Spring 2025 Geospatial Forum Rewind
Revisit the Center for Geospatial Analytics' Spring 2025 Geospatial Forum series.
Each semester, our Geospatial Forum event series brings together researchers, educators, practitioners and students in the geospatial data sciences for lectures, interactive studios and panel discussions focused on important topics and cutting-edge techniques.
This spring, both local and distant snowstorms led to postponements of two forum events (now rescheduled for Fall 2025). Despite the winter weather challenges, our Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. students presented their doctoral research and guest speakers presented topics ranging from the causal effects of urban rail projects on residential gentrification and commercial turnover to the role that critical GIS, guided by abolitionist strategies, can serve as a transformative tool to mitigate harm, amplify fairness, and spark civic imagination. Expand each title below to learn more and click the play button to revisit each recorded discussion.
Remember you can watch the recordings from past semesters anytime on our YouTube channel.
FEB 6 – Spatiotemporal Impacts of Urban Rail Systems on Residential and Commercial Areas | Lecture
Lecture
Speaker: Dr. Eleni Bardaka, Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE), and CGA Faculty Fellow
Introduction by: Dr. Ashly Cabas, Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE), and CGA Faculty Fellow
Summary: This forum presentation explores the socioeconomic impacts of transit infrastructure investments through the application of advanced econometric and spatial analysis methods, including difference-in-differences and spatial spillover modeling. Using case studies from Charlotte, NC, and Denver, CO, it investigates the causal effects of urban rail projects on residential gentrification, commercial turnover, and property market dynamics. The discussion will include methodological frameworks, such as quasi-experimental designs, and the implications of spatiotemporal heterogeneity in treatment effects. Insights will inform equitable urban planning and policy development in the context of transit-oriented development.
About the speaker: Dr. Eleni Bardaka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. Her work focuses on two main research areas: (i) the study of causal social and economic impacts of transportation investments and policies; and (ii) the analysis of aggregate and individual travel demand, preferences, and needs related to public transportation and micromobility. Dr. Bardaka holds a Ph.D. and M.S. degree in Transportation Engineering and an M.S. degree in Economics from Purdue University. She earned a five-year diploma in Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens in Greece.
MAR 27 – 5th Doctoral Student Edition | Lecture
Lecture
Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. students will share current research in a series of short talks.
Speakers
> Christina Perella – Climate as Push and Pull: Forecasting Movement of US Populations (co-advised by Dr. Adam Terando and Dr. Jelena Vukomanovic)
Abstract: Human choices and preferences shape and impact landscapes. Historically, migration has been driven in large part by push and pull factors such as economic opportunity, political oppression, or social networks. Recently, with rising incomes and fewer barriers to relocation, pull factors increasingly include amenities that enhance quality of life, such as outdoor recreation and milder summers and winters. To understand how this trend might continue into the future, we recreate a widely-cited econometric model documenting the relationship between climate variables and population growth in the US and project future population growth under different climate scenarios.
> Rebecca Composto – Best of Both Worlds: Comparing Satellite- and Process-Based Methods to Map Urban Flooding (advised by Dr. Mirela Tulbure)
Abstract: Flooding causes many types of harm from economic losses and damages to disrupting daily life. Flood maps help decision-makers recover from and prepare for future events. Satellite-based and process-based flood models are two effective approaches for mapping floods; however, they are rarely tested in urban areas or compared. To address these gaps, we produced a flood extent using satellite imagery and a flood model for Hurricane Ida (2021) and compared the results.
> Owen Smith – Accelerating Land Surface Phenology Estimation with Computationally Efficient Bayesian LSP Modeling (advised by Dr. Josh Gray)
Abstract: The Bayesian Land Surface Phenology (BLSP) model is a hierarchical Bayesian model which enables the creation of long-term phenology time series from sparse data plus uncertainty quantification through Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling. However, MCMC methods are computationally intensive, making pixel-wise processing at high resolution and over large spatial regions challenging. I show a reformulation of the BLSP inference problem from an algorithmic perspective along with memory and CPU optimizations to facilitate the computational feasibility of the BLSP approach.
> Randi Butler – Assessing Climate- and Weather-Driven Impacts to Crops of the U.S. National Crop Yields and Losses: Which Data Source is Best? (advised by Dr. Natalie Nelson)
Abstract: The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS) is the premier data source for agricultural production statistics in the U.S, but data quality is compromised by reliance on voluntarily self-reported data. Meanwhile, the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), which manages crop insurance for two-thirds of planted acres in the U.S. and mandates reporting, may provide higher quality data as compared to NASS and serve as a more robust alternative. A comparative analysis of NASS and RMA annual crop loss and yields data over 10 years, focusing on corn, cotton, soybean, and wheat, was applied to quantify differences between the two datasets.
APR 10 – Liberatory Innovation: Critical GIS as a Tool for Civic Imagination | Lecture
Lecture
Speaker: Nick Okafor, Founder and Executive Director @ trubel&co, and doctoral student at Stanford University
Hosted by: Dr. Aaron Hipp, Professor of Community Health and Sustainability, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, and CGA Fellow for Social and Behavioral Science Applications, Center for Geospatial Analytics
Summary: Technology holds immense potential to advance social outcomes and equity, yet without intentional design, it can also reinforce systemic inequalities. This forum examines how critical GIS, guided by abolitionist strategies, can serve as a transformative tool to mitigate harm, amplify equity, and spark civic imagination. Drawing on examples of biased algorithms and data-driven solutions that fail to account for community needs, it highlights the risks of perpetuating harm when technology is developed without intention. Strategies in liberatory innovation can guide the creation of geospatial tools that center marginalized voices, enable collective repair, and prioritize community-led solutions.
About the speaker: Nick Okafor (he/him), a strategist and design researcher, is the founder of trubel&co, a tech-justice nonprofit that mobilizes the next generation to tackle complex societal challenges using equitable data analytics, responsible technology, and inclusive design. trubel&co builds youth power in the digital age by grounding career technical education with liberatory design and experiential learning, where its flagship program, Mapping Justice, teaches high school youth to design geospatial tools for social change. Nick is also a graduate student at Stanford University between the School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Education, where his research focuses on the practice and pedagogy of liberatory innovation. Previously, Nick was a Senior Associate at Sidewalk Labs (Google’s urban innovation arm), where he piloted and scaled emerging products that improve quality of life in cities. Nick holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and sustainable development from Washington University in St. Louis. He is committed to ensuring the digital revolution can increase opportunity, mitigate harm, and create liberatory futures for all.
