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Gary Priestnall

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Teaching Summary

My teaching interests lie mainly in the areas of geographic representation and visualisation. In year 1 I convene The Digital Earth which considers the ways digital Geographic Information is having… read more

Research Summary

Landscape Visualisation: Techniques for validating computer-generated landscape visualisation in the field have been developed and are being extended, aligned to the interests of the teaching and… read more

Selected Publications

  • PRIESTNALL, G., 2009. Landscape Visualization in Fieldwork Journal of Geography in Higher Education. VOL 33(SUPP/1), 104-112
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and HAMPSON, D., 2008. Landscape Visualisation: Science and Art. In: DODGE, M., MCDERBY, M. and TURNER, M., eds., Geographic Visualization: Concepts, Tools and Applications Wiley. 241-258
  • PRIESTNALL, G., BROWN, E., SHARPLES, M. and POLMEAR, G., 2009. A student-led comparison of techniques for augmenting the field experience In: Mlearn 2009.
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and COWTON, J., 2009. Putting Landscape Drawings in their place: Virtual Tours in an Exhibition Context In: Geospatial computing for the arts, humanities and cultural heritage workshop at the fifth IEEE e-Science conference.

My teaching interests lie mainly in the areas of geographic representation and visualisation. In year 1 I convene The Digital Earth which considers the ways digital Geographic Information is having an impact on society via new technologies such as virtual globes (Google Earth for example) and on mobile devices. In the year 3 module Visualisation we look at the way 3D Virtual Geographic Environments can be built and then visualised through a range of technologies and in various contexts. These include Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and GPS-enabled mobile devices. An important aspect of digital literacy is to help students develop a critical awareness of how 3D visualisation can be used, but also abused, in developing understanding for a particular audience, I am site manager for the Nottingham arm of the teaching initiative SPLINT (SPatial Literacy IN Teaching), a HEFCE-funded Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and also on the management group of the Visual Learning Lab, also a CETL. My involvement in these two CETLs has allowed me to explore a wide range of visual learning techniques and technologies and help embed these across all 3 years of the Geography curriculum, in Masters level Geographical Information Science, and increasingly through collaborations with other discplines such as English, Archaeology, and Art History.

Current Research

Landscape Visualisation: Techniques for validating computer-generated landscape visualisation in the field have been developed and are being extended, aligned to the interests of the teaching and learning project SPLINT. Lab-based semi-immersive stereo visualisation environments can be improved to support environmental decision-making (including the more effective use of explanatory metadata in this context) and we are developing techniques to explore this. The design and use of interactive spatial multimedia tools is of interest and the GeoSpatial Widgets project has developed tools to explore how people associate 3D landscape views with a map of the same area.

Geographic Representation: Common ground between geographic and artistic representations of landscape have been explored through a series of projects with Nottingham artist Derek Hampson including the Real World Mapping, Mapping Change and Chat Moss projects but also work with local schools and councils on representations of neighbourhood environments. Techniques for representing spatio-temporal historic and cultural information is the focus of my involvment in the Mapping Performance Culture project whereas representation of terrain is also an interest, for example how different surface representations can support flood modeling in the FRMRC project. I am now involved as a Co-Investigator in the EPSRC-funded "Towards Pervasive Media" project with colleagues from Computer Science, English, Built Environment, Film Studies and the Centre for Geospatial Science.

Past Research

Feature Extraction: Ideas developed during my PhD thesis on automated feature recognition from scanned drawings have been successfully applied to geographical objects found in satellite imagery. Starting with a land use change project and then with ALFIE where we developed an object-based classification using contextual clues to discriminate objects of different types. The identification of ancient city structures from imagery featured heavily in the AHRB-funded Raqqa Ancient Industry project led by Archaeology. Most recently collaborations are being explored with Trent & Peak Archaeology emerging from the FASTRAC project which includes the identification of spatial patterns through GIS-based integration of surface and sub-surface data layers.

Future Research

My future research direction will focus on:

  • Geographic Relevance in Mobile Computing
  • Geographic Mobile Learning
  • Design rules for creating Virtual Tours
  • Re-presenting Culture and Heritage Information
  • FITZGERALD, E., SHARPLES, M., JONES, R and PRIESTNALL, G., 2010. Guidelines for the design of location-based audio for mobile learning In: Mlearn 2010.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., BROWN, E., SHARPLES, M. and POLMEAR, G., 2010. Augmenting the field experience: A student-led comparison of techniques and technologies. In: BROWN, E., ed., Education in the wild: contextual and location-based mobile learning in action: A report from the STELLAR Alpine Rendez-Vous workshop series Learning Sciences Research Institute. 43-46
  • MOORE, A., PAXTON, M., JACKSON, M. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2010. Positioning in the wild - Illustrating the emerging issues In: Digital Economy All Hands Meeting - Digital Futures 2010.
  • MOUNT, N.J., CHAMBERS, C., WEAVER, D. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2009. Learner immersion engagement in the 3D virtual world: principles emerging from the DELVE project ITALICS. 8(3), 40-56
  • VLODOVIC, V., PRIESTNALL, G. and MOUNT, N., 2009. Making your mind up: Second Life bucks the trend as the fizz goes out of GIS In: Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting.
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and COWTON, J., 2009. Putting Landscape Drawings in their place: Virtual Tours in an Exhibition Context In: Geospatial computing for the arts, humanities and cultural heritage workshop at the fifth IEEE e-Science conference.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., 2009. Landscape Visualization in Fieldwork Journal of Geography in Higher Education. VOL 33(SUPP/1), 104-112
  • STUDDEN, L., PRIESTNALL, G. and JACKSON, M., 2009. Incorporating egocentric routing preferences into pedestrian navigation devices In: Geographical Information Science Research UK (GISRUK) 2009 Conference.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., BROWN, E., SHARPLES, M. and POLMEAR, G., 2009. A student-led comparison of techniques for augmenting the field experience In: Mlearn 2009.
  • MOUNT, N., PRIESTNALL, G., WEAVER, D. and BURTON, A., 2009. Wading through Derwent Water: taking digital terrains from the real world to Second Life In: Geographical Information Science Research UK (GISRUK) 2009 Conference.
  • JARVIS, C., DICKIE, J., PRIESTNALL, G., ASHFIELD, S, and POLMEAR, G., 2009. Mediascapes: An integrated GI perspective In: 12th AGILE International Conference on Geographic Information Science 2009.
  • JARVIS, C.H., PRIESTNALL, G., BURTON, A.M., DICKIE, J., POLMEAR, G. and LI, J., 2008. Blended technologies in Geographical Information Science: A curriculum approach In: Proceedings of EUGISES 6th European GIS Education Seminar.
  • SMITH, M.J., BURTON, A., KOKKAS, N., PRIESTNALL, G. and POLMEAR, G., 2008. Congress; 21st. VOL 37(PART B6a), 17-22
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and HAMPSON, D., 2008. Landscape Visualisation: Science and Art. In: DODGE, M., MCDERBY, M. and TURNER, M., eds., Geographic Visualization: Concepts, Tools and Applications Wiley. 241-258
  • MINOCHA, S., KEAR, K., MOUNT, N. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2008. Design of learning spaces in 3-D virtual environments In: Researching Learning in Virtual Environments 08.
  • JARVIS, C., PRIESTNALL, G., POLMEAR, G., LI and J, 2008. Geo-contextualised visualisation for teaching and learning in the field In: Geographical Information Science Research UK (GISRUK) 2008 Conference.
  • BURTON, A., PRIESTNALL, G., POLMEAR. G. and MOUNT, N., 2008. Real-Time Landscape Visualisation: Experiences in a Teaching and Learning Context In: Geographical Information Science Research UK (GISRUK) 2008 Conference.
  • BURGESS, R., PRIESTNALL, G., ROBINSON, J., SUTHERLAND, L., TYLER-JONES, R. and KOLLER, T., 2008. The development of an interactive mapping website for representing performance culture in Nottingham 1857-1867 In: Historical GIS 2008.
  • SMITH, M.J., BURTON, A., KOKKAS, N., PRIESTNALL, G. and POLMEAR, G., 2008. Raising Spatial and Visualization Awareness in a Teaching Environment. VOL 37(PART B6A), 17-22
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and MARCH, J., 2008. The Geospatial Widgets Project: Interactive Visual Tools In: Interactive Technologies: Education, Disability and Rehabilitation. (In Press.)
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and MARCH, J., 2008. Learning to read the landscape: Interactive visual tools for exploring spatial thinking In: Geographical Information Science Research UK (GISRUK) 2008 Conference.
  • MOUNT, N., HARVEY, G., APLIN, P. and PRIESTNALL, G., eds., 2008. Representing, Modeling and Visualizing the Natural Environment CRC Press.
  • PRIESTNALL, G and POLMEAR, G., 2007. A synchronised environment for developing spatially aware mobile applications In: Geographical Information Science Research UK (GISRUK) 2007 Conference.
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and APLIN, P., 2006. Cover: Spatial and temporal remote sensing requirements for river monitoring International Journal of Remote Sensing. 27(11), 2111-2120
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and POLMEAR, G., 2006. Landscape visualisation: from lab to field In: First International Workshop on Mobile Geospatial Augmented Reality, May 29-30 May 2006,.
  • APLIN, P., PRIESTNALL, G., AGARWAL, P. and HAMRE, T., 2006. The role of user testing in developing a European web-based marine pollution GIS In: Proceedings of the 14th GIScience Research UK Annual Conference (GISRUK 2006). 341-345
  • GHAFFARI, A., PRIESTNALL, G. and CLARKE, M. L., 2006. Artificial neural networks and decision tree classifier performance on medium resolution ASTER data to detect gully networks in southern Italy [6064-69] PROCEEDINGS- SPIE THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICAL ENGINEERING. VOL 6064, 60641Q-60641Q
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and POLMEAR, G., 2006. A spatially aware mobile test bed for exploring and enhancing spatial literacy skills In: Geographical Information Science Research UK Conference (GISRUK ’06). 387-391
  • HENDERSON, J., CHALLIS, K., O HARA, S., MCLOUGHLIN, S., GARDNER, A. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2005. Experiment and innovation: early Islamic industry at al-Raqqa, Syria Antiquity. 79(303), 130-145
  • SMITH, M.J., EDWARDS, E.P., PRIESTNALL, G. and BATES, P., 2005. Creation of digital elevation models for flood inundation modelling. Flood Risk Management Research Consortium (FRMRC).
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and HAMPSON, D., 2005. GIScience – Art collaborations: Experiences and Implications In: Geographical Information Science Research UK Conference (GISRUK ’05). 507 - 512
  • HAMPSON, D. and PRIESTNALL, G., eds., 2005. Chat Moss CMG.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., HATCHER, M. J., MORTON, R. D., WALLACE, S. J. and LEY, R. G., 2004. A framework for automated extraction and classification of linear networks Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. 70(12), 1373-1382
  • CHALLIS, K., PRIESTNALL, G., GARDNER, A., HENDERSON, J. and O'HARA, S., 2004. Corona remotely-sensed imagery in dryland archaeology: the Islamic city of al-Raqqa, Syria Journal of Field Archaeology. 29(1/2), 139-153
  • THORNE, C., SKINNER, K., PRIESTNALL, G. and SOAR, P., 2004. Accounting for sediment dynamics in redesigning a flood management system Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on River Sedimentation. 555-563
  • Chat Moss (Curated by Derek Hampson and Gary Priestnall) 2004. At: REDUX gallery, London11/01/2004 00:00:00-01/01/1900 00:00:00.
  • BRADSHAW, R., ABRAHART, R. J. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2004. Big GIS or Little GIS? Establishing the best route ahead for research in historical GIS In: Geographical Information Science Research UK Conference (GISRUK ’04).
  • SMITH, M. J., ASAL, F. F. F. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2004. The Use of Photogrammetry and Lidar for Landscape Roughness Estimation in Hydrodynamic Studies INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY REMOTE SENSING AND SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCES. VOL 35(PART 3), 714-719
  • ABRAHART, R. J., BRADSHAW, R., PRIESTNALL, G. and CONWAY, G., 2004. Modelling and analysis of a Victorian city – a GIS approach In: 5th European Social Science History Conference.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., 2004. Augmenting Reality? 3D Modelling and Visualisation in Geography Fieldwork In: Geographical Information Science Research UK Conference (GISRUK ’04). 35-38
  • DOWNS, P.W. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2003. Modelling catchment processes. In: KONDOLF, G. MATHIAS. and PIEGAY, HERVE., eds., Tools in fluvial geomorphology Chichester: Wiley. 205-230
  • PRIESTNALL, G., SKINNER, K. and THORNE, C R., 2003. Interactive mapping for communicating the results of a fluvial audit In: River Restoration Centre Annual Network Conference.
  • HENDERSON, J., CHALLIS, K., GARDNER, A., O HARA, S. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2002. The Raqqa Ancient Industry Project Antiquity. 76(291), 33-34
  • WALLACE, S.J., HATCHER, M.J., LEY, R.G., PRIESTNALL, G. and MORTON, R.D., 2002. Automatic differentiation of linear features extracted from remotely sensed imagery Österreichische Zeitschrift für Vermessung und Geoinformation. 3-4, 17-29
  • CHALLIS, K. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2002. An ancient cityscape revealed Geoworld. June 2002,
  • WALLACE, S.J., HATCHER, M.J., PRIESTNALL, G. and MORTON, R.D., 2001. Research into a framework for automatic linear feature identification and extraction. In: Automatic Extraction of Man-made Objects from Aerial and Space Images (III) 381-390
  • Mapping Change (Curated by Derek Hampson and Gary Priestnall) 2001. At: The Community Pharmacy Gallery, Margate, Kent12/01/2001 00:00:00-01/01/1900 00:00:00.
  • JAAFAR, J., PRIESTNALL, G. and MATHER, P.M., 2000. Automated accuracy estimates for DEM derived from Laser Scanning DSM. In: Management Information Systems 2000: GIS and Remote Sensing 1.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., JAAFAR, J. and DUNCAN, A., 2000. Extracting urban features from LiDAR digital surface models Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. VOL 24(NUMBER 2), 65-78
  • SMITH, M., ASAL, F. and PRIESTNALL, G., 2000. Combining LIDAR and photogrammetry for urban and rural landscape studies International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. XXXIII Part 3A, 44-50
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and WALLACE, S.J., 2000. Semi-automated linear feature extraction using a knowledge rich object data model
  • DOWNS, P. W. and PRIESTNALL, G., 1999. System design for catchment-scale approaches to studying river channel adjustments using a GIS International Journal of Geographical Information Science. VOL 13(NUMBER 3), 247-266
  • JAAFAR, J., PRIESTNALL, G., MATHER, P. and VIEIRA, C., 1999. Construction of DEM from LiDAR DSM using morphological filtering, conventional statistical approaches and Artificial Neural Networks In: The 25th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Remote Sensing Society.
  • PRIESTNALL, G., 1998. A control strategy for automated land use change detection: an integration of vector-based GIS, remote sensing and pattern recognition. In: Innovations in GIS 5 Taylor & Francis Ltd, London. 162-175
  • PRIESTNALL, G., 1997. An object-based strategy for automated land use change detection: integrating GIS, Remote Sensing and Pattern Recognition In: Laser-Scan User Group Conference.
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and GLOVER, R., 1997. A control strategy for automated landuse change detection: an integration of Remote Sensing, Pattern Recognition and vector-based GIS In: The 5th National Conference of Geographical Information Systems Research UK (GISRUK '97).
  • PRIESTNALL, G. and DOWNS, P., 1996. Automated parameter estimation for catchment scale river channel studies: the benefits of raster-vector integration In: Application of Geographic Information Systems in Hydrology and Water Resources (HydroGIS 96). 215-223
  • PRIESTNALL, G., MARSTON, R. E. and ELLIMAN, D. G., 1996. Arrowhead recognition during automated data capture Pattern Recognition Letters. VOL 17(NUMBER 3), 277-286

School of Geography

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