Sidonie Christophe

Sidonie Christophe is a Senior Researcher (Directrice de Recherche, DR1) at UMR LASTIG, a joint research unit of Université Gustave Eiffel, IGN-ENSG, and EIVP. She serves as co-director of the LASTIG laboratory and leads research in geovisualization, map design, and interactive spatial data exploration. She also holds a part-time advisory role (60%) at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research in the domain of digital technology, environment, climate, and sustainable urban development.

• PhD in Geographic Information Sciences
• Senior Researcher, DR1, MTECT
• Co-Director, LASTIG Laboratory (since 2021)
• Former Team Leader, GEOVIS (Geovisualization, Interaction, and Immersion)
• Advisor, Environment and Urban Climate, French Ministry of Higher Education & Research

Her research centers on innovative methods for 2D/3D and nD geospatial data visualization, with a focus on enabling spatio-temporal understanding through visual and non-visual spatial thinking. Her work integrates principles from geographic information science, human-computer interaction, and computer graphics. Key areas include urban climate visualization, tactile and augmented reality for accessibility, expressive cartographic rendering, and cognitive aspects of map design. She investigates how aesthetic and semiotic choices impact map comprehension and utility.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong trend in interactive and accessible geovisualization, particularly for urban and environmental applications. Topics include neural map style transfer, 3D urban climate analysis, tactile maps for the visually impaired, augmented reality in geography, and visual analytics for crisis and climate data. There is a consistent emphasis on user-centered design, interdisciplinary integration, and the development of tools for decision-making under uncertainty.

Scientific Recognition and Service:

• Invited speaker at major conferences (IEEEVIS, AGILE, ICC, CPGIS)
• Co-organizer of international workshops (e.g., GeoVIS, ISPRS AR/VR sessions)
• Leader of national research projects (ANR ORACLES, ANR ACTIVmap, ANR ECOCIM)
• Recipient of international mobility grants (AMICI I-SITE FUTURE)
• Contributor to national glossaries and research strategy (e.g., French photogrammetry glossary)

Advising and Grants:
Sidonie Christophe actively supervises PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, including Markie Jiang, Maria-Jesus Lobo, and Alexandre Mielniczek. She leads or participates in multiple funded research projects such as ANR ORACLES (marine flooding visualization), ANR ACTIVmap (tactile 3D maps), and ANR ECOCIM (eco-design of city information models). Her advisory role at the MESR involves shaping national research strategy in digital and environmental sciences.

Labs and Research Teams:
She is a core member of the GEOVIS team (Geovisualization, Interaction, and Immersion) at LASTIG and previously served as its leader. As co-director of LASTIG, she plays a central role in the leadership and strategic direction of the entire laboratory, which comprises over 100 researchers across four teams: ACTE, GEOVIS, MEIG, and STRUDEL.