MSc Transport and Geoinformation Technology
Functional and environmentally friendly transport systems are vital in a sustainable society. You will gain expertise in transport and geoinformation technology and learn to plan, build, and maintain advanced transport systems. Graduates blend practical data collection and modelling skills with an interdisciplinary understanding of transport and geoinformation, leading to job opportunities in various sectors.
Transport and Geoinformation Technology at KTH
The master's programme combines two closely related aspects of the built environment: transport systems and geoinformation technologies. The programme enables you to either specialise in one of these main subjects or develop an interdisciplinary study plan tailored to your unique background and interests. The recommended courses form a foundation for both subject areas, and you can choose a subject area by selecting the most appropriate sequence of elective courses. Most courses combine interactive lectures with laboratory work. Many also include an in-depth semester project. The courses use modern data collection instruments and quantitative modelling and processing software.
In the final semester, students apply their acquired knowledge and skills in the degree project, solving scientific problems in the main subject areas of the programme. You conduct independent investigations characterised by critical analysis and synthesis; you learn to analyse, formulate and define scientific problems, find and evaluate possible solutions and present the results in a thesis. In addition, you will gain practical training in scientific communication and presentation, both orally in seminars and in written form. You can carry out the degree project at KTH or in a company or organisation outside the university. You develop the topic alone or together with supervisors.
Transport systems
Transport systems deal with the movement of people and goods across space, as well as the socio-technical systems that support that movement. Skilled transport engineers and planners must combine elements of engineering, planning, economics, and systems analysis to guide how transport systems should be designed, built, operated, and evaluated. As a specialist in transport, you will learn how to analyse complex transport networks in which the goal is for people to carry out their daily activities in ways that support economic activity while minimising environmental impacts.
To grapple with the complexity of modern transport systems, transport planners and engineers need a high level of technical competence. At the same time, they need to engage with policy-makers, stakeholders, and the public who use the transport system to ensure that our solutions truly meet societal needs. Finally, we work across disciplinary boundaries to fully appreciate the possible effects of the transport system on urban development, the economy, and climate and ecological systems.
In the study of transport, we emphasise a systems approach that helps us manage the complexity of transport networks and provides information that allows society to make the best decisions about investing resources in long-lasting transport infrastructure. Nearly all of our graduates find careers in a city, regional government, national administration, transport ministry, as consultants at a private firm, or as researchers.
Geoinformation technology
Geoinformation technology, also known as geospatial technology or geomatics engineering, is a science dealing with acquiring, storing, managing, analysing, and delivering geographic and spatially referenced information. Knowledge of the built and natural environment in the form of maps and databases is necessary for almost all fields of human activity. Today, we take it for granted that we use GPS receivers built into mobile phones or installed in cars to find our way to the restaurant, cinema or address we have "googled". Professionals in disciplines such as urban planning, land administration, real estate registration, and many others use maps, city models, and spatial databases to support their decisions. Geoinformation technology is not only about collecting geographical data and its visualisation; it also provides tools for using and interpreting the data for different kinds of analysis, for example, finding optimal routes, identifying patterns and making predictions.
Geoinformation technology is a perfect choice if you are interested in applied mathematics and computer science. You will learn, theoretically and practically, how to acquire geographic data using different sensors or data sources and perform processing and analysis to produce the required solution and its visualisation. Today's and tomorrow's labour markets are growing in this sector and need experts like you. You can work as a provider, analyst, or user of spatial data and geoinformation technologies for private companies and governmental agencies.
This is a two-year programme (120 ECTS credits) in English. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is mainly offered at the KTH Campus in Stockholm by the School of Architecture and Built Environment (at KTH).
Courses in the programme
The programme courses cover transport planning, traffic simulations, transport economics, railway planning and operations and signalling systems, logistics, geographical data collection: remote sensing, GNSS, laser scanning, storing, structuring, visualisation and analysis of geographical data.
Courses in the master's programme in Transport and Geoinformation Technology
Future and career
Securing sustainable development and preventing climate change is a top priority for humanity. It can only be achieved with well-organised, well-functioning, environmentally friendly transport systems. Actual and up-to-date geographic databases are prerequisites for planning, designing and constructing all necessary infrastructure. There is great demand for experts within transport systems and geoinformation technologies in the private and government sectors.
Examples of career opportunities for graduates include:
- Geoinformation analyst: gathering, analysing, and reporting on geospatial data at national mapping and cartographic agencies (such as Lantmäteriet in Sweden).
- Transport planner/modeller: helping the city, regional governments or national administration to plan, design and operate transport systems and to analyse the transport effects of new developments to achieve sustainability (for example, consultant companies like Sweco, WSP, regional governments or the national transport administration, Trafikverket).
- Consultant at a private firm in areas ranging from surveying, mapping, and geoinformation processing to transport planning and traffic engineering (such as Digpro or Ramboll).
- Railways engineer; undertaking analysis and strategic planning of rail systems including infrastructure, rolling stock, timetable management, and traveller information services (for example, at SL, SJ or other railway companies, or the national transport administration, Trafikverket).
- GIS expert in urban planning, land and resource management, and environmental monitoring (municipalities, consultant companies).
Sustainable development
Graduates from KTH have the knowledge and tools for moving society in a more sustainable direction, as sustainable development is an integral part of all programmes. The three key sustainable development goals addressed by the master's programme in Transport and Geoinformation Technology are:
Transport Systems and Geoinformation Technologies, the main focus areas of the programme, are crucial infrastructures in creating sustainable cities, countries and communities in general. Today's transport systems emit a large proportion of the greenhouse gas emissions, causing global warming. To phase out fossil fuels towards zero-emission transport is one of the most significant challenges of our generation. Modern transport systems' design and operation are only possible with accurate and up-to-date geographic databases and smart analytics. The courses in the programme address issues of planning and designing transport systems, as well as issues of collecting and analysing geographic data. Expertise in these subject areas is required to find new, innovative, and optimised solutions for improving the transport and information infrastructures to become green transport systems eventually.
Faculty and research
The programme is given at the school of Architecture and the Built Environment . All courses in the programme are given by highly qualified teachers and researchers involved in different research projects. Even doctoral candidates are involved in teaching, mainly by helping students with lab assignments and co-supervising degree projects.
The research groups in Transport and System Analysis and Transport Planning have several ongoing research projects dealing with modelling of transport systems, policy analysis and traffic and transport planning, including public transport and railways.
The main research topics of the research group in Geodesy are geodetic aspects of BIM (Building Information Modelling) GNSS-based positioning and navigation, physical geodesy and assessment of geographic data quality.
The main focus of the research group of Geoinformatics is in the area of remote sensing and location and network analysis.
Highlighted faculty members
