معرفی
Ago Tominga is a Research Fellow in Human Geography at the University of Tartu's Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences within the Faculty of Science and Technology. Currently holding a full-time position through November 2025, Tominga has maintained continuous research appointments at the university since November 2022, with varying percentages of employment. Additionally, Tominga works as a Data Analyst at the Estonian Rescue Services Agency with a 50% position through December 2024.
Dr. Tominga earned a Master's Degree in Geography from the University of Tartu in 2021, with thesis titled "Using mobile positioning based population statistics in crisis management" supervised by Professor Siiri Silm. Currently pursuing doctoral studies, Tominga's dissertation focuses on "Human space-time behaviour in crisis situations," continuing research under Professor Silm's supervision.
Dr. Tominga's research centers on human geography with specialized focus on social geography, urban mobility patterns, and crisis management applications. Their work leverages mobile positioning data to analyze human spatial behavior during normal and emergency situations, with particular attention to socio-economic and residential differences in mobility patterns. The research has significant applications for urban planning, emergency response, and disaster resilience strategies. Tominga's methodological approach combines geographic information systems, spatial analysis, and big data techniques to extract meaningful insights from large-scale mobility datasets. Recent work has examined transnational mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, socio-economic differences in urban transportation behavior, and the relationship between social networks and spatial usage patterns.
Analysis of Tominga's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on applying mobile positioning data to understand human mobility patterns in urban contexts and crisis situations. The research spans theoretical geography, practical applications for urban planning, and emergency management solutions. A notable trend is the integration of socio-economic factors with spatial behavior analysis, demonstrating how demographic characteristics influence mobility patterns and responses to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. The work shows increasing sophistication in methodology and expanding application domains.
Dr. Tominga has contributed to significant research projects including the Infotechnological Mobility Observatory (2021-2024, 2025-2029), LAAM: Prototype of a data-driven and open access mobility model of Estonia (2025-2027), and various crisis management and disaster resilience initiatives. These projects demonstrate both national and international collaboration, with funding from Estonian Research Council, European Commission, and various Estonian government agencies. Tominga has served as Principal Investigator for the "Development of a methodology and tool for assessing and predicting ground risks in drone operations" project.
As a supervisor, Tominga has guided two Master's theses to completion in 2023: "The influence of socio-demographic factors and place of residence on people's activity space" by Nikolay Kozlovskiy and "Visits to natural areas among citizens of Tallinn based on mobile phone GPS-data" by Kaarel Hendrik Zernant. These supervisions reflect Tominga's expertise in applying geospatial data to understand human behavior patterns and demonstrate growing mentorship responsibilities within the academic community.
Dr. Tominga's work is conducted within the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences at the University of Tartu, collaborating with research teams focused on human geography, spatial analysis, and crisis management applications. The research environment provides access to advanced geospatial analysis tools and large-scale mobility datasets, enabling innovative approaches to understanding human spatial behavior. Tominga maintains active collaborations with the Estonian Rescue Services Agency, Statistics Estonia, and other institutions, ensuring practical application of research findings to real-world challenges in urban planning and emergency management.
