Technical University Berlin

The urban ecohydrology contains a theoretical part which comprises all aspects related to the urban water cycle including urban rainfall pattern, water availability, groundwater recharge, urban rivers and drainage (traditional and sustainable approaches), urban waterscapes and alternative perspectives for water in cities, and the specific requirements for urban green including urban rainwater gardens, green roofs and facades and aspects of water shortage and heat stress on urban green conditions. Specific requirements of mega-cities and urban areas in developing countries will be assessed. In a practical part of the module, students will learn how to use simple modelling software for the calculation of greywater use and for the configuration of sustainable drainage systems including sustainable rainwater management. In the excursion part, students will get the chance to visit and study different elements of urban water, including e.g. excursions to a sewage treatment plant, the implementations of the water framework directive for urban rivers, integrated rain and grey water management of office blocks, and green wall installations (excursions will vary according to the availability of invited guides).

Practical work with standard software for geographical information systems (e.g. ArcGIS Pro): architecture, components, and functionality, principles of thematic modelling (thematic layers, object classes, etc.), geographical data models and data structures, spatial and topological relations, data acquisition and digitization, methods for geospatial analysis, cartographic theory, elements and principles of cartographic visualization, spatial reference systems and map projections, map design, symbolization, topographic and thematic maps, cartographic information systems, cartographic abstraction and generalization, multimedia cartography, spatial decision support systems, multi-criteria decision analysis.

This course provides students with the knowledge of how to develop a start-up idea into a successful business model and how to a win a startup pitch. The course offers knowledge on how to start a company and push it to success. The course consists of three main parts: the structured approach, hands-on experimentation, and feedback. The structured approach is given through lectures and case studies, which serve as a compass. The hands-on experiment consists of individual and group work where students use the new concepts and implement them to their business idea. Feedback comes from interaction with successful entrepreneurs and startup scene players. Students who develop a high quality business model may be put in contact with Berlin startup supporters.

This course provides the practical tools for developing, applying, and investigating machine learning methods in Python. The course utilizes libraries including Pandas, PyTorch, JAX, and Cython.

This beginning course introduces fundamentals of the French language such as common greetings, basic introductory phrases, numbers, commonly used verbs, and the alphabet. In addition, basic knowledge of France and other French-speaking countries such as Switzerland and Belgium is also taught. Listening, speaking, and writing exercises are utilized. The course covers the A1 CEFR level of French language.

This German language course addresses the needs of beginners. The content of the course follows the standards of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) for level A1 (beginners with no prior knowledge). Equal emphasis is given to five language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture. The course covers language topics including how to deal with everyday situations in a German-speaking environment and conduct simple conversations (e.g. at the grocery store, in a restaurant, at a public office); how to understand discussions on familiar topics; how to develop reading strategies that allow students to understand very simple newspaper articles as well as other very short texts; and how to write, revise, and proofread sentences in German. This course is designed to provide students with ample opportunities in the classroom and on a course-related excursion to practice German communication.

Cities around the world face rapid changes in their transportation systems with the advances in ICTs. Recent trends include on-demand and shared mobility modes and automation in public and private transportation systems; these new solutions impact the transport industry, infrastructures management, as well as political agenda. Focusing on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), a new “Smart Mobility” system and real-time network management have been developed as potential solutions to mitigate congestion issues and improve network efficiency.
This course brings a general overview of sustainable and smart transportation in the future smart cities in terms of i) industry trends, business models, technical, and urban design aspects. Based on different European case studies especially in Germany, this program explores innovative methods which Smart cities are currently dealing with as well as future solutions. The course combines theoretical and practical learning materials for transportation modeling and simulation techniques, with a focus on Smart Mobility and ITS solutions and real-world applications. Students review the most well-known traffic simulation models, learn about demand forecasting methods, business, social, and political issues and related analytical techniques. The course examines the concept of smart mobilities and how their business models could grow by analyzing case studies and companies. The course requires students to have basic knowledge of the fundamentals of mathematics and statistics as a prerequisite.

The course explores gaming and virtual and augmented reality. The course discusses topics including what are extended, augmented, virtual, and mixed reality; what tools are used to develop MR applications and how can they be set up; practical deployment of an app on students' devices; introduction to programming for extended reality with Unity (scene setup, interactions); what is User Experience (UX), what is UX design; UX Design and important influencing factors (human/context/system); what is user testing, why is it needed, and what method can be used for testing; and how to perform a usability test and use the gathered result during the development. Students engage in creating use case design, scenarios, prototyping, and developing an app. Students perform a user test and analyze/incorporate the results into a next app version. The course recommends students have programming knowledge and the ability to write and run small programs in the language of their choice (e.g., C#), and basic understanding of mobile builds (Xcode / ADB), as a prerequisite.