Michael Sawada

Michael Sawada is a Full Professor at the University of Ottawa in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics. With a career spanning decades, his work bridges geomatics, health geography, and machine learning applications in spatial analysis.

• Ph.D. in Geography (2001)
• M.A. in Geography (1996)
• B.A. (Hon.) in Geography with concentration in Philosophy (1994)

His research focuses on geospatial methodologies for addressing complex environmental and public health issues, including:

• Health disparities and disease distribution
• Machine learning for remote sensing and land use analysis
• Natural hazard risk assessment and mitigation
• Urban healthscapes and climate change impacts

Recent publications highlight his innovative integration of deep learning with geospatial datasets, including analysis of neighbourhood-level Lyme disease risks and neural network-enhanced lichen cover mapping. His work also explores income polarization patterns in Canadian metropolitan areas and health service utilization trends.

Professor Sawada supervises graduate students including Krutiben Mehta, Sarah Gebert, Zhewen Luo, Raziyeh Ramezani, and Amirreza Farshchin. He teaches advanced geomatics courses like GEG 6102 - Advanced Geomatics, emphasizing digital earth technologies and spatial information systems.