Thomas H. Kolbe

The research field of Professor Kolbe (b. 1968) is the development of methods for the spatial, temporal and semantic modeling, storage, analysis and visualization of the environment. Key areas are virtual 3D city and landscape models, urban digital twins and city system modeling, smart cities, 3D geodatabases, 3D geoinformation systems, GIS & simulations and indoor navigation. Professor Kolbe is the initiator and co-author of the international standard CityGML for semantic 3D city and landscape models. He also architect and co-author of the international standard IndoorGML.

Professor Kolbe studied computer science at the University Dortmund between 1988 and 1993. After completing his studies he worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Computer Science III at the University of Bonn and the Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Vechta until 1999. He was awarded his doctoral degree in 1999. From 1999 he was a research assistant, and later a senior research assistant, at the Institute for Cartography and Geoinformation at the University of Bonn. Between 2006 and 2012 he held the Chair of the Department of Geoinformation Technology at TU Berlin. Since 2012 he is head of the Chair of Geoinformatics at TUM.

Prof. Kolbe has been president (2012-2016) and before vice president (2008-2012) of the German Society for Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation (DGPF). Since 2013 he is chairman of the Runder Tisch GIS e.V. In the academic year 2016/17 he was appointed as visiting professor at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft. Prof. Kolbe is a founding member of the Leonhard Obermeyer Center (LOC) - TUM Center of Digital Methods for the Built Environment. He is also member of the of the Hans Eisenmann-Forum (HEF), the TUM Center for Agricultural Sciences at the TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan (WZW) and has been its director from 2019-2021. Since 2021, Prof. Kolbe is a core member of the Munich Data Science Institute.

Publications

• Erbe, Karin; Brandmeier, Melanie; Schmitt, Michael; Donaubauer, Andreas; Liebscher, Jan-Andreas; Kolbe, Thomas H.: Detektion von Fahrradständern in Luftbildern mittels Deep Learning. Beiträge 42. Wissenschaftlich-Technische Jahrestagung der DGPF, Publikationen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Photogrammetrie, Fernerkundung und Geoinformation e.V., 2022, 27-39
• Krapf, Sebastian; Willenborg, Bruno; Knoll, Kevin; Bruhse, Matthias; Kolbe, Thomas H.: Deep Learning for Semantic 3D City Model Extension: Modeling Roof Superstructures using Aerial Images for Solar Potential Analysis. 3DGeoInfo 2022 Conference, 2022
• Moshrefzadeh, Mandana; Machl, Thomas; Gackstetter, David; Donaubauer, Andreas; Kolbe, Thomas H.: Auf dem Weg zu einem verteilten digitalen Zwilling der Agrarlandschaft. Allgemeine Vermessungs-Nachrichten : AVN (129 ( 2022 ) 3), 2022