Dr Craig Hancock, Loughborough University / Geospatial Ventures Limited

Industrial Fellowships 2024

Dr Craig Hancock is a Reader in Geospatial Engineering at Loughborough University. His past research has focused on improving mapping and monitoring in challenging conditions. He has worked on enhancing GPS performance, using GPS and motion sensors for monitoring structures, and integrating various mapping technologies. 

One crucial aspect of weather monitoring is measuring atmospheric water vapour, which affects weather patterns. Current models mainly use expensive GPS data, but there is limited research on using low-cost GPS receivers. Additionally, errors caused by the ionosphere (a part of the atmosphere) can impact GPS accuracy. Monitoring and correcting these errors is essential for reliable data. 

Dr Hancock’s Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship supported project aims to develop a method to measure atmospheric water vapour using low-cost GPS receivers while addressing ionospheric errors. The study will compare these low-cost receivers with traditional ones, aiming to improve weather and flood forecasting and early warning systems. He will collaborate with Geospatial Ventures Ltd, a small company at the forefront of this technology.  

Dr Hancock’s current projects investigate how artificial intelligence can improve GPS accuracy and reliability using new low-cost chipsets and smartphone GPS. They also investigate how precise positioning can overcome communication issues affecting accuracy. These projects address the need for advanced monitoring technology to support weather forecasting to monitor increasing global challenges posed by extreme weather events, such as storms and heavy rainfall, which lead to severe disasters such as flooding and landslides. 

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