Contacts
Rob Shaw
I studied Topographic Science (Geomatics) at the University of Glasgow, UK, graduating in 1988 with a BSc (Hons).
In 2003 I was elected a full member of the Institute of Irish Surveyors and am a member of IRLOGI (Irish Organisation
for Geographical Information).
In my first job in 1989 I worked as a GPS surveyor on a national mapping project in Saudi Arabia, constructing a new geodetic network, and surveying photogrammetric control for a digital mapping programme. In 1990 I returned to Scotland to work for Bartholomew, on geographic database compilation and digital atlas map design. In 1992 I joined The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland as a surveyor. Here I spent 10 years assigned to the Afforestable Landscape Survey team, surveying and mapping archaeological monuments and sites in areas at risk to forest plantation.
Since 2002 I have been employed as a geo-surveyor at The Discovery Programme, Dublin, Ireland. The programme is an archaeological research institution dedicated to investigating Ireland's past from earliest times and presenting the results to as wide an audience as possible. The role of the geo-surveyor is to formulate and coordinate the survey strategy of the company, and to research the use of new technology in archaeological surveying. Research has been undertaken into 3D modelling methodologies, in particular using digital photogrammetry to extract models automatically. The use of this technology has also been applied to the mapping of landscapes through the creation of orthophotos from low-level vertical aerial photography, with research looking at alternative sources, such as satellite images. Currently I am researching the use of 3D laser scanning survey instruments in recording excavations and upstanding buildings - particularly how we can maximize the 3D component of this data. Other active research includes landscape mapping and analysis using airborne LIDAR data.
