Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods
Sefydliad Ymchwill Gymdeithasol ac Economaidd, Data a Dulliau Cymru
www.wiserd.ac.uk

Dr Richard Fry

Job Title: WISERD Researcher (Data Integration team)

Institution: University of Glamorgan

Email: rfry@glam.ac.uk

Role: Richard was a member of the WISERD Data Integration team.

 

Biography

Richard’s PhD Research is focused on developing a GIS model to provide geographic parameters to an ice prediction model as part of an EPSRC Industrial CASE award. Using a variety of datasets a 3D model was developed for Hampshire, UK which could be interrogated to extract geographical parameters. The forecast model required geographic parameters for eleven thousand forecast points across the Hampshire road network which helped the weather forecaster model the microclimate for each forecast point and thus determine the likelihood of ice forming at that point on the road network.

Research Interests

Richard’s research interests include;

Transport GIS

  • Accessibility models – investigating methods to integrate public transport networks into accessibility scores using the two-step floating score catchment analysis. Research interests include introducing public timetables into a GIS to assess the temporal accessibility to services when being accessed via public transport, assessing the ONS Travel to Work Areas from a public transport perspective.
  • Perceptions of Accessibility – investigating the use of qualitative data to create a measure of perceived accessibility and compare that to a GIS modelled score. Investigating current ONS and WG datasets that contain relevant questions regarding accessibility and working with other WISERD colleagues on the development of travel diaries to provide a qualitative data source that can be used as a comparison to the modelled score.

Qualitative GIS 

  • The development of Qualitative GIS methodologies and software. Currently there is very little research on the Qualitative GIS and using GIS with multi-modal datasets. One of my main research interests is to develop methodologies to integrate qualitative data within an existing GIS framework or if necessary develop a new unique GIS framework for handling qualitative data.

OpenSource GIS, OpenSource Web GIS,  RDF and Metadata Standards

  • Researching the various open source software available to develop the WISERD GeoPortal
  • Assessing the MetaData Standards currently in use by institutions such as the UK Data Archive with the aim of developing a WISERD data standard that will encompass quantitative, qualitative and spatial data. This research will underpin the main functionalities of the GeoPortal.
  • Investigate the Resource Description Framework (RDF) to enable data linking across different resources. In particular the research interests focus on spatially linking datasets using RDF.
  • The use of OpenSource GIS in Public Participation GIS and crowdsourcing of data

3D GIS

  • 3D modelling of the environment from remotely sensed data. Research stems from MSc and PhD research, particular interests in modelling of buildings on a large scale and the use of 3D GIS in various research interest listed above 

Current Research 

Richard is currently working on the development of an online GIS-based searchable meta-database of primary and secondary socio-economic data for Wales. This work brings together several
distinct but related strands of research including Web-GIS, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) spatial and non-spatial meta-data development and management, quantitative and qualitative GIS and
geo-visualisation.

Recent Publications

Fry R, Berry R, Higgs G, Orford S, Jones S, 2012, ‘The WISERD Geoportal: A tool for the discovery, analysis and visualisation of socio-economic (meta-) data for Wales’ Transactions in GIS 16(2) pp 105-124 (Available here)

Higgs G, Fry R, Langford M, 2010, “The use of GIS-derived accessibility measures in mixed methods research: A research agenda” WISERD/WPS/001 (Available here)

Berry R, Fry R, Higgs G, Orford S, 2010, ‘Building a Geo-portal for enhancing collaborative socio-economic research in Wales using open source technology’ Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education 2(1) pp 77-92 (Available here)

Fry R, 2007 A GIS Based Approach to Predicting Road Temperatures (GISRUK, Maynooth)

Davy I, Fry R, Slade L, Taylor G, 2007, “A GIS Based Approach to Predicting Road Surface Temperatures” Web and Wireless Geographical Information Systems  16-29