Aalto University Geoinformatics Master’s Thesis Guide for the 2026–2028 Curriculum

Aalto University’s Master’s Programme in Geoinformatics is a 120 ECTS Master of Science (Technology) programme organised by the School of Engineering. Under the current 2026–2028 curriculum, the degree consists of 60 ECTS of major studies, a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis and 30 ECTS of elective studies. The current thesis code is BE.thes, while the maturity test is ENG.matr, 0 ECTS.

Geoinformatics combines geodesy, photogrammetry, laser scanning, Earth observation and remote sensing, geographic information technologies, spatial data science, cartography and geospatial visualisation. That breadth means there is no single compulsory research design for every thesis. A project may be computational, measurement-based, modelling-oriented, empirical, methodological or theoretically framed depending on the research problem.

This guide uses current public Aalto material verified on 29 August 2026. The School of Engineering’s detailed Master’s Thesis Guide remains inside an authenticated MyCourses space. Therefore, this guide does not reconstruct hidden ENG forms, formatting requirements, grading rubrics or administrative details from another Aalto school.

Current degree and thesis structure

The current structure is:

• Major studies: 60 ECTS
• Master’s thesis: 30 ECTS, BE.thes
• Elective studies: 30 ECTS
• Maturity test: 0 ECTS, ENG.matr

Aalto’s recommended timetable places the 60 ECTS major studies in the first academic year. The second year contains elective studies, while the spring semester of the second year should be devoted to the Master’s thesis. Students are advised to begin searching for a suitable thesis topic well before that period.

The thesis is a 30-credit entity that also includes the required thesis presentation and maturity test. The current curriculum does not list a separate thesis-seminar ECTS component, so a separate seminar credit should not be invented.

Applied or theoretical research: a current wording difference

Aalto’s public pages use slightly different wording. The applicant-facing Geoinformatics page says the Master’s thesis can be a piece of applied research or theoretical research. The current student thesis page describes the thesis as applied research.

Both pages agree on the essential academic purpose: the thesis should solve a problem relevant to the field using existing scientific knowledge and the principles of responsible conduct of research.

Rather than pretending the two pages use identical language, the safest interpretation is to keep the difference visible. Students should define the actual thesis design with their supervisor and the current ENG instructions. A highly theoretical geodesy or spatial-methods project should not be rejected simply because one public page uses the phrase applied research, while an applied project should still meet academic research standards.

Topic selection in Geoinformatics

The thesis topic must relate to the advanced studies of the programme and be agreed with a supervisor who is specialised in the topic. Programme professors may offer topics connected with current research, and students may also propose their own topics.

Typical Geoinformatics thesis environments may include:

• geodesy and positioning;
• photogrammetry and image-based measurement;
• laser scanning and point-cloud processing;
• Earth observation and remote sensing;
• spatial data science and geospatial machine learning;
• GIS methods and spatial analysis;
• three-dimensional city modelling;
• cartography and geovisualisation;
• mobility, urban and environmental applications;
• quality, uncertainty and reliability of geospatial data.

Aalto’s applicant page gives examples such as crop identification from Sentinel-2 imagery, simulation of people flow using building information and agent-based modelling, 3D city modelling and railway-geometry survey quality control. These examples demonstrate disciplinary breadth; they are not mandatory topic types.

Choosing an appropriate method

No current public Aalto source establishes one compulsory method for every Geoinformatics thesis. Method selection should follow the research question and data.

A remote-sensing project may require image preprocessing, classification and validation. A laser-scanning thesis may need point-cloud registration, feature extraction and accuracy assessment. A GIS thesis may involve spatial statistics, network analysis or geocomputation. A geodesy project may focus on measurement, estimation and uncertainty. A cartographic or visualisation project may require user-oriented design and evaluation.

A useful method-planning sequence is:

1. define the geospatial phenomenon or technical problem;
2. identify what is already known from current research;
3. establish the data, measurements or models needed;
4. select methods that can answer the question credibly;
5. define accuracy, uncertainty, validation and limitations where relevant;
6. keep the scope realistic for a 30 ECTS thesis;
7. document the workflow so another informed reader can understand how the result was produced.

The goal is not to maximise the number of tools or algorithms. It is to build a coherent chain from research question to evidence, analysis and conclusion.

Supervisor and advisor eligibility

The 2026–2028 curriculum publishes the School of Engineering eligibility framework. A Master’s thesis supervisor may be a:

• Professor of any rank;
• Adjunct Professor;
• Professor of Practice;
• Senior University Lecturer; or
• Principal University Lecturer.

A thesis advisor must hold at least a Master’s degree.

The supervisor is responsible for academic direction and programme fit. An advisor may provide specialised technical, industry or project guidance. For externally commissioned work, clarify early which decisions belong to the academic supervisor and which are handled by an external advisor.

MyStudies and the authenticated ENG thesis guide

Aalto uses MyStudies as the formal thesis-management platform for the schools of technology, including ENG. When starting the thesis process, students enter basic thesis information and apply for supervisor approval in MyStudies. The supervisor approves the topic and advisors. The final thesis is submitted through MyStudies for evaluation, approval and archiving.

The public Geoinformatics thesis page also directs students to the authenticated ENG Master’s Thesis Guide in MyCourses. School of Engineering Master’s students are enrolled to that space periodically, and students who lack access are directed to contact ENG Learning Services.

This authenticated boundary matters. The public evidence is enough to state the thesis credits, supervisor/advisor eligibility, presentation requirements, current deadlines and MyStudies framework. It is not enough to manufacture hidden details.

Accordingly, this guide does not invent:

• a universal ENG thesis page or word count;
• one mandatory citation style;
• a fixed chapter structure;
• a fixed number of supervisor meetings;
• a CHEM-style 800-hour or five-month workload rule;
• a hidden ENG grading rubric;
• a separate thesis-seminar ECTS value;
• an exact public Geoinformatics maturity-test format;
• a complete programme-specific 2027 committee schedule that Aalto has not yet published.

Geoinformatics thesis presentation

Geoinformatics has a clear programme-specific presentation procedure on its current thesis page.

Before presenting, students need to register for a thesis presentation event in MyCourses. If a student is not already enrolled in the Geoinformatics thesis MyCourses course, the programme provides a self-enrolment route.

Presentation events are usually held on Mondays, and students are asked to register no later than the previous Wednesday. Registration includes the student’s name, thesis title and supervisor under the appropriate presentation date.

The current presentation format is:

• approximately 15 minutes of presentation;
• approximately 5 minutes of discussion;
• approximately 10–15 PowerPoint slides.

Aalto asks the presentation to cover, briefly:

• what was studied, meaning the research question;
• how the research was conducted, including data and methods;
• the main results;
• what the student learned.

The student should contact the supervisor well before leaving the thesis for evaluation and agree on the presentation date.

For compelling reasons, a video presentation can be possible, but only when this is separately agreed with the supervisor. It should not be treated as a normal self-selected alternative to the live presentation process.

AI use and the programme-specific reporting requirement

The current Geoinformatics thesis page contains a programme-specific rule: all students are expected to report their use of AI. The detailed reporting instructions and form are provided in MyCourses.

This should be read together with Aalto’s university-wide AI guidance, updated in August 2026. Aalto allows AI to support learning unless its use is restricted, but students remain responsible for everything they submit. AI-generated text may not be presented directly or in unmodified form as the student’s own work.

For Geoinformatics thesis work, this means AI can never remove the student’s responsibility for:

• source verification;
• coding and algorithmic decisions;
• spatial-data quality checks;
• model assumptions;
• validation;
• interpretation;
• reproducibility;
• conclusions.

Aalto also warns against placing confidential or personal information into inappropriate AI services. Projects involving sensitive geospatial data, unpublished research, company information or security-relevant datasets need particular care.

Maturity test and AI prohibition

The current curriculum confirms ENG.matr, 0 ECTS, and the thesis page confirms that a maturity test is part of the thesis entity. However, the current public Geoinformatics pages do not define the exact programme-specific maturity-test format in enough detail to justify inventing one.

Therefore, do not assume that the maturity component automatically uses another programme’s abstract-as-maturity model. Follow the authenticated ENG instructions for the exact procedure.

One rule is public and current: Aalto prohibits AI in maturity examinations. Whatever maturity format applies under the current ENG process, the maturity component must be completed without prohibited AI assistance.

Research integrity, data quality and reproducibility

Geoinformatics projects often rely on large, complex or multi-source datasets. Responsible research planning should therefore cover not just citations but also data provenance, transformations, coordinate reference systems, uncertainty, accuracy, reproducibility and access rights where relevant.

For computational work, keep track of code versions, libraries, parameters and preprocessing decisions. For measurement-based work, document instruments, calibration and error sources. For remote-sensing work, record imagery products, dates, preprocessing and validation data. For spatial analysis, be clear about scale, spatial units and possible bias.

A technically impressive map, model or visualisation is not enough by itself. The thesis needs an academic argument showing why the method is appropriate and what can legitimately be concluded from the results.

External, company and public-sector projects

Geoinformatics has applications in companies, municipalities, transport, environmental monitoring, infrastructure, security and public administration. External projects can provide strong thesis topics, but the academic thesis remains governed by Aalto requirements.

Before beginning an external project, clarify:

• what data can be used in the public academic work;
• who owns or licenses the data;
• whether location data creates privacy or security issues;
• what can be archived or published;
• who is the academic supervisor;
• whether an external advisor is involved;
• what research question distinguishes the thesis from an internal technical assignment.

Do not wait until final submission to discover that a key dataset cannot be described, shared or discussed publicly.

Current public evaluation deadlines

As of 29 August 2026, the Geoinformatics thesis page publishes the current ENG thesis-evaluation schedule. The remaining publicly listed deadlines after this verification date are:

Aalto warns students using the end-of-year deadline to account for the holiday period and contact the supervisor well before Christmas.

The current public programme page does not yet provide a complete Geoinformatics-specific 2027 evaluation calendar. Recheck the live thesis page before choosing a submission date rather than extrapolating the 2026 cycle.

Practical planning model

During the first year

• complete the major studies as planned;
• build skills in geospatial data acquisition, analysis and visualisation;
• identify subfields and research groups relevant to possible thesis interests;
• keep the Sisu study plan current.

Before the thesis spring

• investigate programme or research-group topics;
• define a self-proposed topic if appropriate;
• identify a suitable supervisor;
• check data access, software, computing and measurement constraints;
• read the authenticated ENG Master’s Thesis Guide;
• decide whether external agreements or data permissions are needed.

Starting the thesis

• agree the topic and scope with the supervisor;
• identify the advisor where relevant;
• start the thesis process in MyStudies;
• establish research questions, data, methods and validation plan;
• agree a realistic internal timeline.

Main research phase

• maintain reproducible data and code practices where relevant;
• document uncertainty and limitations;
• use supervisor/advisor feedback;
• keep the scope aligned with the 30 ECTS project;
• report AI use according to the programme’s current MyCourses requirement.

Final phase

• complete the analysis and conclusions;
• agree the presentation date with the supervisor;
• register for the Geoinformatics presentation event by the applicable deadline;
• prepare the approximately 15-minute presentation and discussion;
• complete the maturity requirement under the current ENG instructions and AI prohibition;
• submit the final thesis through MyStudies by a current published deadline.

What not to assume

For the current Aalto Geoinformatics programme, do not assume that:

• every thesis must be purely applied or purely theoretical without discussing the project with the supervisor;
• one GIS, remote-sensing or statistical method is compulsory for all students;
• there is a universal page count or word count;
• another Aalto school’s maturity-test format applies automatically;
• the programme’s presentation can be skipped because the thesis document is complete;
• a video presentation is available without a compelling reason and supervisor agreement;
• reporting AI use is optional;
• AI can be used in the maturity exam;
• a CHEM workload rule or another school’s grading process applies to ENG;
• 2027 deadlines can be inferred from the 2026 committee calendar.

Final checklist

Before submitting an Aalto Geoinformatics Master’s thesis, confirm that:

• your Sisu plan follows the current 2026–2028 curriculum;
• BE.thes 30 ECTS and ENG.matr 0 ECTS are correctly included;
• the topic fits the advanced studies of the programme;
• the supervisor and advisor satisfy current ENG eligibility rules;
• you have used MyStudies and the authenticated ENG MyCourses guide correctly;
• the research question, data, method and validation are aligned;
• AI use has been reported according to the programme’s current instructions;
• the presentation date has been agreed and registered correctly;
• the presentation covers question, method/data, results and learning;
• the maturity requirement is completed without prohibited AI use;
• the final thesis is submitted by a currently published evaluation deadline.

Official sources

This guide is based only on current official Aalto University sources verified on 29 August 2026. Recheck the live programme, curriculum, recommended timetable, thesis page, authenticated ENG Master’s Thesis Guide, MyStudies and Aalto AI guidance before making a final submission decision.