Biography
After working as a Teaching Fellow in GIS at the University of Leicester, in September 2013 I joined the School of Physical and Geographical Sciences at Keele as a Lecturer in Human Geography and GIS. Previous to that I held teaching and research roles at a myriad of institutions such as the University of Barcelona, the University of Lleida, the University of Sheffield or Durham University and have also worked in the private sector as an Environment Technician.
Academically I did a BSc in Geography at the University of Barcelona (2007), a MSc in GIS at the University of Edinburgh (2008), a MEd in Higher Education Lecturing at the University of Barcelona (2011) and a PhD in Geography, Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Barcelona (2013) with the title “Bottled natural mineral water in Catalonia: Origin and geographical evolution of its consumption and production”.
You can follow me on Twitter @tande64. Between rants and complaints from time to time I also post links geographically relevant.
Research and scholarship
I am interested in anything to do with geography and GIS, so my research interests are quite broad, varied and geeky. Current and past research topics for which I am happy to supervise PhDs include:
Historical cartography and GIS
- Recreation of past landscapes
- Evolution of Urban Fabric
- Sediment yield estimation
- Land use evolution
Geographies of Food and Eating
- The industry of bottled water
- European Spa Towns
- Wine Geography
- Culture and Food
Pedagogy of Geography
- Web based learning
- Competences-based teaching
- Alternative teaching methods
- Computer skills teaching
Human Geography and GIS
- Quality of life and well-being
- Nationalism
- Housing
- Electoral Geography
- Geolinguistics and Twitter
- Population visualisation methods
Remote Sensing and GIS
- Application of UAVs (drones) to environmental issues
- Satellite imagery and land change
- Archaeological documentation
I am a member of the Catalan Geographical Society, the Association of Catalan Geographers, the Official Geographers Body of Catalonia and Spain, Group of Historical Cartography Studies, the Keele Institute for Social Inclusion and Keele Natural Sciences Research.
Teaching
Module leader:
- ESC-10035 Geographical Skills
- GEG-2010 Practical Human Geography
- ESC-30044 Applied GIS
Involved in:
- ESC-20029 Practical Physical Geography
- ESC-20049 Dynamic Geographies
- ESC-20050 Dynamic Geographies
- GEG-20009 Geographical Research Training (Barcelona Fieldcourse)
Phd Supervision:
- 2018- Helen Malbon, Can digitised heritage landscapes inspire a sense of place?
- 2017- Iqtadar Shah, Modelling agritourism potential in rural areas using GIS methods
- 2017- Laura Brennan, Gender, Migration and Intergenerational Mobility
- 2017- Ben Davenward, Determining the extent and landsystems context of buried ice within glacial environments
- 2017- Adam Peacock, Mobility, exclusion and governance in the rural-urban fringe
- 2016- Angie Turner, The evolution and glacial significance of meltwater systems within the North Staffordshire region
- 2014-2016 Ben Duke, Student learning through work placements
Selected Publications
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Heterogeneous changes in the surface area of lakes in the Kangerlussuaq area of southwestern Greenland between 1995 and 2017. ARCTIC ANTARCTIC AND ALPINE RESEARCH, Article UNSP e1487744, vol. 50(1). link> doi> full text>2018.
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Demolinguistics, internet and big data. Language, Society and Communication, 36-47. full text>2017.
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Too much of a good thing? the role of detailed UAV imagery in characterizing large-scale badland drainage characteristics in South-Eastern Spain. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING, 2844-2860, vol. 38(8-10). link> doi> full text>2017.
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From historical map to online 3D recreation: the 1861 cadastral map of Horta (Barcelona). CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE, 211-223, vol. 42(3). link> doi> full text>2015.
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The Relationship Between Residential Quality of Life and Socioeconomic Status in England. Urban Affairs Review, 100-133, vol. 50(1). doi>2014.
Full Publications Listshow
Journal Articles
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Panoramic views, military maps and urban maps of Barcelona from the 16th to the 19th century. IMAGO MUNDI-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR THE HISTORY OF CARTOGRAPHY, 133-134, vol. 74(1). link>2022.
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Rapid charging provision, multiplicity and battery electric vehicle (BEV) mobility in the UK. JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY, Article ARTN 103137, vol. 95. link> doi> full text>2021.
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Red-Edge Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI705) from Sentinel-2 imagery to assess post-fire regeneration. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 100283, vol. 17. doi> full text>2020.
- 2020.
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Fenced Fisheries, Eurasian Otters (Lutra lutra) and Licenced Trapping: An Impact Assessment. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin. full text>
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Heterogeneous changes in the surface area of lakes in the Kangerlussuaq area of southwestern Greenland between 1995 and 2017. ARCTIC ANTARCTIC AND ALPINE RESEARCH, Article UNSP e1487744, vol. 50(1). link> doi> full text>2018.
- 2017.
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Demolinguistics, internet and big data. Language, Society and Communication, 36-47. full text>2017.
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Too much of a good thing? the role of detailed UAV imagery in characterizing large-scale badland drainage characteristics in South-Eastern Spain. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING, 2844-2860, vol. 38(8-10). link> doi> full text>2017.
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Twitter as a sociolinguistic research tool: pros and cons. Treballs de Sociolingüística Catalana, 89-101. doi> full text>2016.
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From historical map to online 3D recreation: the 1861 cadastral map of Horta (Barcelona). CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE, 211-223, vol. 42(3). link> doi> full text>2015.
- 2014.
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Historical cartography as a tool to study urban change. The case of Garriga i Roca’s quarterons. Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Geografia, 205-220. doi> full text>2014.
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The Relationship Between Residential Quality of Life and Socioeconomic Status in England. Urban Affairs Review, 100-133, vol. 50(1). doi>2014.
- 2014.
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Quality of life and spatial inequality in London. European Urban and Regional Studies, 0969776412439201.2012.
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Mapes dinàmics on-line: Bases de dades relacionals, PERL i SVG. Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Geografia, 606-615. full text>2008.
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Lack of sufficient public space can limit the effectiveness of COVID-19’s social distancing measures. doi>
Chapters
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Agua mineral natural envasada en Catalunya: del balneario a la tienda. In Balnearios, veraneo, literatura. Agua y salud en la España contemporánea. Puigverd J and Figueras N (Eds.). Madrid: Marcial Pons. link> full text>2018.
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From Hidden to Online, the Case of Horta’s Cadastral Map. In Cartography and cadastral maps. Visions from the past for a vision of our future. Benedetti B, Farrugia C, Romiti B, Sipos A (Eds.). Pisa, Italy: Scuola Normale Superiore. doi>2015.
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Catàleg de la cartografia parcel-lària municipal de Catalunya 1849-1897) aplegada pel GEHC. In Cartografia i agrimensura a Catalunya i Balears al segle XIX. Montaner C, Nadal F, Urteaga L (Eds.). Barcelona: Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya. full text>2011.
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El catàleg de plànols parcel•laris municipals de Catalunya del Grup d’Estudis d’Història de la Cartografia. In 2on Seminari d’història de la cartografia. Cartografia i agrimensura a Catalunya i Balears (segles XIX-XX). Nadal F and Montaner C (Eds.). Barcelona: Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya.2011.
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Integració entre cartografia històrica i models d’elevació digital del terreny. El cas del plànol percel·lari del municipi d’Horta de 1861. In Cartografia i agrimensura a Catalunya i Balears al segle XIX. Montaner C, Nadal F, Urteaga L (Eds.). (Muntan ed.). Barcelona: Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya.2011.
Other
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Targeted Crowdsourced Vectorisation of Historical Cartography. Automatic Vectorisation of Historical Maps: International workshop organized by the ICA Commission on Cartographic Heritage into the Digital. Budapest – 13 March, 2020. Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics ELTE. doi> full text>
- 2018.
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Combining historical cartography and GIS to unravel the mysteries of the Isabel II dam in Níjar (Almería). XVI Congreso Nacional de Tecnologías de Información Geográfica (pp. 410-417). link>2014.
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Bottled natural mineral water in Catalonia: origin and geographical evolution of its consumption and production. full text>2013.
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Cartografía colaborativa y trabajo en equipo: Google my maps como herramienta docente. Innovación metodológica y docente en historia, arte y geografía [Recurso electrónico]: Actas Congreso Internacional, Santiago de Compostela, 7-9 de septiembre de 2011 (pp. 265-269). full text>2012.
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Recreating past landscapes in 3D using GIS and cadastral cartography from the 19th century: the Horta example of the Province of Barcelona. In J. Gensel, D. Josselin & D. Vandenbroucke (Eds.). Association Geographic Information Laboratories Europe.2012.
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Treball interdisciplinari de tres competències transversals (capacitat d’aprenentatge i responsabilitat, capacitat crítica i autocrítica i capacitat per treballar en equip) de la Universitat de Barcelona. Actas del III Congreso Internacional de Nuevas Tendencias en la Formación Permanente del Profesorado (pp. 1542-1551).2012.
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El profesorado novel y la utilización de las TIC en la innovación docente. Estrategias de alfabetización mediática: Reflexiones sobre comunicación y Educación.2011.
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INNOVELLS: Acciones colaborativas de innovación en la docencia del profesorado novel. VIII Foro sobre Evaluación de la Calidad de la Investigación y de la Educación Superior: Libro de Capítulos (pp. 854-858).2011.
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Census Data and PPGIS: Housing in the Kingston Metropolitan Region, Jamaica. link>2008.
Funding
- 2018 Rethinking ‘falling behind’ cities: inclusive urbanism at times of crisis and ‘closing’, Keele Institute for Social Inclusion £3,700
- 2018 Secure Food Futures, Keele Institute for Social Inclusion £3,971
- 2017-2019 City and countryside in Spanish Cartography, a historic perspective, Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry 48,000€
- 2017 Funding to develop an augmented reality sandbox Higher Horizons+ £2,67
- 2017 Santander Research Bursary seed corn research £2,750
- 2017 Funding to purchase a 3D printer Geography, Geology and Environment Research cluster £2,150
- 2016-2017 Introducing undergraduate students to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Learning and Professional Development Centre, Keele University £2,590
- 2015-2017 Models in the Spanish urban cartography: a historical analysis Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry with 48,400€ for the project and 85,000€ for a PhD scholarship
- 2015-2017 Youth migration, new social movements and digital networks (#eMovix) Obra Social la Caixa with 77,262.23€
- 2015 Erasmus funding to visit the Unversity of Almería 1,750€
- 2015 Santander Research Bursary seed corn research £3,500
- 2015 Network funding to establish links Centre for Social Policy, Keele University £1,500
- 2014 Funding to purchase a research UAV and sensors Faculty of Natural Sciences, Keele University £26,500
- 2012-2014 Urban cartography in Spain in the 18th and 19th centuries: the role of councils and the military funded by the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry with 49,573€
- CAN'T ADD FURTHER ITEMS TO THIS FOR SOME REASON
Conferences
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2018) “Mapping population density of Galicia (Spain) at sub-municipal level” RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, Cardiff, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2018) “The location of Catalan mineral water bottling plants during their first expansion period (1844-1936)” 17th International Conference of Historical Geographers 2018, Warsaw, Poland
EVANGELIDES, Christos and NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2018) “Post-fire revegetation assessment in Cyprus: a case study in Evrychou” Sixth International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment, Paphos, Cyprus
MILLMAN, H; PHIPPS, S; GOLLEDGE, N; FOGWILL, C; TURNEY, C and NOBAJAS, A (2018) “Rapid ocean-driven West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse under Last Interglacial climate forcings” European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria
EVANGELIDES, Christos and NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2018) “Post-fire revegetation assessment in Cyprus: a case study in Evrychou” JADE Student Learning Undergraduate Conference, Keele, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “UAVs (drones) as data source for 3D modelling” Computer Science Seminar Series, Keele, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “The challenges of studying the geographical distribution of languages using social media; Twitter and the Catalan case” Digital Humanities at Keele University, Keele, United Kingdom
TURNER, Angela; WALLER, Richard; NOBAJAS, Alexandre; KNIGHT, Peter; LEE, Jonathan (2017) “Establishing the evolution and paleo-glaciological significance of meltwater drainage systems within North Staffordshire using a multi-disciplinary, landsystems approach” Faculty of Natural Sciences' Postgraduate Research Symposium, Keele, United Kingdom
MALBON, Helen and NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “Photogrammetry from UAV data to create a 3D reconstruction of a Type II henge, Arbor Low” 26th Comité International de la Photogrammétrie Architecturale conference, Digital Workflows for Heritage Conservation, Ottawa, Canada
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “Automatic Isogloss Maps from Twitter Data: The Catalan Case” Methods in Dialectology XVI, Tokyo, Japan
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “Drones and undergraduate students, a viable relationship?” International Conference on Education and Learning, Tokyo, Japan
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “Throwing caution to the wind; using drones to teach undergraduate students” Keele Learning and Teaching Conference, Keele, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2017) “The role of detailed UAV imagery in characterising large-scale badland drainage characteristics in South-eastern Spain” Early Career Researcher Lunches, Keele, United Kingdom
ALLEN, Daniel and NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2016) “Mapping the Archive: Using Historical Hunting Records to Map the Presence of Otters in England” KUSRN seminar series, Keele, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2016) “The study of large-scale badlands environments using UAV imagery” The Commercial UAV Show, London, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2016) “Geography, languages and Twitter; the Iberian case”. RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, London, United Kingdom
Allen, Daniel and NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2016) “Mapping the Archive: Using Historical Hunting Records to Map the Presence of Otters in England”. RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, London, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2016) “Characterising large scale badland drainage density in south-eastern Spain using UAV imagery”. Small UAS for Environmental Research Conference, Worcester, United Kingdom
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2016) “The Barcelona Plan (1856-1862) by Miquel Garriga i Roca, from the archive to the web”. IX seminario “Dalla mappa al GIS”, Rome, Italy
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2015) “Vectorisation of the 1861 Horta’s land plot map”. 3rd Conference on Barcelona’s History, Barcelona, Spain
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2015) “Is Twitter a valid data source to study linguistics? The case of Catalonia”. Reliability and Validity in SLA Research, Barcelona, Spain
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2015) “Using historical cadastral cartography to study the relationship between flash floods and urban change in Barcelona”. IX seminario “Dalla mappa al GIS”, Rome, Italy
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2015) “Using Twitter to study (and map) sociolinguistic diversity”. Geography, Geology and the Environment seminar series, Keele, UK
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2015) “The representation of the port in the Barcelona Plan (1856-1862) of Miquel Garriga i Roca”. 4th International Workshop in the History of Iberian Cartography, Barcelona, Spain
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2014) “Combining historical cartography and GIS to unravel the mysteries of the Isabel II dam in Níjar (Almería)”. XVI Congreso Nacional de Tecnologías de la Información Geográfica, Alacant, Spain
NOBAJAS, A., BURGUEÑO, J., MONTANER, C., MURO, J. I., NADAL, F., URTEAGA, J., VIDAL, T., VILLANOVA, J. L.(2014) “Cadastral cartography and surveying in Catalonia (1845-1895)”. Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2014) “Twitter as a tool to analyse sociolinguistic and geolinguistic trends in the Iberian Peninsula, a methodological proposal”. XVIth Forum for Iberian Studies: Cultural and linguistic diversity in the Iberian Peninsula, University of Oxford
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2013) “From hidden to on-line, the case of Horta’s cadastral map”. Cartography and cadastral maps. Visions from the past, for a vision of our future Pisa
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2013) “Garriga i Roca’s ‘quarterons’ as a tool to study urban change in Barcelona”. La representació cartogràfica de la ciutat a la península Ibèrica (segles XVII-XIX) Barcelona
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2012) ‘Bottled mineral water in Catalonia, from the spa to the shop’ Water and Health: spas and sea baths Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain (In Spanish)
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2012) Using cadastral cartography to recreate past landscapes: the Horta example Poster presented at the Centre for Landscape and Climate Research Launch Event, Leicester, UK
NOBAJAS, Alexandre and NADAL, Francesc (2012) ‘Recreating past landscapes in 3D using GIS and cadastral cartography from the 19th century: the Horta example of the Province of Barcelona’ The 15th AGILE International Conference on Geographic Information Science Avignon, France
ASENSIO, J.A., CASTILLEJOS, B., DELGADO, M.P., GRAELL, M., NOBAJAS, A., PRADES, J.D., QUIRÓS, C., SUÁREZ, M.M. (2011) “Interdisciplinary work in three common competences of the University of Barcelona” III Congrés Internacional Noves Tendències en la Formació Permanent del Professorat Barcelona (In Catalan)
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2011) “Collaborative Cartography and team-work: Google my maps as a teaching tool” Congreso Internacional Innovación Metodológica y Docente en Historia, Arte y Geografía Santiago de Compostela (in Spanish)
ASENSIO, J.A., CAMPANERA, J.M., CASTILLEJOS, B., CODERCH, M., CUEVA, L., DELGADO, M.P., GRAELL, M., MONTMANY, B., NETTEL, A., NOBAJAS, A., PRADES, J.D., QUIRÓS, C., RAMON, A., SILVESTRE, M.P., SUÁREZ, M.M. (2011) “INNOVELLS: Collaborative and innovative initiatives in teaching” VIII Foro sobre la Evaluación de la Calidad de la Investigación y de la Educación Superior (FECIES) Santander, Spain (in Spanish)
CAMPANERA, J. M.; CASTILLEJOS, B.; NOBAJAS, A.; PRADES, J. D.; RAMON, A.; SUÁREZ, M. Mar. (2011) “Young lecturers and the use of IT in teaching innovation” I Congreso Internacional Comunicación y Educación: Estrategias de Alfabetización Mediática, Barcelona (in Spanish)
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2010) “Bottled mineral water in Catalonia: The role of the receptacle in its starting stages” V Congrés d'Història Agrària dels Països Catalans, Barcelona
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2010) “Integration between historical cartography and digital elevation models. The map of the old town of Horta in 1861” 2on Seminari d’història de la cartografia. Cartografia i agrimensura a Catalunya i Balears (segles XIX-XX), Barcelona (In Catalan)
MUNTANER, Carme i NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2010) “The rural maps catalogue of Catalonia collected by the Grup d’Estudis d’Història de la Cartografia” 2on Seminari d’història de la cartografia. Cartografia i agrimensura a Catalunya i Balears (segles XIX-XX), Barcelona (In Catalan)
Nobajas, Alexandre (2010) “Bottled Water Consumption and Underground Water Pollution: Swine and Nitrates an Catalonia” International Geographical Union Regional Conference, Tel-Aviv
SEARLE, Beverley A.; SMITH, Susan J.; NOBAJAS, Alex (2009) “From housing wealth to wellbeing: the role and relevance of mortgage equity withdrawal in the UK” 9th International Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS), Florence
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2009) “Housing and families in Kingston, Jamaica: a statistical and spatial depiction from the 2001 census data.” Second International Conference on Geographies of Children, Youth and Families, Barcelona
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2008) “Dynamic maps on-line: relational databases, PERL and SVG” Segon Congrés Català de Geografia (In Catalan)
NOBAJAS, Alexandre (2008) “GIS and Census Data: Housing in the Kinston Metropolitan Area, Jamaica” Postgraduate Research Conference, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
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School email: gge@keele.ac.uk