In Taiwan, where complex terrain and frequent natural hazards are part of the landscape, high-resolution topographic information is essential for disaster prevention, land-use planning, and sustainable governance. With a background in geology, Professor Kuo-Jen Chang officially joined the Graduate College of Sustainability and Green Energy in the 2026–2027 academic year. His research integrates geological science, unmanned aerial vehicle imagery, and emerging sensing technologies to build more comprehensive topographic datasets and strengthen Taiwan's disaster-monitoring capabilities.
From Geology to Independent Data Acquisition
Professor Chang graduated from the Department of Geology at National Taiwan University and earned his doctoral degree in Montpellier, France. His areas of expertise include geology, structural geology, and topographic analysis. After returning to Taiwan, he began conducting research on natural hazards and topographic change, but quickly recognized a fundamental challenge: meaningful analysis requires reliable data, and detailed topographic data in Taiwan are not always readily available.
As a result, his research gradually expanded from conventional data analysis to independent data collection and database development. This work includes aerial imagery, multi-temporal topographic records, active-fault monitoring, and other forms of high-resolution spatial data. Professor Chang emphasizes that access to accurate data is a shared fundamental need among geologists, civil engineers, and disaster-prevention agencies.
More Than a Decade of Development: From Custom-Built UAVs to High-Resolution Terrain Models
Before UAV equipment became widely available on the commercial market, Professor Chang had already begun developing and modifying unmanned aerial systems. By integrating hardware and software and continuously refining system design, his team gradually established a large UAV fleet and accumulated more than a decade of technical experience.
The team's major activities include UAV imaging and photogrammetry, UAV-based LiDAR data collection, large fixed-wing aircraft photography for wide-area terrain mapping, development of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs), and multi-temporal analysis of landscape change. The team has documented disaster areas including the Caoling landslide and the Mataian Creek landslide-dammed lake, building long-term multi-temporal collections of imagery and terrain data. These datasets provide significant value for disaster interpretation and the analysis of long-term geomorphic trends.
For Students: No Entry Barrier, Only a Willingness to Learn by Doing
Professor Chang emphasizes that students in his laboratory do not need to come from a particular academic background.
“I did not come from an aviation background either. I simply learned step by step because the research required it.”
For him, existing technical skills are less important than curiosity, a willingness to experiment hands-on, motivation to solve problems, and an open attitude toward interdisciplinary learning.
Students may participate in UAV assembly, image processing, data analysis, terrain-model development, field photography, and data collection at disaster sites. The result is a comprehensive and highly interdisciplinary research-training experience.
Broad Career Opportunities: From Engineering to Disaster Prevention
UAV photogrammetry, terrain-data development, and spatial-information analysis have become increasingly important in civil engineering and geographic-information industries. Students trained in Professor Chang's research group have opportunities across engineering consulting firms, surveying and geographic information system (GIS) companies, disaster-prevention and environmental-monitoring organizations, government agencies such as geological-survey and soil-and-water-conservation authorities, and sustainability and green-energy industries including coastal monitoring and wind-farm environmental assessment.
Whether the task involves disaster monitoring or sustainability governance, Professor Chang emphasizes that data collection is the foundation for all subsequent analysis and decision-making. This makes expertise in high-quality data acquisition and spatial analysis consistently valuable across professional sectors.
Research Philosophy: Stay Ambitious and Keep Solving Problems
At the conclusion of the interview, Professor Chang summarized his research philosophy in a single statement:
“Always stay ambitious and develop the ability to solve problems.”
Sustainability and disaster-prevention challenges are evolving rapidly across disciplinary boundaries. Every researcher may have an opportunity to become a pioneer in an emerging field. By remaining willing to experiment and unafraid of difficult challenges, students can create their own path at the intersection of data, technology, and the land.