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Staff Profile

Professor Jon Mills

Professor of Geomatic Engineering

  • Address: School of Engineering
    Room 3.07
    Cassie Building
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
    UK
Background

Background

Jon Mills is Professor of Geomatic Engineering within the School of Engineering. He is Deputy Head of the Geospatial Engineering group and Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Geospatial Systems. Jon is a Fellow of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS, 2022) and has previously served as an elected Member of ISPRS Council (2012-16), as President of ISPRS Technical Commission V on close range image measurement techniques (2008-12), and as Chair of ISPRS Working Group I/4 on airborne digital sensor systems (2004-08). During the period 2017-2023 he was Chair of Commission 1, primary data acquisition, for EuroSDR (European Spatial Data Research). Jon's research develops optimised geospatial solutions for measurement, mapping, monitoring and parameterisation of engineering models and has been disseminated through the publication of over 200 papers in refereed journals, conference proceedings and professional periodicals. His work has also been highlighted in the national and international media.

Publications

Open Access copies of Jon's recent papers are available via the Newcastle University ePrints service. If you are having difficulty obtaining copies of older papers, please feel free to get in touch. Also see the "Publications" tab and:

Roles and Responsibilities

Director, EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Geospatial Systems;

Deputy Head, Geospatial Engineering group;

Head, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (2011 - 2016);

Deputy Head, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (2009 - 2011).

Qualifications

Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (2000);

PhD in Digital Photogrammetry (1996);

First Class BSc (Hons) in Surveying Science (1993).

Memberships

Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA);

Fellow, Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE);

Fellow, Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (FCInstCES).

Industrial Experience

Experience in the provision of individually tailored CPD courses and specialist consultancy projects in Geospatial Engineering, e.g. specifications, professional guidance and short courses.

Research

Research Interests

Optimised photogrammetric and laser scanning solutions for measurement, mapping, modelling, monitoring and parameterisation of engineering models, comprising:

  • Cal/val of data from new/integrated earth observation sensor systems and platforms;
  • Novel methods and models for fusing multi-modal earth observation data;
  • Automated methods of information extraction from imagery.

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently supervisor / co-supervisor to six full-time PhD students:

  • Ambreen Masud (UK)
  • Gauhar Meldebekova (Kazakhstan)
  • Luis Patino Velasquez (UK)
  • Neil Sutherland (@University of Nottingham, UK)
  • Kristina Wolf (Germany)
  • Aleks Zaforemska (Poland) 

Previous PhD primary supervisions (19):

  • Jiaxing Zhang (China): 2023
  • Lesley Davidson (UK): 2022
  • Zheng Wang (China): 2019
  • Polpreecha Chidburee (Thailand): 2019
  • Maria Peppa (Greece): 2018
  • Andrew McClune (UK): 2017
  • Abdulhamed Gneeniss (Libya): 2014
  • Matthias Kunz (Germany): 2013
  • Chih-Heng Wang (Taiwan): 2013
  • Fanar Abed (Iraq): 2012
  • Andy Hardy (UK): 2011
  • Yu-Ching Lin (Taiwan): 2009
  • Kwasi Appeaning Addo (Ghana): 2008
  • Shih-Yuan Lin (Taiwan): 2007
  • Pauline Miller (UK): 2007
  • Richard Eyers (UK): 2006
  • Saad Al-Hamlan (Saudi Arabia): 2005
  • Simon Buckley (UK): 2003
  • David Barber (UK): 2003 

Esteem Indicators

Fellow, International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS); 2022.

Member of XPrize Moonshot Award winning Team Tao; 2019.

Chair of EuroSDR Commission 1; 2017-23.

Chair of ISPRS Financial Commission; 2016-21.

Chair of Grants Evaluation Committee, The ISPRS Foundation; 2012-17.

Elected Member of ISPRS Council; 2012-16.

Trustee of The ISPRS Foundation; 2012-16.

Editorial Board member, Geo-spatial Information Science; 2011-present.

International Editorial Advisory Committee member, The West Indian Journal of Engineering; 2011-14.

Convenor: ISPRS Commission V Symposium; Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; 21-24 June 2010.

President of ISPRS Technical Commission V; 2008-12.


RICS Mapping and Positioning Practice Panel member; 2008.


Convenor: RSPSoc Annual Conference 2007; Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; 11-14 September 2007.


Chair of ISPRS Working Group I/4: Airborne digital photogrammetric sensor systems; 2004-08.


Peer Review College member, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); 2003-05.


Editorial Board member, Geomatics World; 2003-22.


International Editorial Board member, Photogrammetric Record; 2002-20.


RSPSoc ISPRS Committee member; 2001-21.


Harper Somers Visiting Fellow, University of Newcastle, Australia; 2001.


ICES Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing Expert Panel member; 2000-08.


Council member of the RSPSoc (formerly the Photogrammetric Society); 1998-2002.


Journal Guest Editor:

  • Photogrammetric Record; Special Issue, "ISPRS Commission V Symposium"; Dec 2011;
  • Photogrammetric Record; Special Issues, "ISPRS Hannover Workshop"; Sept and Dec 2008;
  • ISPRS Journal; Theme Issue "Digital Aerial Cameras"; Sept 2006.

Research Funding 

Major ongoing externally-funded projects include:

  • EC: Rome Transformed (CoI; £1,735,003; 10/19 - 09/24);
  • UKRI: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Geospatial Systems (PI; £6,718,389; 04/19 - 09/27); 
  • UKRI: GCRF Water Security and Sustainability Hub (CoI; £17,762,850; 02/19 - 10/24).

Current / previous UKRI awards: EPSRC, NERC, UKRI.

Teaching

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching

Jon is Degree Programme Director (DPD) for the Newcastle MRes in Geospatial Data Science and currently contributes to degree programmes across Geospatial Engineering (BEng, BSc, MRes and MSci). He has also previously delivered Geospatial Engineering modules to Civil Engineering (BEng and MEng), Earth Sciences (BSc and MEarthSci), Geography (BSc) and Town Planning (MPlan and MSc) students. Jon is involved in the delivery of the following modules in academic year 2023-24:

  • CEG1701: Residential fieldcourse (20 credits);
  • CEG1711: Geospatial study skills (10 credits);
  • CEG2720: Geomatics practice and research (10 credits);
  • CEG2726: 3D reality capture (20 credits, module leader);
  • CEG3799: Research project (30 credits);
  • CEG8717: Dissertation in geospatial data science (80 credits, module leader);
  • CEG8720: Understanding geospatial data: social, legal and ethical perspectives (10 credits, module leader);
  • EXT8021: Geospatial sensors, platforms and data (10 credits);
  • EXT8022: Group project in Geospatial Systems (20 credits, module leader).
Publications