Dr. René Locher

Personal profile

Position at the ZHAW

Research Associate and Project Manager

www.zhaw.ch/de/engineering/institute-zentren/idp/schwerpunkte/data-analysis-and-statistics/

Professional development teaching

WBK R Boot Camp

Expertise and research interests

Regression and General Additive Models (GAM, MLE, Robust Regression); Visualisation of Data; Clustering and Classification; Data Products; profound knowledge of R.
I am focussed on statistical data analysis in industrial, technical and environmental data including the design of measuring concepts and statistical consulting.

Educational background

1984: Diploma in Chemistry, ETH Zürich
1991: PhD in Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich
1999: Advanced Studies in Applied Statistics, ETH Zürich

Professional milestones

1991-1999, ATAL/AWEL (Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie & Luft):
Designing and implementing the concept for monitoring VOC in ambient air.

Co-director of an intercantonal association who developed a concept for a data warehouse for ambient air concentrations and supervised the implementation.

Head of the board "ambient air" of Cercl Air (Cercl Air = Swiss Society of experts in air pollution controle).

1999-2000, Seminar für Statistik, ETH Zürich: Assistant lecturer of Advanced Applied Statistics. Owner of single-member company "Locher Statistics".

Membership of networks

• Maintainer of R packages IDPmisc und SwissAir (GNU open source project)
• Member of Swiss Statistical Society, Section Business & Industry (SSS-BI)
• Deputy Coordinator of Statistical Consulting at ZHAW
• Initiator of Linux User Group at ZHAW

Projects

• COVID-AIR: Influence of the COVID-19-lockdown on Swiss air quality / Team member / Project completed
• Automatic Evaluation of Thermoanalytical Curves / Project leader / Project completed
• Statistische Analyse des Erschütterungsmodells / Team member / Project completed
• Data-based analytics & predictions to increase overall wind plant revenues under market conditions / Team member / Project completed
• Prediction of Turnover in Gastronomy / Project leader / Project completed
• Trend analysis of nitrogen dioxide concentrations in Eastern Switzerland / Project leader / Project completed
• Energy Optimization for Vessel Operations / Team member / Project completed
• A model based three-stage classifier for airborne particles / Project leader / Project completed
• Development of a consistent approach for stock planning and allocation of Unit Load Devices (ULD) in international air transportation. / Team member / Project completed
• Modellierung der Austrittswahrscheinlichkeit von Privatkunden aus der Mobility-Genossenschaft / Team member / Project completed
• Ammoniakimmissionsmessungen. Vergleich von Zürcher- und Radiello-Passivsammlern / Project leader / Project completed
• Contribution of liquid manor to ambient ammonia / Project leader / Project completed
• Online concentration maps of air pollutants / Project leader / Project completed

Publications

• Meier, Mario Federico; Mildenberger, Thoralf; Locher, René; Rausch, Juanita; Zünd, Thomas; Neururer, Christoph; Ruckstuhl, Andreas; Grobéty, Bernard,

  2018.

  A model based two-stage classifier for airborne particles analyzed with computer controlled scanning electron microscopy.

  Journal of Aerosol Science.

  123, pp. 1-16.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2018.05.012

• Lanz, Valentin A.; Hueglin, Christoph; Buchmann, Brigitte; Hill, M.; Locher, René; Stähelin, Johannes; Reimann, Stefan,

  2008.

  Receptor modeling of C2-C7 hydrocarbon sources at an urban background site in Zurich, Switzerland : changes between 1993-1994 and 2005-2006.

  Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

  2008(8), pp. 2313-2332.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2759

• Staehelin, Johannes; Locher, René; Mönkeberg, Sigrid; Stahel, Werner,

  2001.

  Contribution of road traffic emissions to ambient air concentrations of hydrocarbons : the interpretation of monitoring measurements in Switzerland by prinicipal component analysis and road tunnel measurements.

  International Journal of Vehicle Design.

  27(1-4), pp. 161.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJVD.2001.001961

• Locher, René,

  2016.

  Grundlagen zur Planung eines kostengünstigen repräsentativen Ammoniak-Messnetzes in Bezug auf die Erstellung von Immissionskarten und zur Beobachtung des langjährigen Trends von Ammoniak.

  IDP Environmetrics

  ; 6.

  Winterthur:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-1057

• Locher, René,

  2014.

  Validierung der Schweizer Ammoniak-Immissionskarte 2010.

  IDP Environmetrics

  ; 5.

  Winterthur:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  ISBN 978-3-905745-75-7.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-125

• Locher, René,

  2013.

  Ammoniakimmissionsmessungen : Vergleich von Zürcher- und Radiello-Passivsammlern.

  IDP Environmetrics

  ; 4.

  Winterthur:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  ISBN 978-3-905745-73-3.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-128

• Locher, René,

  2013.

  NOx-Immissionsbelastung entlang der A2 in den Alpen und im Mittelland : Fallbeispiele Erstfeld und Reiden.

  IDP Environmetrics

  ; 3.

  Winterthur:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  ISBN 978-3-905745-70-2.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-126

• Locher, René,

  2012.

  Beitrag der Hofdüngerausbringung zu den Ammoniakimmissionen in ländlichen Gebieten der Schweiz : Eine Analyse der NABEL-Messungen 2006 – 2010.

  IDP Environmetrics

  ; 2.

  Winterthur:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  ISBN 978-3-905745-69-6.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-127

• Philipp, Michel; Locher, René,

  2010.

  Trendanalyse NH3-Immissionsmessungen in der Schweiz.

  Winterthur:

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-3440

• Ruckstuhl, Andreas; Locher, René; Jans, Armin,

  2005.

  Pensionskassenstatistik 1998 : können diese Daten für wichtige Fragestellungen im Hinblick auf zukünftige Revisionen der Altersvorsorge genutzt werden?.

  Swiss Statistical Society Bulletin.

  2005(51), pp. 3-6.

  Available from: https://www.stat.ch/images/bulletin/pdfs/bulletin51.pdf

• Jans, Armin; Ruckstuhl, Andreas; Locher, René,

  2004.

  Pensionskassenstatistik 1998 : neue Erkenntnisse.

  Schweizer Personalvorsorge.

  2004(17), pp. 9.

• Zentralschweizer Umweltschutzdirektionen (ZUDK), ed.,

  2003.

  Plausibilisierung von Ozon, Stickoxiden und PM10 : statistische Methoden zur Effizienz- und Qualitätssteigerung der Messdatenplausibilisierung.

  Luzern:

  in-Luft.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2027

• Locher, René,

  1999.

  VOC-Immissionsmessungen in den Kantonen Zürich, Schaffhausen und Luzern 1993-1998.

  Umweltmaterialien

  ; 118.

  Bern:

  Bundesamt für Umwelt.

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