Newcastle University

Background

Jon is Professor of Geomatic Engineering and the Head of the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences. He leads the school's research into photogrammetry and laser scanning, developing optimised photogrammetric and laser scanning solutions for measurement, mapping, monitoring and parameterisation of engineering models. He is currently (2012-16) an elected Member of Council for the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), and has previously served as President of Technical Commission V on close range image measurement techniques (2008-12), and Chair of ISPRS Working Group I/4 on airborne digital sensor systems (2004-08). Jon's research has been disseminated through the publication of over 130 papers in refereed journals, conference proceedings and professional periodicals. His work has also been highlighted in the national and international media.

Roles and Responsibilities

Head of School; February 2011-present.

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)
Member, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)
Fellow, Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (FCInstCES)
Member, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society

Industrial Experience

Chartered Surveyor with experience in the provision of individually tailored CPD courses and specialist consultancy projects in geomatics related subjects. e.g. specifications, professional guidance and short courses.

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 earth observation data.

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently first supervisor to four full-time PhD students:

• Abdulhamed Gneeniss (Libya)
• Matthias Kunz (Germany)
• Andrew McClune (UK)
• Chih-Heng Wang (Taiwan)

Previous PhD first supervisions:

• 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

Elected Member of ISPRS Council (Treasurer), 2012-2016. 

Trustee & Chair of Grants Evaluation Committee, The ISPRS Foundation (TIF), 2012-present.

President of ISPRS Technical Commission V, 2008-2012.

RICS Mapping and Positioning Practice Panel member; 2008-present.

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; 2004-2008.

Peer Review College member, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); 2003-2005.

Editorial Board member, Geomatics World; 2003-present.

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

RSPSoc ISPRS Committee member; 2001-present.

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

ICES Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing Expert Panel member; 2000-2008.

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

Guest Journal 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"; September 2006.

Research Funding 

Current project funding includes:

• Earth Systems Engineering platform grant (EPSRC, £1.3M).
• The spatial and temporal distribution of 20th Century Antarctic Peninsula glacier mass change and its drivers (NERC, £125k).

Undergraduate Teaching

Undergraduate degree programmes in geomatics, civil engineering and physical geography.

Contributor to modules:

CEG2708: Photogrammetry and laser scanning I (10 credits)

CEG3706: Photogrammetry and laser scanning II (10 credits)

CEG1701: Fieldcourse (20 credits)

• Kunz M, King MA, Mills JP, Miller PE, Fox AJ, Vaughan DG, Marsh SH. Multi-decadal glacier surface lowering in the Antarctic Peninsula. Geophysical Research Letters 2012, 39(19), L19502.
• Abed FM, Mills JP, Miller PE. Echo amplitude normalization of full-waveform airborne laser scanning data based on robust incidence angle estimation. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 2012, 50(7), 2910-2918.
• Hardy AJ, Barr SL, Mills JP, Miller PE. Characterising soil moisture in transport corridor environments using airborne LIDAR and CASI data. Hydrological Processes 2012, 26(13), 1925-1936.
• Lin SY, Muller JP, Mills JP, Miller PE. An assessment of surface matching for the automated co-registration of MOLA, HRSC and HiRISE DTMs. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2010, 294(3-4), 520-533.
• Lin YC, Mills JP. Factors Influencing Pulse Width of Small Footprint, Full Waveform Airborne Laser Scanning Data. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 2010, 76(1), 49-59.
• Aguilar FJ, Mills JP, Delgado J, Aguilar MA, Negreiros JG, Perez JL. Modelling vertical error in LiDAR-derived digital elevation models. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 2010, 65(1), 103-110.
• Wang CH, Mills JP, Gosling PD, Bridgens B, Grisdale RJ. Monitoring the testing, construction and as-built condition of membrane structures by close range photogrammetry. In: International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. 2010, Newcastle, UK: ISPRS.
• Lin YC, Mills JP, Smith-Voysey S. Rigorous pulse detection from full-waveform airborne laser scanning data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 2010, 31(5), 1303-1324.
• Miller PE, Kunz M, Mills JP, King MA, Murray T, James TD, Marsh SH. Assessment of Glacier Volume Change Using ASTER-Based Surface Matching of Historical Photography. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 2009, 47(7), 1971-1979.
• Hardy AJ, Miller PE, Mills JP, Barr SL. Characterising soil moisture as an indicator of transport corridor slope instability using remotely sensed data. In: The Twelfth International Conference on Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Computing. 2009, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
• Lin Y-C, Mills JP. Integration of full-waveform information into the airborne laser scanning filtering process. International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 2009, 38, 6.
• Miller PE, Hardy AJ, Mills JP, Barr SL, Birkinshaw SJ, Parkin G, Glendinning S, Hall JW. Intelligent integration of multi-sensor data for risk assessment in transport corridor environments. In: ISPRS Workshop: High-Resolution Earth Imaging for Geospatial Information. 2009, Hannover: ISPRS.
• Mills J, Holland D. Isprs workshop: High-resolution earth imaging for geospatial information. In: Photogrammetric Record. 2009, Hannover, Germany: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• Barrand NE, Murray T, James TD, Barr SL, Mills JP. Optimizing photogrammetric DEMs for glacier volume change assessment using laser-scanning derived ground-control points. Journal of Glaciology 2009, 55(189), 106-116.
• Bramald T, Mills H, Mills J, Edwards S. Recruitment, retention and progression of Geomatics undergraduates at Newcastle University. Austrian Journal for Surveying and Geoinformation 2009, 97(1).
• Newby PRT, Aplin P, Buckley SJ, Chandler JH, Drummond JE, Holland DA, Lavender SL, Miller PE, Mills H, Mills JP, Walker AS, Woodsford PA. XXIst International Congress of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Photogrammetric Record 2009, 24(125), 66–102.
• Miller PE, Mills JP, Edwards S, Bryan P, Marsh S, Mitchell H, Hobbs P. A robust surface matching technique for coastal geohazard assessment and management. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 2008, 63(5), 529-542.
• Aguilar FJ, Mills JP. Accuracy assessment of lidar-derived digital elevation models. Photogrammetric Record 2008, 23(122), 148-169.
• Barber DM, Holland D, Mills JP. Change detection for topographic mapping using three-dimensional data structures. International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 2008, 37(B4), 1177–1182.
• Lin YC, Mills JP, Smith-Voysey S. Detection of weak and overlapping pulses from waveform airborne laser scanning data. In: Silvilaser. 2008, Edinburgh, UK.
• Appeaning Addo K, Walkden M, Mills JP. Detection, measurement and prediction of shoreline recession in Accra, Ghana. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 2008, 63(5), 543-558.
• Barber DM, Mills JP, Smith SL. Geometric validation of a ground-based mobile laser scanning system. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 2008, 63(1), 128-141.
• Hardy A, Mills JP, Barr SL. Hyperspectral response of embankment grass to artifical wetting. In: RSPSoc. 2008, Exeter, UK: The Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society.
• Miller PE, Mills JP, Barr SL, Lim M, Barber D, Parkin G, Clarke B, Glendinning S, Hall JW. Terrestrial laser scanning for assessing the risk of slope instability along transport corridors. International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 2008, 37(B5), 495-500.
• Lin S-Y, Mills JP, Gosling PD. Videogrammetric monitoring of as-built membrane roof structures. Photogrammetric Record 2008, 23(122), 128-147.