Dr. Ahmed El-Rabbany
Areas of Academic Interest
Geomatics engineering
Satellite positioning and navigation
Multi-sensor integration for mobile mapping, unmanned aerial systems, and autonomous driving
Hydrographic surveying
Education
Selected Courses
Spotlight
After completing his master’s in satellite positioning at Alexandria University in Egypt, Ahmed El-Rabbany sought out groundbreaking researchers in his field. There was no internet back then, so El-Rabbany had to communicate the old fashioned way: by letter.
Eventually, a professor at the University of New Brunswick sent him a package about a new technology called GPS. Convinced GPS was the future, El-Rabbany changed his own global positioning and made the big move to New Brunswick. “I arrived in winter, wearing only a cotton sweater,” he says. “I was taken directly to buy a coat!”
GPS technology has developed significantly since then, as have El-Rabbany’s research interests. “All the sensors contained in smartphones, for example, provide a wealth of information. We can collect and integrate it for new uses, such as monitoring a medical condition or whether an elderly person has fallen. We can also use multi-sensor integration to develop driverless cars, intelligent transportation systems or unpiloted aerial systems.”
Ahmed's LinkedIn Profile (external link, opens in new window)
“The more user-friendly an innovation, the more complex it is behind the scenes. Your experience gets simpler, and an engineer’s work gets harder.”
- Service Recognition Award, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, March 2017.
- Service Recognition Award, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, March 2013.
- Merit Award, Toronto Metropolitan University, May 2009.
- Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of contributions during the period 2002–2006, International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), October 2006.
- El-Rabbany, A. (2006). Introduction to GPS: The Global Positioning System. 2nd revised edition. Artech House Publishers, Boston, USA. ISBN 1-59693-016-0. (Received a five-star rating on Amazon.ca and was listed among top 10 bestsellers by the publisher.)
- Abd Rabbou, M. and A. El-Rabbany (2017). “Performance Analysis of Precise Point Positioning Using Multi-Constellation GNSS: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. (external link, opens in new window) ” Survey Review Journal. Vol. 49, Issue 352, pp. 39-50.
- Morsy, S., A. Shaker, A. El-Rabbany (2017). “Multispectral LiDAR Data for Land Cover Classification of Urban Areas. (external link, opens in new window) ” Sensors, 17, 958.
- Abd Rabbou, M. and A. El-Rabbany (2015). “Tightly Coupled Integration of GPS Precise Point Positioning and MEMS-Based Inertial Systems. (external link, opens in new window) ” Journal of GPS Solutions. Vol. 19, Issue 4, pp. 601-609.
- Elsobeiey, M. and A. El-Rabbany (2014). “Efficient Between-Satellite Single-Difference Precise Point Positioning Model. (external link, opens in new window) ” Journal of Surveying Engineering, Vol. 140, No. 2, May 2014, CID: 04014007.
- Associate Editor for Geomatica, Journal of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (2007-present)
- Editorial Advisory Board member, Journal of Navigation, Royal Institute of Navigation, UK (2012-present)
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Arab Institute of Navigation, Egypt (2010-present)
- Invited as a Guest Editor for the December 2013 special issue of Geomatica, Journal of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics; featuring Satellite Positioning and Applications (2013)
- Invited as a Guest Editor for the March 2005 special issue of Geomatica, Journal of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics; featuring Geodesy, Satellite Positioning and Integrated Navigation Systems (2005)
- Vice President, Canadian Institute of Geomatics (2012 - 2013)
- Chair, Toronto Branch of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (2004 - 2009)
- Councillor and national chair of Geodesy committee to the Canadian Institute of Geomatics, Canada (1998 - 2010)
- Co-Chair, International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) WG-4.2: Vertical Reference Frame for Hydrography (2002 - 2006)
- Conference Chair, International Navigation conference, Melaha 2008, Hurghada, Egypt, 13-15 April, 2008
- Conference Co-chair, International Conference on Geomatics for Disaster Management, Toronto, Ontario, 23-25 May 2007
- Conference Vice Chair, International Navigation Conference - Inland Transportation, Melaha 2006, Luxor, Egypt
- Conference Vice President, International Navigation Conference, Melaha 2004, Cairo, Egypt (April 2004)
- Conference Secretary General, International conference on marine navigation and technology, Alexandria, Egypt (January 2002)
