| 30760 | Inverse Problems and Machine Learning in Earth and Space Physics | 5 | point | Spring F1B (Thurs 13-17) |
You may be able to find other relevant elective online courses in the EuroTeQ Partner Universities' course catalogue
Topic of 30220 Synthesis Project and Master's Thesis
The topic for both course 30220 Synthesis in Earth and Space Physics and the Master's Thesis must be within the specialization's focus area.
Examples of M.Sc. projects
- Detection of ships and icebergs in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data
- Convolutional neural networks for ice concentration retrieval from SAR data
- Parameter retrieval from microwave radiometer satellite observations of polar oceans
- Speckle reduction in SAR images
- Mapping of objects in SAR images
- Design and Implementation of a Microwave Radiometer for C-band
- Modelling the present day and future climate of Antarctica
- Satellite remote sensing for water management in agriculture
Specializations are merely recommended ways of choosing the courses in the curriculum. Applicants are not admitted to a specialization but to the programme and it is possible to choose among all the courses in the curriculum following the directions given. However, if a specialization has been fulfilled the title of the specialization may be added to the diploma.
Head of Study line
John Peter Merryman Boncori Head of Microwaves and Remote Sensing Phone: +45 45253755 jpmb@dtu.dk