Dr. Michael Chang is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director of Spatial Information Sciences at Macquarie University's School of Natural Sciences. He specializes in remote sensing and GIS applications for environmental monitoring, including vegetation dynamics, land use change, and disaster mitigation. His affiliations include the Data Horizons, Smart Green Cities, and Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centres. Research Interests: Earth observation data integration 3D modeling and change detection Biodiversity conservation and wetland monitoring Spatial analysis of multilingualism and transport planning Awards: 2017 BHERT Award for Outstanding Collaboration 2019 Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2017 Research Excellence Recognition Projects: Leads multi-sensor fusion initiatives for vegetation monitoring and collaborates on disaster resilience frameworks. Active in interdisciplinary work spanning ecology, geophysics, and urban planning. Labs/Teams: Core member of Macquarie's Planetary Research Centre and collaborates internationally on port city resilience projects in Africa.
Monika Kuffer is a Full Professor at the University of Twente's Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), holding additional roles as Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management. She leads research in urban remote sensing, deprived area monitoring, and sustainable urban development. Her work integrates spatial statistics, machine learning, and citizen science to inform inclusive city planning. Education: PhD in Human Geography & GIS from the University of Twente MSc in Human Geography (TU Munich) MSc in Geographic Information Science (University of London) Research Interests: Urban Remote Sensing Slum and Deprivation Mapping Climate Adaptation Strategies Citizen Science for Urban Inequalities Earth Observation Policy Support Articles Trends: Recent work emphasizes multi-city climate adaptation analyses, thermal inequality assessments in African slums, and scalable deprivation modelling frameworks like IDEAMAPS. Projects like ONEKANA and NightWatch highlight fusion of EO data with community-driven methods. Awards: 2022 EO4all Prize for innovative Earth Observation applications Advising & Grants: Supervised 3 PhD/MSc projects. Active in global initiatives like the EU's Knowledge Centre on EO and the UN's SDG frameworks. Leads datasets on deprivation (e.g., IDeAMapSudan). Labs/Teams: Core member of ITC's Urban Remote Sensing and GeoAI teams. Collaborates with the Digital Society Institute for interdisciplinary urban research.
Jaap Zevenbergen is a Full Professor at the University of Twente's Faculty of ITC, specializing in Land Administration and Geo-Information Management. He holds a PhD from Delft University of Technology (2002) and degrees in Geodetic Engineering (Delft) and Law (Leiden University). His research focuses on international land governance, digital transformation of property institutions, and pro-poor land tools, with projects in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. He has contributed to UN Habitat initiatives and World Bank programs, emphasizing sustainable development goals (SDGs 1, 11, 13). Key roles: Theme leader at TU Delft's OTB Institute (2003–2010), Portfolio Manager for MSc Land Administration at ITC. Teaching: MSc programs in Land Administration, GIMA, and International Land Management. Research interests include: Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) implementation, legal-technical integration in geo-ICT systems, and post-disaster/post-conflict land governance. He has authored/co-authored over 340 publications and edited books like Real Property Transactions . Notable achievement: Co-winner of the 2018 FIG-Survey Review Prize for land policy analysis. Current projects explore 3D cadastral systems, UAV applications in land registration, and ethical geospatial practices. He advises on land reforms in Greece and Egypt and collaborates with institutions like UN Habitat and the World Bank.
Roger Michaelides is an Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and Environmental Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. He leads the Radar Interferometry and Geospatial Science Laboratory (Radar Lab), focusing on radar remote sensing, geospatial techniques, and Arctic permafrost dynamics. His work integrates InSAR, radar altimetry, and multi-sensor fusion to study environmental processes like wildfire-permafrost interactions, coastal erosion, and climate change impacts. Michaelides earned a PhD in Geophysics from Stanford University (2020) and held postdoctoral positions at the Colorado School of Mines (2020–2022). He joined Washington University in 2022. His research emphasizes developing novel remote sensing methods for cryospheric and terrestrial systems, including NASA-funded studies tracking permafrost thaw and wildfire effects in the Arctic. Recent awards include a NASA Early Career Investigator Program Fellowship (ECIP-ES), supporting his $300,000 project on Arctic permafrost monitoring. He actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students, offering funded PhD opportunities in InSAR applications and climate science. His lab collaborates with agencies like NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization, leveraging satellite data from missions like NISAR. Key interests include radar signal processing, environmental modeling, and interdisciplinary approaches to Earth observation. Michaelides’ work bridges geophysics, ecology, and climate science, with applications to global environmental challenges such as permafrost degradation and wildfire prediction.
Bithin Datta is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Civil Engineering at James Cook University (Australia), part of the College of Science and Engineering and the Division of Tropical Environments and Societies. He is affiliated with TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Waters and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), the Economic Geology Research Unit (EGRU) at JCU, and the CRC-for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC-CARE) at the University of Newcastle. Previously, he held Professor and Senior Professor positions at IIT Kanpur, India (1995-2009), and served as Head of the Civil Engineering Department and Head of the Postgraduate Environmental Engineering and Management Program. He has held Visiting Professorships at Dalhousie University (Canada), Denmark Technical University (Copenhagen), and the Asian Institute of Technology (Bangkok). Education: B.Tech (Hons) in Civil Engineering from IIT Kharagpur (India), Master’s degree in Civil Engineering (first rank in specialization), and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Purdue University (USA), specializing in Hydraulics and Systems Engineering. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia (FIEAust). Research interests include water resources systems management, groundwater and surface water modeling, reservoir operation optimization, saltwater intrusion control, AI-driven environmental predictions, and ecological flow assessment. His work integrates simulation-optimization frameworks, machine learning (e.g., ANFIS, SVM), and hydraulic engineering principles to address contamination, climate change, and infrastructure challenges in tropical and coastal regions. His publications (178+ entries) focus on computational tools for groundwater contamination source identification, sustainable aquifer management, and reservoir environmental impacts. Notable projects include a $629,000 CRC-CARE-funded initiative for contamination monitoring networks and AI-based drought prediction models in tropical Queensland. Advising: Coordinated the Master of Engineering (Water Resources Management) at JCU and supervised over 30+ Master’s and 19 Ph.D. students across IIT Kanpur, JCU, and the University of South Australia. His research has been ranked #1 globally by ScholarGPS in Groundwater Pollution, Surrogate Models (AI/ML), and Saltwater Intrusion management. Labs/Teams: Core member of TropWATER, EGRU, and CRC-CARE, leading interdisciplinary projects on tropical water systems and geochemical contamination modeling in mine sites.
Dr. Jae Sung Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering at Michigan Technological University (MTU). He holds a PhD in Geomatics from Purdue University and teaches courses in photogrammetry, UAV mapping, and geospatial technology. His research focuses on geospatial technologies, including remote sensing, GIS, and their applications in agriculture, environmental science, and planetary studies. PhD: Geomatics, Purdue University MSCE: Civil Engineering, Purdue University ME: Civil Engineering, Korea University BE: Civil Engineering, Korea University Dr. Kim’s research interests span photogrammetry, remote sensing, geodesy, and geospatial cyberinfrastructure. He develops tools for agricultural water management (FARMs system) and landslide analysis. His work often utilizes open-source geospatial technologies and integrates historical aerial photography with modern GIS systems. His recent publications include studies on volcanic lava flow modeling (2025), winter vegetation detection via remote sensing (2024), and automated orthorectification of archival aerial photos (2022). These reflect his expertise in combining traditional geospatial methods with cutting-edge technologies. Dr. Kim serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing and Assistant Director of the Photogrammetric Applications Division at ASPRS. He has also contributed to watershed delineation tools and web-based water monitoring systems using open-source frameworks.
Dr. Bon Woo Koo is an Assistant Professor at the School of Urban and Regional Planning , Toronto Metropolitan University. His expertise lies in geospatial urban analytics, walkability, and GIS applications, focusing on urban design for public health equity and innovative data science tools. He holds a PhD in City & Regional Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from Seoul National University, and a Bachelor’s in Interior Design from Kookmin University. Education: PhD in City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology Master of Landscape Architecture, Seoul National University Bachelor of Interior Design, Kookmin University Research Interests: Dr. Koo investigates urban environments’ impact on health and well-being, equity in environmental amenities (e.g., tree canopies), and advanced GIS techniques. He develops automated audit methods for walkability and explores spatial modeling for urban sustainability. His work bridges data science with policy, contributing to CDC health surveillance and smart city initiatives. Publications: His research appears in journals like Landscape and Urban Planning , Environment and Behavior , and Health and Place , with a focus on walkability audits, urban tree equity, and audio-based pedestrian sensing. Recent work addresses post-pandemic mental health and broadband equity strategies. Professional Engagement: He has advised the CDC’s technical panel on leveraging big data for health policy, presented at conferences like the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and collaborated with institutions like Universitas Gadjah Mada and the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Joni Storie is an Associate Professor in the Geography Faculty at the University of Winnipeg. She holds an office in Lockhart Hall (5L05) and teaches courses including Mapping in a Global World, Intro Remote Sensing, Advanced GIS, and Advanced Remote Sensing. Her research focuses on land-use/land-cover mapping, map automation with machine learning tools, spatial statistics, and terrestrial/aquatic resource management. Teaching expertise spans Regional & Physical Geography, Resource Conservation & Management, and Geomatics (GIS & Remote Sensing). Her work integrates geospatial technologies with environmental challenges, including flood mitigation, mangrove ecosystem analysis, and food environment patterning in urban areas. Research outputs emphasize remote sensing applications in coastal conservation, surface water detection, and vegetation dynamics. Over 13 peer-reviewed articles since 2004 demonstrate sustained academic contributions to geomatics and environmental geography. Current activities include advising on geomatics projects and contributing to the University of Winnipeg’s Geography program infrastructure.
Dr. Shima Hamidi is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. She is also a core faculty member of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and holds the Bloomberg Assistant Professorship in American Health in Environmental Challenges. Her academic background includes a PhD from the University of Utah (2015), an MSc from the Technological University of Malaysia (2009), and a BA from Shiraz University (2005). PhD, University of Utah, 2015 MSc, Technological University of Malaysia, 2009 BA, Shiraz University, 2005 Dr. Hamidi's research centers on the built environment, transportation, housing, and social determinants of health, with a strong focus on equity and urban sprawl. Her work explores how urban form influences public health outcomes such as life expectancy, traffic safety, food access, and upward mobility. She utilizes geospatial data and longitudinal analysis to assess the impacts of urban planning policies. Her recent publications (2020–2024) reflect a sustained focus on transportation equity, urban form, and public health. Key themes include ride-hailing versus fixed-route transit preferences, cycling safety in bikeshare cities, high-tech cluster geography, and the effectiveness of growth management policies. These works demonstrate interdisciplinary engagement with urban economics, environmental health, and policy analysis. Dr. Hamidi has received numerous honors, including: Endowed Chair in Environmental Challenges, Bloomberg American Health Initiative (2020–) Eno Fellow, Future Leaders Development Program (2015) Ivory Medal for Doctoral Scholarship, University of Utah (2015) Best Poster Award, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (2017) Presidential Fellow, University of Texas at Arlington (2017) She has advised students, such as Ahoura Zandi, and previously led the Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD) at the University of Texas at Arlington, directing a multi-university consortium on transportation and health. Her research has been supported by the US Department of Transportation and widely cited in national media including the Wall Street Journal and CNN Money. Dr. Hamidi leads research initiatives that integrate urban planning with public health, contributing to policy-relevant science on sustainable and equitable urban development.
Perry Hystad, PhD is a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Oregon State University (OSU), leading the Spatial Health Lab. He holds affiliations with the School of Nutrition and Public Health and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. His research focuses on spatial epidemiology and environmental exposure assessment, particularly air pollution, built environments, and climate resilience. He earned his MSc in Geography from the University of Victoria and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of British Columbia. Key achievements include the NIH Early Independence Award for the PURE-AIR global cohort study examining air pollution's cardiopulmonary impacts across 21 countries. Notable contributions include linking greenspace exposure to improved birth outcomes and cardiovascular health, and analyzing traffic pollution’s effects on infant health. Recent recognition includes being named a 2024 Top Scholar by ScholarGPS (top 0.5% globally). Collaborations span OSU’s Environmental Health Sciences Center, Applied Economics, and interdisciplinary teams addressing climate change health impacts. Research integrates geospatial tools, machine learning, and crowd-sourced data to advance environmental health equity. Current projects include studying built environment influences on birth outcomes and highway reclamation’s population health effects.
Hanan Samet is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland's Computer Science Department, affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) and the Center for Automation Research. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University (1975) and specializes in spatial databases, data structures, and geographic information systems. His research bridges computer science and geospatial analytics, with applications in image databases, computer vision, and spatio-temporal data management. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Stanford University, 1975 Research Interests: Focuses on spatial data structures, GIS, spatio-textual systems like NewsStand and CoronaViz, trajectory analysis, and metric indexing. His work emphasizes scalable algorithms for spatial networks and multimedia databases. Notable Projects: CoronaViz : Tracks disease spread via spatio-temporal data visualization NewsStand : Maps news articles geospatially SAND: Spatial browser for digital government Awards: ACM Paris Kanellakis Award (2014), IEEE McDowell Award (2015), UCGIS Research Award, and Fellowships in ACM/IEEE/AAAS. Recognized for advancing spatial database theory and practice. Grants/Advising: Leads NSF-funded projects on spatio-textual extraction and similarity search. Advises graduate students (e.g., Nicole Schneider, Montana Hoover) and undergraduate researchers. Labs/Teams: Active in UMIACS and the Center for Automation Research, collaborating on projects like VASCO (spatial visualization tools) and MARCO (image database systems).
Samsung Lim serves as an Associate Professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. With expertise spanning data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, Lim applies geospatial technologies to critical real-world challenges in natural disaster management and public health research. Lim's interdisciplinary work bridges engineering, computer science, and public health domains to develop practical decision-making tools for emergency response and disease surveillance. Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA M.A. in Mathematics, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea B.A. in Mathematics, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea Lim's research focuses on applying GIS to natural disaster management and public health challenges. Key areas include machine learning methods for bushfire susceptibility mapping, spatial clustering for landslide susceptibility analysis, city-scale evacuation management in flood scenarios, and social media-based natural disaster assessment. In public health, Lim investigates geo-correlations between environmental factors and asthma occurrence, computational approaches to avian influenza outbreaks, emerging hot spot analysis of COVID-19, and early detection systems for emerging infectious diseases. This work combines advanced spatial analytics with machine learning to address complex environmental and health challenges. The recent publication record demonstrates a clear interdisciplinary trajectory where geospatial science intersects with public health emergency response and natural hazard management. Lim's work consistently applies machine learning techniques to geospatial data, with particular emphasis on disaster susceptibility mapping, disease outbreak detection, and infrastructure monitoring. The research spans multiple continents and addresses both immediate emergency response needs and long-term environmental health challenges, reflecting a commitment to practical applications of geospatial science. Associate Editor of Geospatial Information Science National Delegate of Commission 3 of International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) National Representative of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) Commission on Sensor-driven Mapping Senior Member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Lim actively contributes to the development of early warning systems for emerging infectious diseases through collaborations with public health researchers. The work on EPIWATCH demonstrates how AI can enhance surveillance capabilities for outbreak detection. Lim's research on cruise ship transmission of diseases and the spread of avian influenza through bird migration patterns and poultry trade networks shows strong engagement with real-world public health challenges. These projects often involve multidisciplinary teams spanning engineering, computer science, epidemiology, and veterinary medicine. Lim's work integrates multiple geospatial data sources and analytical techniques to address complex environmental and public health challenges. This includes developing frameworks for performance analysis of OpenStreetMap data, creating specialized road datasets for pedestrian navigation, and applying Persistent Scatterer Interferometry for land motion monitoring. The research combines traditional geospatial methods with cutting-edge machine learning approaches to extract meaningful insights from complex spatial datasets.
Vania Ceccato is a Professor at the Academy of Police Work, University of Borås, specializing in environmental criminology and situational crime prevention. She leads the international Nätverket Säkraplatser network, fostering collaboration between academia and practice for sustainable safety. Her research bridges urban design, rural criminology, and transit security, with a focus on inclusive safety measures. Her recent publications include studies on transit worker safety in Stockholm’s metro resilient urban design for climate and crime prevention LGBTQI+ safety in transportation rural-urban shooting patterns innovative survey methodologies Her work aligns with United Nations SDGs 9, 11, and 13, emphasizing how environmental criminology can drive sustainable, equitable urban development.
Prof. Thomas H. Kolbe serves as Chair of Geoinformatics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he leads research in spatial, temporal, and semantic modeling of urban environments. His work focuses on developing foundational frameworks for 3D/4D city models, digital twins, and smart city applications through international standardization efforts including CityGML and IndoorGML. His research spans virtual city modeling, urban system simulation, and GIS integration with emerging technologies. Current projects emphasize AI-driven urban scenario generation, semantic streetspace modeling, and IoT integration in digital twin ecosystems. Recent publications demonstrate strong interdisciplinary connections between computer vision, urban planning, and geospatial data science, with particular emphasis on practical implementations of 3D city models for sustainability challenges. Prof. Kolbe actively contributes to professional organizations including the Round Table GIS eV (as Chairman since 2013) and the Munich Data Science Institute (as core member since 2021). His leadership extends to the Leonhard Obermeyer Center for digital methods in the built environment and the Hans Eisenmann Forum for agricultural sciences. His work bridges theoretical geoinformatics with practical urban applications through numerous collaborative projects with municipal governments and industry partners.
Michał Paweł Michalak is an Assistant Professor at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, affiliated with the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection and Department of Geoinformatics and Applied Informatics. His research spans computational geometry in geological modeling, machine learning applications in Earth sciences, statistical epidemiology, and ecclesiological dynamics. Doctoral degree from University of Silesia in Katowice Developed GeoAnomalia software suite combining C++, R, and ParaView Created unbiased risk metrics (WCSIR) for infectious disease surveillance Research focuses on: Subsurface geological modeling using combinatorial algorithms and machine learning; Spatial epidemiology emphasizing testing heterogeneity bias; Ecclesiological dynamics analyzing factional theological interactions. His 2020/37/N/ST10/02504 grant project received 'very good' evaluation for developing angular distance metrics in geological contacts. Scientific contributions include: 2025 Solid Earth paper on fault-related structure detection 2025 Frontiers in Public Health work on global pandemic risk evaluation 2023 AGH Rector award recipient Developer of open-source geological analysis tools Collaboration network includes Harvard University, Technische Universität Freiberg, and University of Texas at Austin. Currently teaching GIS modeling, optimization methods, and geoinformatics systems. Maintains a personal website with open data access.
