100th Anniversary Lecture with Shaowen Wang

RSVP by Monday, February 23 at noon. 

Abstract 

The unprecedented growth of geospatial data, together with rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing, is transforming how we understand and address complex geospatial problems and sustainability challenges. This presentation examines the convergence of cyberGIS (cyber-based geographic information science and systems) and spatial AI as a new engine for data-intensive discovery and innovation in geographical and sustainability sciences, drawing on the work of the NSF Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE). The presentation highlights several emerging knowledge frontiers advanced by I-GUIDE, including: the I-GUIDE Platform, which democratizes access to an open, collaborative environment for geospatial data-intensive convergence research and education focused on sustainability and resilience; the Spatial AI Challenge, which translates advances in spatial AI and machine learning into actionable sustainability solutions; and an integrative educational framework designed to cultivate a new generation of convergence-oriented geospatial scientists. By bridging critical computational and spatial thinking, I-GUIDE signals a paradigm shift in geographic inquiry – one in which cyberGIS and spatial AI become engines not only of scientific discovery, but also of collective action toward more sustainable futures.

About the Speaker

Short Bio: Shaowen Wang is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science and the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He also serves as Associate Dean for Natural and Mathematical Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and as a Senior Faculty Fellow in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at UIUC. He is the founding director of UIUC’s CyberGIS Center for Advanced Digital and Spatial Studies and leads the national Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE) funded by the National Science Foundation. He previously served as Head of the Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science (2017-2023) and as Associate Director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications for CyberGIS (2010-2017). He was a Visiting Scholar at Lund University (2006) and Harvard University (2023). His research focuses on advancing cyberGIS, geospatial data science, and spatial artificial intelligence to develop scalable solutions for complex geospatial problems and sustainability challenges. He served as President of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) from 2016 to 2017 and as a member of the National Academies’ Board on Earth Sciences and Resources from 2015 to 2020. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Geographers, and UCGIS. He received a B.S. in computer engineering from Tianjin University, an M.S. in geography from Peking University, and an M.S. of computer science and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Iowa.