Staff Profile

Introduction

I have been employed as a research associate since July 2017 within the Geospatial Engineering group in the School of Engineering, Newcastle University. I was awarded a PhD in 2018 from Newcastle University entitled 'Network Solution as a facilitator for Precise Point Positioning Real Time Kinematic' which focused on GNSS positioning and ambiguity resolution. Prior to my PhD I graduated from the SMS (Surveying and Mapping Science) degree within the geomatics department at Newcastle University in 2012.

My work includes a number of GNSS geodesy projects and collaborative research on satellite altimetry and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) determination. I am responsible for industrial contracts processing offshore GNSS data in the GIPSY-OASIS and BSW software. I lecture on the undergradute surveying degree course mainly teaching first year engineering surveying and have supervised a number of UG final year dissertations. Finally, I also teach and give support to three CPD courses within the school on GNSS and Least Squares. 

Qualifications

PhD. Network Solution as a facilitator for Precise Point Positioning Real Time Kinematic (2018)

BSc Hons Surveying and Mapping Science - 1st class with Hons. - University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (2012)

UG Modules

• CEG1703/CEG1712/CEG8709 Surveying
• ENG2019 Engineering Surveying
• CEG3710 Offshore Surveying

UG Dissertation Supervision

Development of online student assessments

CPD courses

• GNSS and Network RTK
• High Precision GNSS using Post-Processing
• Least Squares Adjustment for Offshore Survey

My research mainly focuses on GNSS positioning in a variety of different applications. These include:

• Assessing accuracies of tropospheric estimation
• Precise orbit determination of Low Earth Orbiters 
• Precise positioning monitoring in remote locations
• Precise Point Positioning (PPP)
• Real Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning

I have also conducted pedagogical research looking into automated marking or computational questions. 

• Pearson C, Moore P, Edwards S. GNSS assessment of sentinel-3A ECMWF tropospheric delays over inland waters. Advances in Space Research 2020, 66(12), 2827-2843.
• Pearson C, Penna N. Automated marking of longer computational questions in engineering subjects. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 2023, 48(7), 915-925.
• Luo H, Li Z, Chen J, Pearson C, Wang M, Lv W, Ding H. Integration of Range Split Spectrum Interferometry and conventional InSAR to monitor large gradient surface displacements. International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation 2018, 74, 130-137.
• Abdalla S, International Altimetry Team, Pearson C, Spatar C. Altimetry for the future: Building on 25 years of progress. Advances in Space Research 2021, 68(2), 319-363.
• Barnes B, Dunn S, Pearson C, Wilkinson S. Improving human behaviour in macroscale city evacuation agent-based simulation. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 2021, 60, 102289.