Department of Civil,Environmental and

Geomatics Engineering

Annual Report 2002

3

Man-made infrastructure and nature are in increasingly severe competition:The global population is stillgrowing – luckily a little bit slower than forecast – and the needs of society and the economy to expandthe infrastructure are multiplying all over the world. As a consequence, the natural resources are shrinkingconstantly to a level that gives serious concern. Neither economists nor natural scientists or sociologistswere able until now to formulate feasible solutions to achieve a sustainable balance between thecompeting forces.

Our department is convinced that these crucial questions will be the predominant challenge for civil,environmental and geomatics engineers in the future. It is our duty and prime goal to educate and trainour undergraduate and graduate students on the basis of science and ethics, so that they will be able toidentify future problems far in advance, to develop smart solutions and to implement them successfullywithin the narrow constraints of an increasingly demanding and unstable social, economic and politicalenvironment.

It is obvious that also our research focuses on the changing demands of society, the expanding infra-structure and their close interdependence with nature: Water supply and waste water management,transportation systems, efficient use of resources (space, buildings, materials, data, etc.), environmentalprotection, spatial development and natural hazards engineering are therefore the key issues in ourresearch programs. They all foster scientific knowledge and practical solutions to enable mankind tosurvive on our planet.

Hans-Rudolf Schalcher Prof. Dr. sc. techn.Head of Department

Preface

Preface 3

Our Focus 4

Swisscodes 6

Mining the Urban System: Exploration in Environmental Engineering 9

Geoinformation for Sustainable Development 11

Highlights 14

Structures 14

Infrastructure Systems 16

Resources 18

Geo-, Structural and Environmental Data 20

High-Tech Measuring Systems 22

Studying at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering 24

Facts and Figures 25

Addresses 27

Table of Contents

5

New curriculaBesides the diverse planning activities, our depart-ment has put considerable efforts into the pre-paration of the forthcoming switch from thetraditional diploma courses to the new bachelor/master system according to the Bologna model.We will start with the 3 year bachelor’s programfor civil, environmental and geomatics engineersin autumn 2003. In addition to the three basicmaster’s programs lasting 1.5 years, we will offer aseparate master’s course in spatial and infrastruc-ture development. Together with the Departmentof Architecture, two joint master’s programs inurban design and planning and in project andfacility management are in the pipeline. Thesemaster’s programs and the extended PhD courseswill form the basis of the new graduate school tobe established by 2006.

A new star was bornWhile reengineering the former Institute forNational- Regional and Local Planning (ORL) andtransferring it to the new Network City andLandscape (NSL) under the supervision of ourDepartment and the Department of Architecture,the need has arisen to think over the future role ofthe Institute for Rural Engineering (IfK). Checkingall possibilities as well as the pro's and con's, theresult was the forming of a new organisationalentity called the Institute for Territorial Develop-ment and Landscape (IRL). This institute has beenoperating since October 2002 and for the timebeing is headed by Prof. Dr. Willy Schmid.

Some critical thoughts about futureThe world is changing at such a speed that some-times we feel giddy and in the same way the ETHZurich and consequently our department too isundergoing rapid change. Despite the many effortsto bring about change, our department will ende-avour to maintain top quality in teaching andresearch. Universities cannot be compared tocompanies. Global budgets and benchmarks arealso important for us, but our shareholders arestudents and society, not politicians or the short-lived CEO's of the global economy. Thus we areaiming for a good balance between change andconsolidation. In academia there need to be periodsof review and evaluation in order to check if thechanges are really turning out to be successful ornot. Nevertheless, if something needs to be impro-ved, we will always tackle it with passion.

4

Planning period 2004 – 2007The year 2002 was to a large extent dominated byimportant planning activities and related deci-sions at various management levels. On the onehand, the Board of ETH (ETH-Rat) has outlined itsstrategic plan for the period 2004 – 2007, whichbased on an overall portfolio, that distinguishesbetween disciplines to be strengthened, those tobe kept at their present level and others requiringreengineering or a cut-back in activities. Accordingto the Board's view, the disciplines of civil, environ-mental and geomatics engineering ought to besubject to restructuring topics and economizingresources through a closer coordination with ETHLausanne. As a consequence, our department hasinitiated in spring 2002 a thorough discussionwith the Faculty ENAC (Environnement Naturel,Architectural & Construit) of ETH Lausanne, that

led to an agreement called “coordinated competi-tion”. This agreement sets in place – at the level ofpostgraduate education and in research – specificfields of competence in civil engineering, whichwill be concentrated either in Zurich or inLausanne.

At the level of ETH Zurich, the long-term planning2004 – 2007 was driven by the ongoing cuts inresources available during this period and anambitious process of balancing the sometimesdiffering positions of the management of ETHZurich and those of the departments.The outcomefor our department has resulted in reduction ofour global annual budget ,which is partly compen-sated by the transfer of the chair of environmentalplanning into D-BAUG, and a relinquishing of twochairs. On the other hand, our research and tea-ching strategy dated May 2000 (see AnnualReport 2001) was accepted and incorporated asbaseline for the future development of our depart-ment.

Number of studentsIn sharp contrast to the cut in our resources is theincrease of incoming students to our departmentsince the year 2000 (civil engineers +66%, environ-mental engineers +130%, geomatics engineers+65%).This trend illustrates in a convincing mannerthat young people are getting more and moreinterested in the mission of our department andthe later professional opportunities.

Our Focus

First Year Students 1982 – 2002160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

1982 85 90 95 2002

Total Civil Engineering

Total Environmental and Geomatics

Total Geomatic Engineering and Planning

Total Environmental Engineering

76

BackgroundWithin the European Committee for Stand-ardisation (CEN) European Standards (EN) forstructural design, execution of constructionworks, construction products and testing havebeen elaborated since 1989. Publication of the ENEurocodes is scheduled for the period 2002 to2006. After the date of availability of the approvedEN Eurocodes a national calibration period of twoyears and a subsequent coexistence period of aEurocode package of three years are foreseen;within the coexistence period, conflicting nationalstandards must be withdrawn and national pro-visions must be adapted to make sure that allparts of the related package can be used withoutambiguity.

Swiss structural design codes of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) The project “Swisscodes” aimed at developing acomplete, consistent and user-friendly set ofstructural design codes, compatible with theEurocodes and considering specific national requi-rements.The Swisscodes are published in German,French and English. They replace the existingSwiss structural design codes and allow for thetransition to the Eurocodes at the appropriatetime.

The Swisscodes provide basic requirements for alltypes of structures, including buildings and brid-ges. They comprise eight documents, i.e. SIA 260(Basic Principles of Structural Design), 261 (Actionson Structures), 262 (Structural Concrete), 263(Structural Steel), 264 (Composite Steel-ConcreteStructures), 265 (Structural Timber), 266 (Struc-tural Masonry) and 267 (Geotechnical Design).Seismic design provisions are integrated into thesedocuments rather than being treated in a separatedocument as in the Eurocodes.

Regarding construction products and testing, theSwisscodes generally refer to relevant EN stan-dards. Seven supplementary documents (SIA 261/1through 267/1) which can be revised on a short-term basis, depending on the EN development,contain such references as well as test methodsnot covered by ENs. Regarding execution of con-struction works, the Swisscodes are restricted torequirements of common interest to all partiesinvolved in the construction process. EN executionstandards and ongoing SIA work on the removal ofcode specific contract requirements from thetechnical standards (NVB) have been taken intoaccount.

SwisscodesA new set of structural design codes became effective in Switzerland as of January 1, 2003.

Peter Marti

Project organisationApart from the SIA, project partners included theCoordination of the Federal Construction andProperties Services (KBOB), the Association of theSwiss Contractors (SBV), the Association of theSwiss Cement Manufacturers (Cemsuisse) andother public and private organisations. Individualagreements between the SIA and each of theother project partners determined their contribu-tions to the project.

The elaboration of the Swisscodes was directed byan executive committee consisting of Prof. Dr.Peter Marti (Chairman), Dr. Paul Lüchinger, Prof. Dr.Viktor Sigrist and Dr. Ulrich Vollenweider. 42 man-dated experts were responsible for the drafting ofthe eight codes and their revision based on com-ments received from public review. The total costof the five-year project amounted to seven millionSwiss francs. One third of the total amount wascovered by voluntary work; the balance was paidby the project partners.

ImplementationAs part of the project “Swisscodes”, trial applicati-ons were arranged for a number of selected con-struction projects. The trial applications providedcomparisons with the existing Swiss andEuropean standards and enabled a final check ofthe Swisscodes. Training courses for practitionerswill be held in 2003. A special project directed byProf. Dr. Otto Künzle was established for this pur-pose.

Terms used in the Swiss structural design codes.

Basic principles of structural design (SIA 260)SIA 260 contains a comprehensive list of definiti-ons of terms used in SIA 260 through 267. A figureis used to illustrate their interrelationship alongwith the characteristic steps of a planning pro-cess. SIA 260 is unique in its emphasis on concep-tual design. A separate chapter is dedicated torelevant principles.

Concluding remarksThe development of the Swisscodes was suppor-ted by major owner, designer, contractor andmaterial supplier organisations as well as by theETH. The substantial voluntary contribution of themandated experts, the members of KTN and itsassociated committees and of all individuals whoreviewed and commented on the draft Swisscodesshould also be emphasised. The project “Swiss-codes” created considerable interest amongpractitioners for the ongoing European standardi-sation process. With the Swisscodes they will haveat their disposal concise documents that embodythe latest European developments and continuethe Swiss code tradition.

8 9

Material Managementat the Level of SaturationAn urban system in growth (Fig. 3a) shows a meanstock increment of 1–3% per year, mainly from pri-mary sources (e.g. gravel, clay, timber, metal, glassetc.). During this period, the secondary resourceswere not able to satisfy the overall demand. In thiscase, most of the engineering activity is found inthe so-called production branches. If the popu-lation stabilises and the per capita consumptionreaches the growth limit (a quasi steady-statesituation, see Fig. 1), the urban stock becomes themain mining site and the secondary resources arethe important source for the further transformationof the urban infrastructure (Fig. 3b). This meansthat the waste management process becomesmuch more important in the primary and secon-dary sectors of the urban economy. There arealready some regional examples for this type ofmaterial management, e.g. paper, glass, iron, forwhich the consumption flux shows relatively lowgrowth rates and small stock increment. In thesecases the secondary sources have become thedominant ones, due to economic reasons.However, with regard to the overall fluxes, theirquantitative contribution is still very small.

The reconstruction of the energy householdThe transition from the actual energy manage-ment of urban systems to a “sustainable status”comprises two steps: a) the redesign of the supply,i.e. the substitution of non-renewable by renewa-ble energy carriers and b) the restructuring of theurban system to reduce significantly the energydemand. These two steps are illustrated for theurban system Switzerland in the combinationHighlands–Lowlands interaction (Fig. 4). The pre-sent situation corresponds to a 6000-Watt societythat depends mainly on external fossil fuels. Thereare only small interregional exchanges, due tocomplementary functions of different climate andecosystems. During the last 30 years, the specificenergy demand for house heating (MJ/m2.y) wasreduced significantly. However, the efficiency gainwas overcompensated by the growing demand fortransportation.

In the case of a 2000-Watt society, the regionalurban system doubles its solar energy productionby a factor of two. By this it can reduce thedemand from external resources by a factor of 20.Furthermore, the Highlands, at present an econo-mically weaker region, become an important ener-gy producer for the Lowlands. For this scenario,

Mining the Urban System:Exploration in Environmental EngineeringPeter Baccini, Thomas Lichtensteiger, Hans-Peter Bader, Susanne Kytzia

IntroductionIn the time frame of the 21st century urbanisationis a global project. The urban systems of the deve-loped world, mainly installed in the second half ofthe 20th century, do not meet the physiologicalcriteria for sustainable development. The environ-mental management of the first generation (1970 –2000) has been quite successful in• protecting and restoring environmental

compartments on regional scales,• reducing significantly specific material fluxes,• increasing the eco-efficiency of products.It is based on the following concepts and princi-ples, implemented in laws and ordinances:• Emission Limits (threshold values, based on

toxicology),• Polluter Pays Principle,• Principle of Precaution,• Promotion of best available technologies.The main goal of all actors is to achieve “legalcompliance”. The corresponding engineering toolsare concentrated in the cleaning technology andin the increase of resource efficiency. All this did

not significantly reduce the consumption ofessential and non-renewable resources on a glo-bal scale. This is mainly due to the growth ofurban systems, which overcompensates the effi-ciency gains. The environmental management ofthe second generation (after RIO 92) will have tofocus on the resource management of urbansystems. There are no “sustainable goods and pro-cesses”. “Sustainable urban systems” might bepossible on a regional scale, that is in regions withseveral million people and an average populationdensity of several hundred inhabitants per squarekilometre. To be classed as sustainable, any deve-lopment of those systems would have to take intoconsideration the limitations of global resources.Regional studies are the essential links betweenthe global models and the local and functionalmodels ( www.se.ethz.ch).

Growth and Steady State of the Urban StocksIn the “Network City Switzerland” a new stock of“secondary resources” (exemplified by gravel, iron,copper, wood) has reached a quantity and qualitycomparable to primary resources. While the popu-lation growth is near the end of logistic growth,the per-capita growth of the construction stock isstill in the period of strong linear growth (Fig. 1). Inthe 20th century, the mass stock of buildings grewto a level of about 200 tonnes per capita (Fig. 2).Within the total built urban system (buildings andinfrastructure), the stocks per capita of variousmaterials (e.g. copper and timber) are of the sameorder of magnitude as the known stocks of pri-mary resources on a global scale (Table 1, page 10).

From a physiological point of view, an urbansystem of the “20th century” type, exemplified bythe Swiss Lowlands, has the following main cha-racteristics: the settlement stock, the energydemand and the type of energy transformationare the key factors to gain a “status of sustainabi-lity”. From an engineering point of view, it followsthat a transformation to a “sustainable status” isonly possible by a reconstruction of the urbansystem. The building technology and the trans-portation system must be adapted to low energydemand.

Mining of secondary resources in a Swiss town(Messe Basel, Foto Tozzo Tief- und Strassenbau AG)

Typical stock of secondary resources in a Swiss town (Luzern Nord, Foto T. Lichtensteiger)

Fig.3 Material management scheme for an urbansystem in the a) growth phase and b) steady state

phase. The flux units are in tons per capita and year; the stocks in tons per capita

Fig.1 Logistic growth of population and materialstocks per capita in the transformation from adeveloping to a developed status. In the urbansystems of European countries, these two proces-ses have a time-delay of one to two generations

Fig. 2 Mass development of buildings inSwitzerland in the four quarters of the 20th cen-tury (in tons per capita). At the beginning of the21st century, the stock per capita is approximately200 tons per capita

(Source: Henseler G., Baccini P., 2003, Materialzusammensetzung imBauwerk Schweiz, unpublished results from ARK’04 2000, Professur fürStoffhaushalt und Entsorgungstechnik der ETH Zürich, CH-8093Zürich).

200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4

Stoc

k per

capi

ta

1850 1950 2050

Real

tiv sc

ale

Population

Stock per capita

11

IntroductionAt the UN Conference on Environment andDevelopment in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, a majorresolution was passed to focus on reversing theimpact caused by environmental deterioration.The Agenda 21 resolution establishes measures toaddress deforestation, pollution depletion of fishstocks, and management of toxic wastes, to namea few. The importance of geographic informationto support decision-making and management ofthese growing national, regional, and global issueswas cited as critical at the 1992 Rio Summit, and bya special session of the United Nations GeneralAssembly in 1997 to appraise the implementationof the Agenda 21.

Business development, flood mitigation, environ-mental restoration, community land use assess-ment and disaster recovery are just a few examplesof areas in which the associated decision-makersare benefiting from geographic information. Inthis context the idea arose of simplifying theaccess to geographic information for all interestedgroups, which may include scientists, professio-nals,politicians as well as private persons. It becameobvious that associated infrastructures (i.e.Spatial Data Infrastructures or SDI) had to bedeveloped, that support information discovery,access, and use of this information in the decision-making processes.

Today, we regard an SDI as a means of hostingspatial data and attributes as well as sufficientdocumentation (metadata), in order to enable theretrieval, access, integration, and presentation ofgeographic information on the Internet.

Challenges for Research in Geoinformation ScienceIn order to develop an SDI we have to face thenecessity of integrating spatial data of differentkinds (e.g. photos, maps, descriptions, satelliteimagery, raster and vector data, etc.) and sources(e.g. official surveying, environmental agencies,private utility suppliers, telecommunication, etc.).The data has to be integrated and linked to appro-priate software in order to provide easy-to-usemeans for information retrieval, analysis andvisualization. The resulting problems often copewith the sheer amount of data (up to several terrabytes) and its complexity. One aspect of that com-

Geoinformation for Sustainable DevelopmentAlessandro Carosio, Christine Giger, Lorenz Hurni, Willy Schmid

10

only known and in practice realised technologieswere applied. For economic and social reasonssuch a reconstruction takes at least 50 to 60 years.

Economics of an Urban Stock in Steady StateEconomically, an urban stock in steady state isonly desirable if it is accompanied by a decouplingof economic and physical growth. Decouplingrequires a growing productivity of buildings andinfrastructures per unit of mass or area. It is vitalfor two reasons. Firstly, return on investment inreal estate should keep up with alternative invest-ments (e.g. bonds) because social security currentlydepends on it (e.g. pension funds). Secondly, wemay encounter social problems in distributing theavailable property (for housing) and/or limitationsin economic development (for service industries).Productivity growth in the urban stock is currentlyrestricted by low rates of renewal. A significantgrowth in productivity can be achieved by techno-logical progress, as was experienced in agriculturethroughout the last century. New buildingtechnologies and design concepts are generallyavailable. Yet, their implementation is delayedbecause the urban stock is currently renewed atslow rates. With a demolition rate of 0.5% of thebuilding mass per year, the theoretical life-span ofbuildings amounts to 200 years. Buildings are

plexity originates in the fact that different infor-mation communities specify fairly differentmodels for the same object in reality dependingon their notion and with regard to their specificapplication and point of view. The integration ofspatial data from different information communi-ties is usually non-trivial because of the differentsemantics and corresponding data models invol-ved. So, even if we ask the seemingly easy question“What is a street?”, we will receive quite differentanswers (data models) according to the member-ship of a specific information community. Forexample, (1) a resident of a big city would possiblyassociate noise, pollution, and a line on a map, or(2) an official surveyor regards a street as part of atessellation, consisting of parcels, specified aspolygon areas in an official co-ordinate system, or(3) someone developing a car navigation systemwould describe a street as part of a path, whichhas to be calculated and is specified by connectedline segments.

Fig. 5: Intended development of rental income andcosts of the building stock per year. If the intendeddevelopment strives for increased resource effi-ciency only, we assume a minor decrease in costsof use. According to our assumptions this decreasecan be attributed to lower energy costs and it iscompensated by increasing costs of maintenanceand renewal. If the intended development is aimedat increased productivity, we may be able in ad-dition to reduce capital costs (e.g. by increasinglife spans or reducing construction costs) as wellas other operational costs (e.g. by manipulatingthe various cost drivers). The extent of declineshown in the figure is hypothetical

(sources: Richter P., 1999, Die Nutzungskosten des Gebäudebestandes.In: Hassler U., Kohler N. and Wang W. (Eds): Umbau: Über die Zukunftdes Baubestandes. Tübingen, 99–107; Kytzia S., Friedrich S., Fischer C.,1998, gewohntes verändern. Leitfaden für einen transdisziplinärenEntwurf der Aktivität Wohnen. In: Baccini P., Oswald F.(Hrsg.), Netz-stadt: Transdisziplinäre Methoden zum Umbau urbaner Systeme, vdfHochschulverlag, Zürich CH, 87–124).

Table 1: A selection of estimated resource reservoirs per capita for a world population of 8 billion, comparedwith corresponding stocks and actual consumptionrates in developed urban systems. The data, giving onlyorders of magnitude

(sources: Buitenkamp et al. 1992,“Action Plan Sustainable Netherlands”;Campbell C.J. 1997, The Coming Oil Crisis. Multi-Science PublishingCompany&Petroconsultants. Amazonbooks; Global 2000, 1981, The global2000 report to the president, Washington D.C.; Zeltner Ch., Bader H.-P.,Scheidegger R. , Baccini P., 1999, Sustainable Metal Management Exemplifiedby Copper in the USA, Regional Environmental Change 1 (1), 31–46).

Fig. 4 Comparison of energy household of a 6000 Watt-Society (status quo) with a 2000 Watt-Society(sustainable status), exemplified with the Highlands-Lowlands urban system of Switzerland. Energy fluxes in TWh per year. In the status quo the allochthonous and non-renewable energy source amountsto 84%. The solar energy support from the Highlands to the Lowlands is small (6%). In a 2000 Watt-Society, the import of non-renewable energy is reduced by a factor 20. Its share in the overall demand isonly 12%. The Highlands become an important supplier with 40% of the Lowlands’ demand

(source: Hug F., Baccini P., 2002, Physiological Interactions Between Highland and Lowland Regions in the Context of Long-Term ResourceManagement, Mountain Research and Development, Vol.22, No.2, May2002;177–185).

refurbished and structurally modified at higherrates. These kinds of modifications, however, areinsufficient to obtain gains in energy efficiency asenvisioned in the previous sections. This revealsthe need to encourage investment.

At present, low expectations of productivity growthdiscourage adequate investment in the urbanstock. To overcome this situation, it is crucial tobetter understand the structure of life-cycle costsand rental income as well as their determinants(e.g. business environment, location, buildingconditions). Considering the present structure ofoperational costs, it is evident that measuresaiming at growing resource efficiency are insuffi-cient to significantly improve the ratio betweencosts and revenue (see Fig. 5). The share of energycosts in a building's total life-cycle costs is toosmall. Efforts in urban renewal have to put anadditional focus on capital costs, other operationalcosts as well as rental income per unit. Significantimprovements in these fields will result in agrowing productivity, which is necessary (1) to trig-ger the process of urban renewal and (2) to main-tain economic growth in the envisioned steadystate of the urban stock.

Global Stocks in Consumptionreservoirs develop. rates in for 8 billion urban developed people systems urban systems

Territories ha/capita ha/capita ha/cap. & year

Agriculture 0.5

Forestry 0.3

Settlement 0.03 0.0001

Timber m3/capita m3/capita m3/cap. & year50 10 0.4

Oil GJ/capita GJ/capita GJ/cap. & year800 40 100

Copper kg/capita kg/capita kg/cap.& year300 300 10

3D-Visualization of a Landscape in Ticino.Data source: © Swiss Federal Office of Topography

Status quo Resource IncreasedEfficiency productivity

Rela

tive

Scal

e

other operational costscapital costsenergy costsmaintenance and renewalnew construction

13

tive context – is the “object” of all activities of theChair for Landscape and Environmental Planning.Geographic (spatial) information provides a majorbasis for (1) the integration of environmental con-siderations into the (spatial) planning process andthe implementation of sustainable land use pat-terns and management, (2) the informed decision-making in the context of infrastructure planningand spatial development, and (3) the developmentof planning tools and instruments relying on state-of-the art (computer) technology, facilitatingspatial and environmental decision-making andmonitoring.

The management of land is increasingly decidedat a local level, with trends across Europe of greaterpublic participation in landscape planning proces-ses and empowerment of local administrations todetermine resource exploitation and develop-ment. Yet, understanding of the outcomes andconsequences of landscape planning decisions isgenerally poor among the public and their electedrepresentatives. This led to the development of

visualization tools to enable public participationin the management of landscape change.Relationships between visual qualities and otherlandscape functions are used, such as biodiversity,cultural heritage, amenity and sustainable pro-duction to support a sound stewardship of therural and peri-urban landscape, and an increasedunderstanding of change.

In agglomerations the growth of population andincreasing living standards has led to a seriouslack of disposable space. To avoid conflicts, partici-patory planning strategies were developed, inte-grating experts, stakeholders and lobbyists in thedecision-making process. For these processes it isindispensable to make spatial and time-relatedinformation perceptive by a specified group of(non GIS experts) participants, in order to supporttheir joint decision-making process.

The Chair for Geographic Information Systemsand Theory of Errors has a long tradition in develo-ping methods to support 3D GIS, such as topologic3D data modelling and the integration of rasterdata and 3D objects into geo-databases. For

12

In an SDI our goal is to integrate the data origina-ting in different information communities, and tomake that data available to the public as well as toexperts and stakeholders. The only possibility tocope with the effect is to provide formal descripti-ons of the models as well as deterministic algorithms to map the different models onto each other. The Chair for Geographic InformationSystems and Theory of Errors and the Chair forGeoinformation Technologies developed tools forspecifying, processing, and integrating datamodels and descriptive data (metadata). Thesetools provide useful and usable means to retrieve,access, integrate, analyze and present data fromdifferent sources in the context of an SDI. Researchtopics cover, e.g., data transfer between Geo-graphic Information Systems (GIS), automatic dataacquisition for GIS, knowledge-based visualization,geographic data retrieval through meta informati-on systems, and software architectures for SDI.

Advanced Presentation Methods for Spatial DataDue to the amount of information and the inhe-rent complexity of spatial data there is a need toprovide suitable visualization methods in an SDI.The Chair for Cartography therefore is developingnew methods to support expert cartographers inpreparing 2D and 3D spatial data for presentationon the Internet. Research topics include cartogra-phic tools on the Internet, cartographic reliefrepresentation, 3D visualization of GIS-based gla-cial data, an interactive multimedia Atlas informa-tion system, the development of cave mappingtools, and distributed publishing of interactivemaps on demand. Depending on specific applica-tions it may also be necessary to provide advancedmethods to support the mutual understanding ofexperts and the public. For example, dormant vol-canoes situated in regions of high geodynamicunrest represent a constant threat. Surveillancestudies of volcanoes require the monitoring ofgeodetic, seismic, and geochemical data. A web-based software that combines this data withtopographic information, satellite images, and

multimedia information is a suitable tool thatcould use up-to-date data and information servi-ces on the basis of an SDI.The software then allowsan interactive comparison of various data setsfrom different information communities, and thusgains new insights into the internal processes ofvolcanic regions. The ease of the graphical userinterface in combination with the versatility ofdifferent cartographic representations and func-tionalities allows one to analyze the different datasets and to obtain data correlations in order tobetter investigate volcanic hazards (www.geo-warn.org).

Geoinformation to support theInformed Planning Process by 3D GISAccording to the general concept of sustainability,“environment” is a comprehensive entity, encom-passing our natural, social, economic, administra-tive-political and cultural environment – the livingspace of humans. This living space – in its interac-

Perspective view of the glaciatedBietschhorn area (seen from northwest)

with simplified glacier extension of 1973,realised with ARCVIEW extension 3D

ANALYST (by ESRI). Terrain and topographic data

DHM25, ©Swiss Federal Office of Topography, Wabern; testda-

ta of glacier contours from CH-INVGLAZ, ©Department of

Geography, University of Zurich.

Analysis of integratedVector and Raster data ina 3D GIS. Data source: © Swiss

Federal Office of Topography

Participatory planning utilizing 3D GIS and a stereoscopic visualization enviroment

Access to theSpatial DataInfrastructure by using GPS-enabled mobiledevices

mutual understanding in a participatory process,the use of 3D information and visualization isknown to be a suitable support. Therefore, theChair for Geoinformation Technologies is develo-ping an immersive environment, which is basedon 3D GIS functionality (analysis, presentation andinteraction with spatial information) and can beused by a group of people who discuss a specificproblem or carry out a given planning task. Allinformation can be visualized on a large 3D stereoscreen and a group of people may interact withthe system simultaneously.

Scene of an urban Park in Zurich,modelled in two different conditions of

seasons and vegetation, based on GISdata (thesis of Isabella Mambretti, IRL).

a) The park depicted in spring with vegetation enclosure

b) The park depicted in winter without vegetation enclosure

EU-Project GEOWARN:Result of GIS analysis:Slope stability map basedon slopes and types of volcanic deposits

15

ing Swiss research project was directed by theInstitute for Geotechnical Engineering (Group ofProf. Amann). The industrial project partners werethe firms Solexpert, Schwerzenbach, and RSE,Zurich. The research work consisted of the prepa-ration of a state-of-the-art report on the planningand control of urban geotechnical measures andurban tunnelling in ground water as well as theevaluation of case studies in Switzerland. Theaction showed that in urban planning strategiesgeotechnical aspects and relevant informationhave to be taken into account early, in order toavoid damage and reduce costs. In the educationof architects and civil engineers an awareness ofthe problem of soil-structure interaction shouldbe awakened more than has been the case in thepast. Finally, it is to be expected that the sustaina-ble use of underground space in urban areas inthe future will become of great economic impor-tance(http://www.bygg.ntnu.no/geo/costc7/web00/).

14

Fire research – breakthrough for multi-storey timber buildings The introduction of the new Swiss fire regulationsby the State Fire Insurance Companies will lead toa remarkable breakthrough for multi-storey tim-ber buildings and open up a large new market fortimber. Based on our research results and ourcollaboration within the technical committee ofthe Swiss fire regulators, the use of wood for struc-tural elements in timber buildings will be exten-ded from presently two to six storeys. To guaran-tee fire safety in such buildings a large joint rese-arch and education project was launched by thetimber industry and timber associations with afinancial volume of over 5 million CHF over a periodof 5 years. IBK (Group of Prof. Fontana) was com-missioned to carry out two of the core researchprojects in the field of fire behavior and fire resis-tance of structural timber elements and timberconnections. The aim of these projects is to deve-lop and experimentally verify design models for

60 minutes fire resistance. The fire tests are beingperformed in close collaboration with EMPA. Theresearch projects benefit from our experience andprevious research projects in this field and willprovide basic data on the fire behaviour of timberfor a fire of long duration. The results will alsoform the basis for a new SIA documentation onthe fire safety of timber buildings.

Design Guidelines for ReinforcedConcrete Beams with ExternallyBonded ReinforcementExperimental investigations on concrete beamswith externally bonded plates show that the mostcommon failure mode is due to delamination ofthe plate. This failure occurs normally within afraction of a second, and is therefore very difficult

to study. In order to determine appropriate designguidelines, the delamination phenomenon wasexamined experimentally at the Swiss FederalLaboratories for Materials Testing and Research(EMPA) and theoretically at the Institute ofStructural Engineering (IBK, Group of Prof. Vogel,project of Tomaz Ulaga). An innovative methodbased on potential drop measurements on con-ductive stripes across the reinforcement was usedto monitor the crack propagation process. Thisprovided an indication of the origin of the crackand its velocity, which was in the range of 600m/s. The theoretical findings support the experi-mental observations in terms of the crack origin.The results demonstrate that plate delaminationcan be prevented if the following design aspectsare considered: the shear stresses at the plate-concrete interface must be limited and theanchorage resistance must be verified. Thesefindings will be integrated in a design conceptwhich is part of a new Swiss code on externallybonded reinforcement (“Vornorm SIA 166: Klebe-bewehrung”). The document will be published in2003.

COST C7 Action “Soil StructureInteraction in Urban Civil Engineering”The COST C7 Action “Soil Structure Interaction inUrban Civil Engineering” had as its aim theexchange of geotechnical experiences betweenuniversities and civil engineering practice throug-hout Europe and the preparation of recommenda-tions for future urban planning. The accompany-

Highlights

Structures

Industrial Construction in Small andMedium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)Numerous workshops, which were based on empi-rical research, have been conducted with theactive participation of the Swiss constructionindustry focusing on potentials of industrial con-struction and on appropriate alternative coursesof action (IBB, Group of Prof. Girmscheid, project ofJan Bärthel). Initially, it was necessary to definewhat was actually meant by industrial construc-tion. Robots are not the first step towards indu-strial construction but industrial construction israther the possible final result of an industrially-structured organization. On the basis of empiricalfindings, 29 alternative courses of action for indu-strial construction in SMEs were developed usingtheoretical support and logical thought processes.The alternative courses of action are enhanced bytools for the company-specific evaluation of thesame and by working aids for their implementati-on in companies (e.g. checklists, flowcharts andsummaries with key information). The project fin-dings (www.ibb.baug.ethz.ch/publikationen) aimto assist SMEs in strengthening their competitiveability and are therefore being integrated intoadvanced training schemes, starting in spring2003 in the training centre of the SwissContractors’ Association and aimed at entrepre-neurs and senior construction managers.

New – More Safe, Cost Efficient andSustainable Approach to StructuralSafety in Codes and RegulationsIn 1971 the Liaison Committee which co-ordinatesthe activities of six international associations incivil engineering (CEB , CIB, fib, IABSE, and RILEM),created a Joint Committee on Structural Safety(JCSS), with the aim of improving the general know-ledge in structural safety. Continuous efforts byJCSS over more than 25 years have recently beensynthesized to form the basis for a new safe, costefficient and sustainable approach to the codifieddesign of structures. The JCSS-recommended pro-cedure for implementing the new approach intothe codified and regulated design of structures isdescribed on www.jcss.ethz.ch. The approach ispresently being incorporated into the Excel-basedCodeCal software, publicly available upon request.Following the new approach facilitates the designof structures with a significantly enhanced targe-ting of the safety of structures and consequently afar more rational use of building materials, conse-quently providing a basis for significant societalcost savings. This remarkable achievement is theresult of the large efforts devoted by a varyinggroup of internationally recognized experts instructural reliability theory on the formulation,development and homogenization of methods ofstructural reliability and optimization. One of themost obvious first applications will be in connec-tion with the forthcoming adoption of theEurocodes by the individual European Communitymember states. (IBK, Group of Prof. Faber)

Reinforced concrete beam with externally bonded reinforcement: failure analysis

Fire resistance of structural timber elementsIndustrial construction in small and

medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Software for calibrating thesafety of structural design codes

Sustainable use of underground space in urban areas after Kjekstad NGI, 2000, Chairman COST C7

Highlights

Infrastructure Systems

17

e.g. subsequent heightening of dams. Anotheraspect possibly leading to flow conditions otherthan free surface mixture flow may be an unavoi-dable influence from the tail water. A current rese-arch project at VAW (Prof. Hans-Erwin Minor, the-sis Urs Keller) financed by the Fund for Projectsand Studies of the Swiss Electricity Utilities (PSEL),focuses on the consequences of such unfavour-able conditions in terms of the above mentionedparameters as well as possible discharge limitati-ons. Field measurements and physical model testssuch as those on the bottom outlet of the GojebHydropower Project (Ethiopia) have contributed tothese investigations. In the specific case of theGojeb Bottom Outlet, negative consequences ofthe influencing tail water and imminent shockwa-ves downstream of the gates almost filling thewhole cross-section could be ruled out. Never-theless, additional knowledge on the relatedpressure impact on the tunnel lining will allow amore specific design.

16

Transport System Development andits Impact on Spatial Use in SwitzerlandIn the context of the projects COST-Action 340 andNFP 48, the Institute for Transport Planning andSystems (IVT, Group of Prof. Axhausen) is analysingthe joint long-term development (ca. 1850-2020)of the tightly interwoven transport and spatialsystems. Changing the accessibility (the numberof persons accessible, weighted by a function oftravel costs) between the various regions is thekey impact on the regions resulting from trans-port system development (infrastructure, trans-port services). Accessibility is the link explainingthe connection between transport- and spatialdevelopment. On the basis of road- and railroadnetworks, accessibility changes can be calculatedfor each municipality in Switzerland since 1850.The figures show the impact of motorway con-struction on accessibility patterns in the Swiss“Mittelland” between 1950 and 2000.The primarybeneficiaries of the motorway network are not

the urban centres, but rather the areas in bet-ween, where accessibility has improved tremen-dously as a result of motorways. The merging ofthe agglomerations between the cities of theSwiss “Mittelland” (Zwischenstadt) is the observa-ble effect. Project information and partners aregiven inwww.ivt.baug.ethz.ch/vrp/projekte_cost340_d.htmlwww.ivt.baug.ethz.ch/vrp/projekte_nfp48_d.html

Two-Phase Flow in Bottom OutletsCommon design criteria for bottom outlets stipu-late free surface flow in the tailrace tunnel inorder to avoid unpredictable conditions concer-ning air pressure and air discharges as well aspressure fluctuations in a possibly pressurized air-water discharge. Nevertheless, these criteriacannot always be attained for different reasons,

Rheology of Debris FlowIn various mountainous zones debris flows endan-ger villages and infrastructure. Numerical model-ling is becoming an increasingly important toolfor the definition of risk areas and the investigati-on of prevention measures. Numerical modelsthat simulate the flow and deposition process ofviscous and viscous granular type debris flow relyon rheological models. Thus knowledge of therheological behaviour of the whole debris flowmixture (fine to very large particles) is a prerequi-site. However, due to the geometric constraints ofconventional rheometric devices only the finematerial part of the whole debris flow mixturecould be analyzed so far. At VAW (Prof. Minor,thesis Markus Schatzmann, in collaboration withInstitute of Food Science) a project focuses on anovel rheometric system that allows the analysisof the rheological behaviour of mixtures con-taining fine and medium size particles. One of thepotentials of the new system is its extension to alarge scale device whereby an important part ofthe whole debris flow mixture could be analyzed.

Slope Instability in MorainesMany alpine slopes remain stable only becausethe soils, mainly moraines, are partially saturated.In this case, the pressures in the void space aresuctions, and these contribute to the effectivestresses within, and hence the strength of the soilmatrix. As resaturation occurs during rainfallevents, these suctions will be eliminated graduallyand replaced by positive pore pressures, causingsignificant loss of strength. This leads to shallowplanar slips that can also develop into debrisflows. Field tests have been carried out at twosites, which have been instrumented and subjec-ted to artificial rainfall for periods of up to oneweek (IGT, Group of Prof. Springman, thesis ofPhilipp Teysseire). An extensive range of in situ andlaboratory tests has been carried out to establishthe relevant properties of the soil. An appropriateconstitutive model has been selected and is beingadapted for future numerical analysis with theaim of producing recommendations for evalua-ting risk in terms of slope stability.

Numerical Modelling of the AlpineSnowpackMost predictions of avalanche hazard risk todayare based on decisions made by experiencedexperts and statistical methods. The exact physi-cal processes (structure of snow cover, temperatu-re dependence, weak layers, topographic situati-ons, material behaviour, etc.) which lead to anavalanche are thereby not fully taken intoaccount. These highly nonlinear processes can bemodelled using modern numerical methods. TheIBK (Group of Prof. Anderheggen, thesis of MartinStoffel) is developing a specific Finite Elementsimulation software in a joint research projectwith the Federal Institute for Snow and AvalancheResearch. Research topics in this project are thenumerical modelling of the visco-elastic beha-viour of snow, especially the treatment of weaklayers with almost no resistance to friction andthe implementation of an N-directional materialmodel to simulate the failure of snow. The tempe-rature simulations of the ice-matrix and the sur-rounding air are separated to account for thedependence of the physical behaviour of snow ontemperature. A graphical interface to a GIS systemis to be developed as well as a front-end to displaythe results of the simulation.

Tensiometers for measuring suction

Development of strain rate between an old snow layer and new snow.After 12h an avalanche is very likely around the red cell.

The site (12m x 8m) Loss of suction during rainfall

Model study of the two-phase flow in bottom outlets

Impact of motorwayconstruction on accessibilitypatterns in the Swiss“Mittelland” 1950 (top) and2000 (bottom)

Deposits dependon the rheology of the debris flow

Highlights

Resources

19

Geophysics and Geodesy in BotswanaThe Okavango Delta is an inland delta in aridBotswana, famous for its wildlife. The delta livesoff the floods of the Okavango River, which takes 3months to cross the delta. To understand andmodel the flooding pattern a very accurate digitalterrain model is necessary. The modelled flood canthen be compared to the actual flood as observedby satellite imagery. For management purposesthe consequences of variations in flow due tohuman interaction can be estimated with thismodel. The field work in 2002 focused on geodeticand geophysical data (IHW, Group of Prof. Kinzel-bach, thesis of Peter Bauer, IGP, Groups of Prof.Ingensand and Prof. Grün, thesis of KrishnaTaluktar). In the course of a three weeks GPS cam-paign 45 points were measured with three geode-tic GPS receivers. The post-processing of the GPSdata in combination with an appropriately model-led regional geoid – based on 7 reference points ofthe national geodetic network of Botswana – leadto a point accuracy of 3 dm for all 45 points. Theresulting coordinates allow the orientation of theaerial images and thus form the geodetic referen-ce frame for the calculation of a digital terrainmodel.

Flow Dynamics of Vatnajökull Ice Cap, IcelandThe flow dynamics and the stability of theVatnajökull ice cap in Iceland are analysed with anumerical ice flow model developed at VAW (gla-ciology group, thesis of Gudfinna Adalgeirsdottir).The basis for the numerical modelling are theradio-echo sounding data of the bedrock topogra-phy of Vatnajökull, surface elevation, velocity ofthe ice, and mass balance measurements providedby Helgi Björnsson at the Science Institute,University of Iceland. The data are used to selectthe model parameters to describe the flow ofVatnajökull. Several numerical schemes to solvethe flow field equations are tested. It is shownthat a commonly used method (alternating direc-tion semi-implicit) is not mass conserving due toice free points within the ice cap. It is necessary touse an upstream scheme to ensure mass conser-

18

A New Tool for Investigation of Contaminated SitesThe change from an abandoned industrial site toa residential area requires a site investigation toassess whether the location is contaminated ornot. If necessary, a remediation plan needs to bedeveloped based on this data. Currently, such inve-stigations can be cost-intensive, time-consumingand imprecise. This uncertainty resulted in a KTIresearch-cooperation called “New Technology forExploration of Contaminated Sites (NTECS)” (IGT,Group of Prof. Hermanns Stengele, thesis of PeterWotschke, in collaboration with the Institute forGeophysics (University of Leipzig) and the companyABB). The task of the first project phase was toinvestigate the stratigraphic sequence of a testsite and to quantify the volume of undisturbedsubsurface structures and the infill. Based on thisdata the excavation costs can be calculated. In afurther project phase a chemical analysis will beintegrated to assess type and amount of contami-nation to calculate the expense of remediation.Twogeophysical methods for tomographic site charac-terisation were used. A 3-D resistivity tomogramof the subsurface was generated using measure-

ments of a multi-electrode system. In addition,cross-hole radar measurements were performedbetween boreholes. The measurements provideda quick and liable tool to image the subsurfaceand to place effectively cost-intensive drillings.The results of these four technologies showed ahigh degree of similarity and created a detailedimage of the subsurface. They allowed a calcu-lation of bedding volumes and excavation costs.

Modification of Porous Media by Bacterial GrowthBacteria play a decisive role in the self-purificationof polluted aquifers. Under suitable growth condi-tions they can clog the pore space of a porousmedium. This effect – also known as “bio-clog-ging” – not only reduces the porosity but also thehydraulic conductivity of a water saturated medi-um. It therefore has to be taken into account inany bioremediation measure. Bioclogging hasbeen observed in laboratory experiments, themeasured data, however, could not be reproducedby numerical models up to now. Experiments wereperformed, which visualized the complex interac-tion of bacterial growth with a two-dimensionalflow field (IHW, Group of Prof. Kinzelbach, thesis ofMartin Thullner, in cooperation with Prof. Zeyerfrom the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology). The gro-wth process was quantified using methods ofmicrobiological analysis. It was shown that theextracellular mass of the bacteria contributed sig-nificantly to the clogging. A new modelling con-cept was developed, based on the simulation ofpore networks.With this new approach it was pos-sible to reproduce in a satisfactory way not onlyour own experimental results but also the resultsof other research groups.

vation. A non-linear regression model that descri-bes the mass-balance distribution of Vatnajökullduring the years 1992–2000 is developed. Theregression model uses six adjustable parameters,the slope, direction and the equilibrium line altitu-de (ELA, separation line between accumulationand ablation areas), two altitude mass-balancegradients and a maximum value of the surfacemass balance. It is found that the temporal varia-tion of the observed mass-balance distributioncan be accurately described through annual shiftsof the ELA. Model computations forced with themass-balance model show that the ice cap is verysensitive to climatic changes and can respond inan unstable manner by unlimited growth. TheVatnajökull ice cap is presently very close to thiscritical size (figure). Smaller ice caps and alpineglaciers are not as sensitive to climatic changes.

1. Clay and Silt 2. Saturated Aquifer 3. Gavel and Sand 4. Filling (clayey) 5. Silt and Sand 6. Gavel Cover 1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

1 2 3 4 5 6

2869

377

1051

531

270

307 Subsurface volumes estimated from geophysical tomography

Volu

me

(cub

ic m

eter

)

GPS campaign in Botswana

Future volume and geometrychange of Vatnajökull ice cap as afunction of equilibrium line alti-tude (ELA) increase. These changescorrespond to a temperatureincrease of 0.3, 0.5 and 1 degree C ifno change of precipitation occurs.

Flow in a porous medium around aregion clogged by bacterial growth,

visualized by a dye tracer.Left: experimental observation.

Right: result of the modelling.

Initial surface geometry ∆ELA = +40mRapid growth

∆ELA = +55mCritical equilibrium

∆ELA = +120mStable equilibrium

21

Schematic Maps on DemandSchematic special-purpose maps are designed toconvey information of limited scope, such as dia-grammatic representations of public transportnetworks. The rationale is that it is more impor-tant that users capture the basic structure of thenetwork than to show accurately physical locati-ons on the map. At present, schematic maps areentirely produced by hand or by purely graphicssoftware. This is not only a time-consuming pro-cess, but requires a skilled map designer. The artisttailors the design to the prospective users and thepotential queries they expect to be answered.Currently, there are no cartographic guidelines ororientation to help the design of schematic maps.Automatic generation of schematic maps mayimprove results and make the process faster andcheaper. More importantly, it would extend theuse of such maps to a larger audience, especiallyto users of transportation systems of many morecities in the world. The Institute for Cartography(IKA, Group of Prof. Hurni, thesis of Silvania Avelar)aimed to study the generation of schematic mapson demand: a map is automatically generated inresponse to a selected set of constraints.The auto-matic generation of schematic maps from tradi-tional vector-based, cartographic information wasstudied by using an optimisation technique, whe-reby the lines of the original route network aremodified to meet geometric and aesthetic con-straints in the resulting schematic map. Specialemphasis was placed on preserving the topo-logical structure of the line network during thetransformation process.

20

Planning with Virtual AlpineLandscapes and Autonomous AgentsAs part of the NFP 48 project, we are developing aprototype planning system which uses real-time3D visualisation and autonomous agents to pre-dict the responses of 'virtual' and real tourists tochanges in the real landscape (IRL, Group of Prof.Schmid, thesis of Duncan Cavens, in collaborationwith the Institute of Scientific Computing, Groupof Prof. Nagel, thesis of Christian Gloor). Using theGstaad region as test case, a detailed 3D model isbeing developed that will allow tourists to evaluatevarious proposed tourism developments. Whiletraditionally these tourists have been real people,we are exploring the use of computer agents assurrogates for human subjects, in order to be ableto feasibly test a greater range of proposed lands-capes and to evaluate the interactions betweenindividuals. A primary contribution of our researchis enabling the agents to 'see' their environmentand make decisions based on their visual percepti-ons, as well as on more traditional model datasuch as slope, available destinations and desiredtrip length.

GIS Functions in Atlas InformationSystemsDue to technological changes in cartography, tra-ditional paper atlases have increasingly beenreplaced by digital atlas information systems (AIS)over the last 20 years. AIS offer both user-friendlyinterfaces and high-quality multimedia visualisa-tion techniques, yet they still lack the functionalityto perform spatial analysis. The Institute forCartography (IKA, Group of Prof. Hurni, thesis ofBarbara Schneider) investigates how GIS analysisfunctions can be integrated with AIS, and howthese functions can be rendered accessible to a

broad range of expert and non-expert users. Theresearch showed that the following GIS functionsare suited to AIS: measurements, queries, reclassi-fication and aggregation, graphical and geomet-rical overlay, analysis of surfaces, network analysisand statistics. The scientific approach was realisedby developing the application AGAIS (AnalyticalGeographic Atlas Information System) based onthe existing software platform of the “Atlas ofSwitzerland”.The study showed that GIS functionscan be successfully integrated with AIS.These fun-ctions, however, must be carefully chosen, consi-derably adapted, and simplified so that atlas userscan understand them by intuition. Complex spatialanalysis, so far mainly performed by GIS specia-lists, is now available to a broader range of users.

Swiss Contributions to GIS StandardsFor more than ten years it has become obviousthat GIS technology cannot be based on localsolutions. Think globally is the challenge. Geo-data must be exchanged across political and tech-nical borders. This is only possible if internationalstandards exist which allow running interopera-ble systems. First on the European level (CEN/TC287) and then worldwide (ISO/TC211) the foun-dations of the necessary global harmonisation arenow being built.The standards for GIS of the futureare developed together with industry (Open GISConsortium OGC). Switzerland is in the favourableposition of holding a pole position in the domainof data modelling and of model-driven approa-

ches. The figure shows the principle of the model-driven approach to semantic transformation.Switzerland not only possesses the conceptualinstruments (defined by the standards seriesISO19100) needed today, but furthermore theseare implemented, operational and in daily use, andtherefore offer worldwide samples appropriate asbasic elements for international geo-standards. Inthis context the version 2 of the object-orienteddata description language INTERLIS (fully compa-tible with the ISO19100 standards series) has beensuccessfully completed and accepted as a Swissstandard in 2002 with relevant contributions ofour group. The next plenary meeting of ISO/TC211(responsible for ISO19100 geo-information stan-dards) will be held in Thun, Switzerland. The GISgroup of the IGP took over the leadership of CEN/TC287 (Geographic Information) on the Europeanlevel this year. With H.R. Gnägi as chairman (IGP,Group of Prof. Carosio) the standardisation activi-ties for Europe in the geo-data domain should besignificantly enhanced.

Highlights

Geo-, Structural and Environmental DataAutomatic generation of schematic maps

for public transport systems

Semantic Transformation by MDA

Integration of GIS functions in atlas information systems (AIS)

Evaluation of tourism developments based on real-time 3D visualisation

Highlights

High-Tech Measuring Systems

23

turbulent flows known from numerical DNSstudies, such as the positive skewness of the inter-mediate eigenvalue of the rate of strain tensorand the predominance of vortex stretching overvortex compression are confirmed by the experi-mental data. The use of a new representation ofthe field of velocity derivatives in a space spannedby three invariants yields new insights into thedynamics of strain and enstrophy production. Inparticular, a mean cyclic evolution over intenseregions of strain and vorticity and the importantrole played by viscosity in both, strain and enstro-phy production can be observed. Another set ofresults deals with the evolution in time of mate-rial elements, such as material lines, surfaces andvolumes. They reveal important differences bet-ween material lines and vortex lines and somecharacteristics of the rotation of material volumesassociated with the properties of the Cauchy-Green tensor.

The Development of an AlignmentSystem for the Slab TrackOn new railway lines, a novel construction tech-nique is becoming widely accepted in tunnel sec-tions. For the so-called slab track, sleepers are – incontrast to ballast tracks - embedded in concrete.The advantage of this method over conventionalballast tracks is the considerably lower mainten-

ance costs. Paving over implicates that correctionsto the track alignment are only possible with greateffort. Thus, the alignment of the track has to becarried out extremely accurately. The Institute ofGeodesy and Photogrammetry developed analignment system for staking out the slab track(Group of Prof. Ingensand, thesis of Ralph Glaus).The system is based on an electronic tacheometer(distance and angle) and a track trolley. The tracktrolley serves as a platform for inclination sensors,odometers and a track gauge measuring systemand was constructed by the HTA Burgdorf in colla-boration with terra vermessungen AG, Zurich. Thedeveloped track alignment system combines themeasurements of the involved sensors and com-putes correction values of the actual track withrespect to the nominal track. These values areused by operators for the alignment.The system isbeing successfully used in the Zurich-Thalwiltunnel by Grunder Ingenieure AG for installing 15kilometres of slab track. The project is financed byKTI (Kommission für Technologie und Innovation,Bundesamt für Berufsbildung und Technologie).

Development of GEodetic MObileSolar Spectrometer GEMOSS I,Measuring Absorption of TroposphericWater Molecules The water vapour in the Earth’s troposphere cau-ses refraction of transatmospheric microwave sig-nals and limits the accuracy of high precision GPSpositioning and satellite radar altimetry. For remo-te-sensing of tropospheric water vapour a newGEodetic MObile Solar Spectrometer (GEMOSS I)has been developed by the Institute of Geodesyand Photogrammetry (IGP, Group of Prof. Kahle,thesis of Alexander Somieski) and the Institute ofSpectrochemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (ISAS)in Berlin. GEMOSS I is based on an improved opti-cal construction, which is permanently adjustedwith high accuracy by 5 computer-controlled stepmotors. Within a single GEMOSS spectrum appro-ximately 1900 water vapour absorption lines ofsun radiation are measured in the wide range bet-ween 730 nm and 910 nm simultaneously.Furthermore, the optimized light sensitivity ofGEMOSS I allows its deployment under low-levelradiation conditions and increases the time periodof data acquisition. Within the framework of theEU-project GAVDOS the first successful measure-ments were carried out on the island of Crete(Greece) to calibrate the JASON altimeter satellite.

22

Development of a New Method to determine the 3-dimensionalRefractivity Field from GPS DoubleDifference TomographyIt is commonly accepted that GPS meteorologycan be successfully used to model the refractioneffect on radiowave signals traversing the tropos-phere. We developed an approach to estimate andmodel the spatial distribution of the troposphericwater vapour. A tomographic software packagecalled AWATOS has been realized (IGP, Group ofProf. Kahle, thesis of Marc Troller). It is based on theassimilation of GPS double difference observati-ons. These are allocated to a voxel model, which isdefined according to the distribution of the GPSstations. Performing a least-squares adjustment,the refractivity of each voxel is determined. Testsof the software were performed, based on simu-

lated and real data. A field campaign was initiatedon the Big Island of Hawaii, which is ideal for testpurposes because of an already installed denseGPS permanent network, associated with largeheight differences between the stations. Thetomographic profiles of the real data sets werecompared with 18 radiosondes launched duringthe campaign.The results obtained for continuousatmospheric conditions fit well. The statisticalevaluation revealed an accuracy of around 5–20ppm for the wet refractivity (http://www.ggl.baug.ethz.ch/research/wg56/).

Application of 3D PTV inHomogeneous Isotropic TurbulenceThe full set of velocity derivatives was measuredexperimentally along particle trajectories in a tur-bulent flow (IHW, Group of Prof. Kinzelbach, thesisof Beat Lüthi). The flow was produced by contin-uous electromagnetic forcing at the walls. Theparticle paths are recorded by a 3D ParticleTracking Velocimetry (3D-PTV) technique, in whichstereoscopic views of the particle positions from 4camera positions are taken. The method wasimproved by three developments: An increase inthe rate of image recording from 30Hz to 60Hz,application of a new ‘spatio-temporal’ trackingalgorithm developed by the Institute of Geodesyand Photogrammetry (Group of Prof. Grün, thesisof Jochen Willneff), and the introduction of aweighted interpolation procedure to obtain thevelocity derivatives. Characteristic properties of

Core of tomographic voxel model forthe Hawaiian campaign. The modelconsists of 16 layers of 3 times 3 corevoxels. Blue boxes show the location of the GPS stations.

Sample of a wetrefractivity profile at station Volcano

Village.

Schematic overview over the Geodetic MObile Solar Spectrometer measurementsystem. The suntracking telescope (T) fixed on a tripod conducts the sunlight

via optical fibre (OF) cable into the spectrometer, which consists of a shutter (S),entrance slit (ES), echelle grating (EG), prism (P), 2 parabolic mirrors (PM) and a

CCD array (CCD). The processing of the absorption spectrum detected by the CCDarray yields the amount of tropospheric water vapour

Alignment of the slab track using the track trolley3D particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

24 25

InstitutesInstitute for Construction Engineering and Management (IBB): Proff. G. Girmscheid, H.R. SchalcherInstitute of Structural Engineering (IBK): Proff. E. Anderheggen, M. Fontana, P. Marti, T. Vogel, M.H. FaberInstitute of Building Materials (IBWK): Prof. J.G.M. van MierInstitute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (IGP): Proff. A. Grün, A. Carosio, H. Ingensand, H.G. Kahle, Ch. GigerInstitute of Geotechnical Engineering (IGT): Proff. S. Springman, P. Amann, R. Hermanns StengeleInstitute of Hydromechanics and Water Resources Management (IHW): Proff. W. Kinzelbach, P. Burlando, W. GujerInstitute of Cartography (IKA): Prof. L. HurniInstitute for Territorial Development and Landscape (IRL): Proff. W.A. Schmid, S. Kytzia, A. ThiersteinInstitute of Traffic Planning and Systems (IVT): Proff. H. Brändli, K.W. AxhausenLaboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW): Prof. H.-E. MinorResource and Waste Management (S+E): Prof. P. Baccini

FacultyRetirements Prof. Dr. H. Böhni Material Science September 30, 2002

Prof. Dr. K. Kovari Geotechnical Engineering September 30, 2002Appointments Prof. Dr. A. Thierstein Regional Economics October 1, 2002

Facts and Figures

I completed my studies in civil engineering in theDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Geoma-tics Engineering at the ETH Zurich in spring 2002.The civil engineering course can be divided intotwo parts. The first two years of the course coverthe basic principles of the civil engineering, in-cluding mathematics and mechanics.The range ofsubjects was very large. One part of the basiccourse was surveying. The theoretical knowledgegained could be con-solidated at the end of thefirst year in a week-long practical surveying coursein Thusis in Canton Grisons, which was a welcomechange from the theoretical part.

After completing the two pre-diploma courses thethird year of study was much more interesting,since the semester programme contained morespecifically civil engineering subjects. Thus I readthe basic lectures in hydraulics, geotechnicalengineering, reinforced concrete, steel construc-tion and in traffic engineering. In the reinforcedconcrete (R.C.) lecture I had the opportunity ofdeepening my knowledge in the topic of thedeformation behaviour in tension zones underbending in R.C. beams with the aid of tests carriedout oneself. In a group of six persons, in a first step

we made a 3.5 m long R.C. beam. This allowedsome of us to gain our first practical experience inthe production of a R.C. element. In carrying outthe test we could observe the structural behaviourof a concrete component and compare with ourcalculated prediction. The tests illustrated the useof the calculation models for the structural beha-viour of R.C. beams treated in the lecture andshow that with reasonable assumptions andmodels a good numerical result can be obtained.

After completing the third year of study theexamination-free summer semester followed. Idecided to devote this time to a practical trainingabroad. This I did in a large engineering firm inCopenhagen, Denmark. I could apply my basicknowledge in the fields of reinforced concrete andtunnelling and increase my knowledge with thefirm’s know-how. The visits to the sites of theCopenhagen subway highlighted for me the prac-tical problems encountered in the engineeringprofession.

Unfortunately, it was not until the final year ofstudy that we were given the opportunity tospecialise in individual subjects. In order to trainus to handle practical problems and to work in ateam, we were assigned semester projects. Thus,besides constructional tasks also the organisa-tional tasks facing the engineer could be tackledby means of exercises.

The diploma project forms the culmination of thecourse of studies. I myself chose my project in theInstitute for Structural Engineering. My diplomawork, besides the treatment of a theoreticalproblem, also involved the execution of tests inthe large Structural Testing Laboratory at ETHHönggerberg, Zurich.

Apart from the treatment of actual civil engineer-ing tasks, the course of studies also provided uswith training in the solution of general problems.

Birgit Schilling

Birgit Schilling got her Diploma Degree in CivilEngineering in Spring 2002

Studies in the Department BAUG

Students (Academic Year 2001/2002) Students1

st year 2nd year 3

rd year 4th year Total Diplomas

Civil Engineering 75 42 28 60 205 65

Environmental Engineering 29 20 19 19 87 25

Geomatic Engineering* 21 13 13 31 78 28

Total 125 75 60 110 370 118

(* Incl. Rural Engineering in the 4th year)

Doctoral Students DiplomasStudents Students

in other from other D-BAUG Departments Departments Total

Civil Engineering 84 1 85 19

Environmental Engineering 30 1 31 3

Geomatic Engineering* 44 2 46 5

Total 158 4 18 180 27

(* Incl. Rural Engineering)

Department Conference

Head of Department LabsIT

SecretariatEducation

Planing/Controlling

Conference of Heads of InstituteConference of Faculty Members

Curriculum Committee

Examination Committee

CivilEngineering

EnvironmentalEngineering

GeomaticsEngineering

IBB

IBK

IBWK

IRL

IGP

IGT

IHW

IKA

IVT

S + E

VAW

Diploma Courses Institutes

Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics EngineeringPostfach 193

ETH Hönngerberg

CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland

www.baug.ethz.ch

Head of DepartmentProf. Dr. Hans Rudolf Schalcher

DeputyProf. Dr. Hilmar Ingensand

Diploma Course Civil Engineering Head Prof. Dr. Hans-Erwin Minor

Secretariate Enrico Manna

Diploma Course Environmental EngineeringHead Prof. Dr. Willi Gujer

Secretariate Sigrid Schönherr

Diploma Course Geomatics EngineeringHead Prof. Dr. Hans-Gerd Kahle

SecretariateSigrid Schönherr

StaffPlanning and ControllingDr. Andreas Müller

EducationMartin Hänger

IT-supportDr. Xaver Studerus, Ping Yuan

Addresses

26

Staff (including part-time employees)Assistents, Technical Administrative

Institute Professors Senior Staff PhD-Students Staff Staff TotalD-BAUG 6 5 4 15

IBB 2 2 11 1 3 19

IBK 5 5 32 4 5 51

IBWK 2 1 19 5 2 29

IGT 4 10 28 12 4 58

IHW 3 4 22 3 3 35

IRL 3 10 22 0 3 38

IVT 2 10 28 4 3 47

VAW 1 11 34 14 4 64

IGP 5 12 34 2 6 59

IKA 1 4 20 2 2 29

S+E 1 2 7 10

Total 29 77 257 52 39 454

Postgraduate Studies (NDS), Postgraduate Courses (NDK), Short CoursesNDS/NDK ORL Regional Planning NDS/NDK VAW Hydraulic Structures (together with LCH of EPFL)NDS/NDK IHW Hydrology and Hydrogeology (together with IATE/HYDRAM of EPFL)NDK ORL Space as a Factor of Decision MakingNDK IGP, IKA Spatial Information SystemsNDK D-MAVT, IBK Risk and SafetyShort Courses ORL Weiterbildungsseminar Kommunikation-Moderation-Präsentation

IGT Advanced Geotechnical Analysis Using the Finite Element MethodIVT Forum Braunwald: Planung und Erstellung regionaler ÖV AngeboteIVT/SBB Integrierter öffentlicher VerkehrIVT Netzmodelle – Theorie und AnwendungIVT Angewandte VerkehrsplanungIVT Neue Datensätze zum VerkehrsverhaltenIVT Verkehrssysteme Mischverkehr MIV/ÖV; Verkehrsflächenbewirtschaftung

Workshops, Symposia, Congresses in 2002Event Institute Date

6. Alpine Glaciology Meeting VAW February 21-22, 2002ISPRS Workshop "Visualization and Animation of Landscape" IGP February 26-28, 2002Soil Structure Interaction in Urban Civil Engineering IGT/COST Action C7 March 7-8, 20022. Swiss Transport Research Conference IVT March 20-22, 2002JCSS Workshop on Reliability Based Code Calibration IBK March 21-22, 2002GEO-DACH-Meeting (TU Stuttgart, TU Munich, TU Graz, ETH Zurich) IGT June 13-16, 2002SVG Open / Carto.net Developers Conference IKA July 15-17, 2002Monte Veritá Symposium "Sedimentation and Sediment Transport" IHW September 2-6, 2002Internationales Symposium "Moderne Methoden und Konzepte im Wasserbau" VAW October 7-9, 2002Workshop on Reliability of Timber Strucures COST 24 IBK October 10-11, 2002SAFERELNET Workshop on the Homogenisation of Risk Assessement Across Different Industries and Countries in Europa IBK October 16-18, 2002Symposium "Critical Factors in Localized Corrosion IV - A Symposium in the Honor of the 65th Birthday of Hans Böhni" IBWK October 20-24, 2002, Salt Lake CityWorkshop "Industrielles Bauen - eine Herausforderung für KMU" IBB October 30, 2002Symposium "Risikomanagement in Generalunternehmen" IBB November 19, 2002Workshop: Kombinierter Ladungsverkehr in der Fläche und auf kürzeren Distanzen. Haben die Bahnen eine Chance? IVT December 17-18, 2002

HonoursProf. Dr. Armin Grün Honorary Professor of the Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, ChinaProf. Dr. Armin Grün Honorary Member of the Japanese Society for Photogrammetry and Remote SensingProf. Dr. Wolfgang Kinzelbach Henry Darcy Medaille der European Geophysical SocietyProf. Dr. Sarah Springman & das IGT CALICE Team Finalists, Media Prix 2002, (last 8 / 167 - Computer Aided Learning)Dr. Martin Thullner Medal of ETH Zurich for his thesis on biocloggingMaria Patraki Best Paper Award at the conference MAPINDIA 2002 at BangkokPabio Remondino Young Author Award, Syposium "Close range Photogrammetry - Long Range Vision" at KorfuSarah Jenny, Saskia Goes, Christine Hollenstein Best student paper award, American Geophysical Union Fall meetingFederico Cippà, Othmar Frey, Mathias Haldimann, David Naef, Matthias Thoma Medal for the best Students of ETHZ Federico Cippà, Christian Studer, Dominik Weiss Hatt-Bucher Fund PrizeMathias Haldimann, David Naef, Ralf Sigrist Willi Studer PrizePatrick Stillhart Baubetriebs-FörderungspreisSimon Haag SVVK-PrizeAndreas Galmarini, Andreas Schwarz Culmann Fund Prize

Impressum

Published by Department of Civil, Environmental and

Geomatics Engineering

Editor Dr. Andreas Müller

Design inform-zh.ch

Photos Department of Civil, Environmental and

Geomatics Engineering

PrintBuchsMedien AG

1st Edition April 2003: 2000 copies

Department of Civil,Environmental and

Geomatics Engineering

Annual Report 2002