STAFF PROFILE
Professor Kefei Zhang
Professor Kefei Zhang is the founder and director of the Satellite Positioning for Atmosphere, Climate and Environment (SPACE) Research Centre and the Satellite Positioning and Navigation (SPAN) Laboratory at RMIT University. Professor Zhang has over 25-year research experience in satellite positioning, geodesy and geospatial sciences. His current research interest is primarily involved in algorithm development and innovative applications of GNSS/GPS technologies for high-accuracy positioning, atmospheric studies (e.g. radio occultation, space weather, climate change, weather and environment), space situational awareness (e.g. space debris tracking, surveillance and collision warning and orbit determination) and people mobility and object tracking. He is a co-inventor of eight patents and has authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications in these fields and has attracted in excess of 20 million dollars in funding from the Australian Research Council, government, research organisations and industry sectors since 1990.
Over the past 10 years SPACE and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) have worked together to investigate and incorporate cutting-edge technologies to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts by up to 10 hours in the Australian region. As a result of this important research, GPS RO data was successfully integrated into the Australian weather forecasting system in 2012 and it is now considered one of the top 5 of the 30+ data sources used in reducing forecast error. Our research was ranked as “outstanding“ in the Excellence in Innovation for Australia (EIA) trial (PDF) 2012 and was featured in the ATN of Universities “50 solutions that count (PDF)“. Professor Zhang’s research was also presented in the showcase of the “Partners for a Better Future –Australia and China: Science and Technology Week“ at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. SPACE was also selected as a finalist in “The Australian Innovation Challenge Award“ 2014.
In 2010 Professor Zhang led an international research consortium and won a prestigious, multi-million-dollar Australia Space Research Program project (ASRP-2) in satellite positioning, space tracking and atmospheric studies for climate and space weather. Professor Zhang is currently the PR2 Program Leader of the newly established Australian Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Space Environment Management.
Areas of expertise
GPS, Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Space Science, Geodesy, Surveying and Geomatics
Responsibilities
- Director, Satellite Positioning for Atmosphere, Climate and Environment (SPACE) Research Centre
- Professor for Satellite Positioning, Geodesy and Surveying
- International Student Coordinator
Teaching activities
Undergraduate
- GEOM2093 - Surveying 4
- GEOM2119 – Geodesy
- GEOM2117 - Map Projections
- GEOM2114 - Geospatial Major Project A
- GEOM2115 - Geospatial Major Project B
Postgraduate
- Bachelor of Engineering, Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping, China
- Masters of Engineering, Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping, China
- Doctor of Philosophy, Curtin University of Technology
Adjunct appointment
- Guest Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Guest Professor, China University of Mining and Technology, China
- Guest Professor, Wuhan University, China
- Guest Professor, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology
- Guest Professor, Hubei University of Technology, China
- Guest Professor, China University of Geosciences
Recent awards, prizes and recognition
- The RMIT University Award for Research Excellence - Innovation Excellence Award 2014
- The Australian Innovation Challenge Award 2014 “Australian weather prediction and climate monitoring using GPS“ (a finalist in the category of ICT)
- Citation by Australian Technology Network of Universities “50 Solutions that Count (PDF)“ (p9) (Improving Weather Forecasting and Climate Modelling for the Australian Region Using GPS Radio Occultation)
- RMIT University Research Excellence Award 2013
- RMIT “2012 Research Income Performance Award“, RMIT Platform Technology Research Institute.
- Ranked “Outstanding“ in the Excellence in Innovation for Australia (EIA) trial (PDF) (pp63-64) for “Improving weather forecasting and climate modelling for the Australian region using GPS radio occultation).
Memberships
- Member, Institute of Navigation (ION)
- Member, International Association of Geodesy (IAG)
- President, International Association of Chinese Professionals in GPS
- Member, Spatial Science Institute.
- Life time member, International Association of Chinese Professionals in GIS
- Member, IEEE
- Member, Australian Space Science Society
- Cai, H.,Gehly, S.,Yang, Y.,Zhang, K. (2020). Modeling birth for the labeled multi-Bernoulli filter using a boundary value approach In: Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 43, 162 - 169
- He, Q.,Zhang, K.,Wu, S.,Zhao, Q.,Wang, X.,Shen, Z.,Li, L.,Wan, M.,Liu, X. (2020). Real-Time GNSS-derived PWV for Typhoon Characterizations: A Case Study for Super Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong In: Remote Sensing, 12, 1 - 23
- Hu, A.,Carter, B.,Currie, J.,Norman, R.,Wu, S.,Zhang, K. (2020). A Deep Neural Network Model of Global Topside Electron Temperature Modeling Using Incoherent Scatter Radars and Its Application to GPS Radio Occultation In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 1, 1 - 17
- Qin, K.,Han, X.,Li, D.,Xu, J.,Li, D.,Loyola, D.,Zhou, X.,Xue, Y.,Zhang, K.,Yuan, L. (2020). Satellite-based estimation of surface NO2 Concentrations over Eastern China: A Comparison of POMINO and OMNO2d Data In: Atmospheric Environment, 224, 1 - 10
- Li, W.,Zhao, D.,He, C.,Hu, A.,Zhang, K. (2020). Advanced machine learning optimized by the genetic algorithm in ionospheric models using long-term multi-instrument observations In: Remote Sensing, 12, 1 - 14
- Zhang, K.,Wang, N.,Wang, L.,Liu, A.,Yuan, H. (2019). Regional ionospheric TEC modeling based on a two-layer spherical harmonic approximation for real-time single-frequency PPP In: Journal of Geodesy, , 1 - 13
- He, C.,Yang, Y.,Carter, B.,Zhang, K.,Hu, A.,Li, W.,Deleflie, F.,Norman, R.,Wu, S. (2019). Impact of thermospheric mass density on the orbit prediction of LEO satellites In: Space Weather, 18, 1 - 17
- Le Marshall, J.,Norman, R.,Howard, D.,Rennie, S.,Moore, M.,Kaplon, J.,Xiao, Y.,Zhang, K.,Wang, C.,Cate, A.,Lehmann, P.,Wang, X., et al, . (2019). (In Press) Using GNSS Data for Real-time Moisture Analysis and Forecasting over the Australian Region I In: Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science, , 1 - 12
- Liu, Z.,Zhu, D.,Yu, H.,Zhang, K. (2019). Least-square variance-covariance component estimation method based on the equivalent conditional adjustment model In: Cehui Xuebao/Acta Geodaetica et Cartographica Sinica, 48, 1088 - 1095
- Cai, H.,Gehly, S.,Yang, Y.,Hoseinnezhad, R.,Norman, R.,Zhang, K. (2019). Multisensor tasking using analytical R�nyi divergence in labeled multi-Bernoulli filtering In: Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 42, 2078 - 2085
- Towards a new Australian GNSS RO atmospheric retrieval system. Funded by: CRC for Space Environment Management - Scholarship from (2018 to 2021)
- Monitoring of the Atmosphere over the Australian and Antarctic regions using GNSS radio occultation.. Funded by: 021-Australian Antarctic Science Program Grant 2017 from (2017 to 2020)
- Next generation space weather forecasts. Funded by: ARC Linkage Grant 2016 from (2016 to 2020)
- Tracklet Correlation and Multi-target Tracking of Space Debris Initial Orbit Determination for Enhanced Catalogue Maintenance and Conjunction Analysis (Student - Han Cai). Funded by: CRC for Space Environment Management from (2016 to 2019)
- Precision orbit determination and advanced astrodynamics research for applications in satellite positioning and tracking (PhD student: Adam Harris). Funded by: CRC for Space Environment Management from (2016 to 2019)
18 PhD Completions and 6 Masters by Research Completions2 PhD Current Supervisions