Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr

Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr. is a Professor at Clark University's Graduate School of Geography specializing in Geographic Information Science with expertise in Land Change Science, Simulation Modeling, and Statistical Analysis. He develops quantitative methods for spatial data analysis that are implemented in the TerrSet software suite.

• B.S. Mathematics & Economics, University of Pittsburgh (1984)
• M.S. Applied Statistics, Ohio State University (1989)
• Ph.D. Environmental Science, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1994)

His research focuses on map comparison methodology and land change modeling, particularly addressing quantity disagreement and allocation disagreement in spatial data. He pioneered the Total Operating Characteristic (TOC) framework and advanced techniques for accuracy assessment in remote sensing.

Recent publications analyze land category transitions, urban risk modeling, and multi-resolution map comparison. His work has received 19,000+ citations and been funded by NSF, NASA, and Edna Bailey Sussman Fund for research in Plum Island Ecosystems and Brazilian Cerrado Biome.

• Michael Breheny Prize (2005)
• Fulbright Scholar of Brazil
• Clark Labs research affiliate
• Scientific Advisory Board member, MapBiomas

He teaches GIS & Land Change Models and GIS & Map Comparison, with student-created tutorials viewed internationally. He also performs as Doctor Stardust, a professional juggler who won the International Jugglers Association's People's Choice Award.