Theses, dissertations, and capstone projects

If you are a motivated and talented graduate student, it is possible to conduct your thesis with us. Each year, we offer supervision and guidance to a few students interested in pursuing projects related to urban data science, GIScience, and 3D city modelling.

Some student projects in the past were accepted for academic conference or even published in leading journals. Conducting such a project enables the learning of new skills (e.g. tool or programming language), mastering a new multidisciplinary topic, working on a exciting real-world problem, and the possibility of making a real impact. In principle, most topics require at least a basic level of programming and/or data science, and managing geospatial data.

A thesis can be a great way to gauge your interest in an academic career and boost your applications for PhD programmes.

While the exact topic is shaped based on the interests, learning goals, and skills of the candidate, it would be beneficial if you could come up with a general topic on your own or at least some overall directions. Feel free to check out past student projects below, and please get in touch if you are interested in working with us.

Please note that such engagements are not paid. Students use them to obtain credits and clear requirements by study programmes. We advertise part-time RA and similar opportunities in internal channels of the university and/or on our website, please refer to those if you are looking for such position.

Some examples of completed theses / graduation projects in the past few years

Assessing visual environmental quality evolution and equity in public housing neighborhoods with time series street-level imagery Wang Zeyu Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2023) This research has also been published as a paper.
Unsupervised visual discovery of urban morphology Wang Jing Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
Automatic assessment of public open spaces using street view imagery Chen Shuting Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
Clustering and spatio-temporal evolution of urban visual environment with street view imagery Liang Xiucheng Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
Insights of A City Through the Eyes of Airbnb Reviews: Inferring Urban Characteristics from Homestay Guest Experiences Wang Jiaxuan Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
3D building reconstruction using deep learning methods Pang Hui En MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Exploiting real estate data for the enrichment of spatial data infrastructure Chen Xinyu MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Usability of Street View Imagery in Assessing Bikeability Koichi Ito Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Classification of Urban Morphology with Deep Learning: A Case Study of its Application on Urban Vitality Prediction Chen Wangyang Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Using 3D city models to uncover urban farming potential in public housing blocks of Singapore Ankit Palliwal MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2020) This research has also been published as a paper.
Enhanced population estimation beyond counts: exploring age patterns Noée Szarka MSc GIS (University of Edinburgh, 2020) The thesis is available here. The code is open-sourced here. This research has also been published as a paper.
Assessing the quality of OpenStreetMap building data in Singapore Ethan Chen Wai Hoong MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2020) The thesis is available here.
Height Inference for all US Building Footprints in the Absence of Height Data Imke Lánský MSc in Geomatics (TU Delft, 2020) The thesis is available here. The code is open-sourced here.
The effect of real void decks in Singapore ventilation Aviva Opsomer MSc in Building Technology (TU Delft, 2020) The thesis is available here.
The Implementation of Big Data Analysis in Regulating Online Short-Term Rental Business: A case of Airbnb in Beijing Li Jialin Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2019) This research has also been published as a paper.

A Bayesian approach to crime prediction with high-spatial resolution: insights from London Mathieu Bubert Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2023)
Assessing visual environmental quality evolution and equity in public housing neighborhoods with time series street-level imagery Wang Zeyu Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2023) This research has also been published as a paper.
POI-based shrinking city identification and its spatial-temporal evolution characteristics Su Yongqun MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2022)
Impact of data quality on spatial green view using street view imagery Li Yangyang MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2022)
Unsupervised visual discovery of urban morphology Wang Jing Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
Automatic assessment of public open spaces using street view imagery Chen Shuting Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
Clustering and spatio-temporal evolution of urban visual environment with street view imagery Liang Xiucheng Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
Insights of A City Through the Eyes of Airbnb Reviews: Inferring Urban Characteristics from Homestay Guest Experiences Wang Jiaxuan Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2022) This research has also been published as a paper.
3D building reconstruction using deep learning methods Pang Hui En MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Exploiting real estate data for the enrichment of spatial data infrastructure Chen Xinyu MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Usability of Street View Imagery in Assessing Bikeability Koichi Ito Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Classification of Urban Morphology with Deep Learning: A Case Study of its Application on Urban Vitality Prediction Chen Wangyang Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2021) This research has also been published as a paper.
Using 3D city models to uncover urban farming potential in public housing blocks of Singapore Ankit Palliwal MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2020) This research has also been published as a paper.
Enhanced population estimation beyond counts: exploring age patterns Noée Szarka MSc GIS (University of Edinburgh, 2020) The thesis is available here. The code is open-sourced here. This research has also been published as a paper.
Assessing the quality of OpenStreetMap building data in Singapore Ethan Chen Wai Hoong MSc in Applied GIS (NUS, 2020) The thesis is available here.
Height Inference for all US Building Footprints in the Absence of Height Data Imke Lánský MSc in Geomatics (TU Delft, 2020) The thesis is available here. The code is open-sourced here.
The effect of real void decks in Singapore ventilation Aviva Opsomer MSc in Building Technology (TU Delft, 2020) The thesis is available here.
The Implementation of Big Data Analysis in Regulating Online Short-Term Rental Business: A case of Airbnb in Beijing Li Jialin Master of Urban Planning (NUS, 2019) This research has also been published as a paper.

Potential topics

You may approach us to discuss potential topics for research. The topics will depend on many factors, such as our ongoing research projects (in which we might be able to accommodate a student project), latest publications (which we may want to extend), and the background/interests/study programme/learning goals of the student.