Context

The Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière (IGN) is a government agency responsible for producing, maintaining, distributing and facilitating the use of geospatial data infrastructures, in support of public policies and scientific communities (earth sciences, environmental sciences, etc.). Its missions are to respond to the challenges of continuous observation and metrology of the territory and its evolution, by providing increasingly rich, up-to-date and thematic knowledge. To achieve this, IGN intends to invest heavily in the use of automatic data processing technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced statistical methods. A major objective for the years to come is to develop these techniques for the analysis of space geodesy data, which play an essential role in a large number of civilian and scientific applications (precise positioning of reference points on the territory, continuous monitoring of ground deformations in cities, building sites and engineering structures, study of major geophysical and climatic phenomena, such as sea level evolution, ice melt and the strengthening of the water cycle, etc.). Thanks to its engineering school, ENSG-Géomatique, and its multi-disciplinary research teams, the Institute cultivates high-level innovation potential in several fields (geodesy, forestry, photogrammetry, artificial intelligence, spatial analysis, 3D visualization, etc.). ENSG-Géomatique has signed the Grenoble Accord, and is committed to the socio-ecological transition.

IGN-ENSG is developing its geodesy research within UMR 7154 IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Improving observation and calculation methods to provide ever more accurate geodetic products, and participating in the interpretation of small geophysical signals and long-term climate trends using these products, are the two strong axes that form the core of the IGN-IPGP geodesy team's expertise. For over 30 years, the team has been producing the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) for the global community, as well as various geophysical products for the national and international scientific community (measurement of variations in gravity and geopotential, time series of GNSS and DORIS station positions, orbitography of Earth observation satellites, GNSS water vapor data for weather forecasting and climate change monitoring, etc.). The team thus contributes to the advancement of fundamental knowledge on geophysical, climatic and environmental processes. It is involved in transferring the tools and methods developed to IGN's operational departments, as well as to the national data hubs of the Data Terra Research Infrastructure.

Your Missions

In order to push back the limits of accuracy and use of space geodesy techniques, and maintain France's scientific leadership in terrestrial reference systems, the aim of the Junior Research Professor will be to apply modern statistical methods and artificial intelligence to the analysis of space geodesy data, such as symbolic regression algorithms based on deep neural network learning. The aim is to develop new scientific applications with high-quality products that will be more accurately qualified to meet societal challenges and better serve the scientific community. 

The candidate is expected to develop an ambitious and innovative research program, with a long-term vision. He/she could, for example, propose to start by using deep learning methods to change the paradigms for modeling and segmenting geodetic data time series. Taking into account more complete error models in the construction of the ITRF and the estimation of geodetic and geophysical products (crustal deformations and atmospheric water vapour content) will thus make it possible to improve the qualification of these products and provide more realistic uncertainty estimators that are crucial for the interpretation of these data and for subsequent decision-making in terms of land management in the face of natural and anthropogenic hazards. 

The Junior Research Professor will help to meet the challenge of training tomorrow's researchers and engineers in the interdisciplinary field of geomatics, which requires both a solid scientific and technical grounding in the tools and methods of geodetic and geophysical data analysis, and a good understanding of the socio-environmental applications of these data and products. In particular, the incumbent's mission will be to develop the teaching of statistical analysis methods and artificial intelligence as part of the essential knowledge base of tomorrow's young graduates.  The geodesy team is part of UMR 7154, under the authority of IPGP, IGN and Université Paris Cité. For IGN, it is attached to ENSG-Géomatique, which trains around 60 geomatics engineers every year. The incumbent will therefore naturally contribute to the training of students and engineering students (bac+3 to bac+5 level) at ENSG-Géomatique, and/or in training programs in partnership with ENSG, through an annual service of 32 h eq. TD the first year, then 64 h eq. TD, with a view to developing original teaching around the theme.

The Chairholder will be required to promote the results obtained through publications in recognized international scientific journals (rank A) and through regular presentations at national and international geodesy and geoscience conferences. He or she will also be expected to disseminate the geodetic products resulting from the project to the community via dedicated channels, and to put his or her expertise at the service of innovation in IGN's production activities.

In line with geodesy and current practices within the IPGP and IGN research units, this project aims to be part of the open science approach, and to promote the accessibility of this research to the scientific community and the general public. The aim will therefore be to make the articles, software tools and geodetic products resulting from the project available online in an open manner. This will be done via dedicated platforms and demonstrators such as the Data Terra research infrastructure and its ForM@ter and AERIS service centers. These practices are essential in the discipline, since it would be impossible to carry out global analyses without sharing data and products from different countries and research organizations.

Because of its environmental scope, this project is ideal for communicating with the general public. Among the original topics it can cover are the importance of Earth observation for future environmental challenges, the role of geodesy in land management, and the role of French research teams in monitoring natural and man-made hazards and global change. These communications can take place via standard animation and communication events (Fête de la Science, IGN Research Day, Pint of Science, etc.), via digital channels that can be consulted all year round (publications on social networks, participation in blogs or online video content), or via interactions with press agencies in response to scientific news.