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Center for Geospatial Analytics

Mapping a Dynamic Planet

We use data from state-of-the-art sensors on near-surface, underwater, airborne and satellite platforms to map and monitor our dynamic planet from local to global scales. We develop cutting-edge analytic and computational approaches to apply these big data in real-world problem-solving.

data are collected worldwide by satellites, airborne sensors, smart devices, microphones, cameras, wearables

Perspectives on Place

Our faculty and researchers collect data all over the world and via myriad sources––from wearable sensors that track physical activity to underwater microphones that measure soundscapes, streaming webcams that record traffic patterns, drones that produce rapid updates about land-forms and crop fields, satellites that document deforestation, urbanization and changing weather…and more. They also tap into vast sources of existing big data to discover previously hidden connections.

We use the latest analytical techniques to combine, process and interpret these data, and we create new knowledge about pressing issues and reveal new insights into interconnected systems.

Learn more about the interdisciplinary researchers mapping our dynamic planet:

Faculty at the Frontier 

UAS Research and Education

Unmanned Aerial Systems are revolutionizing data collection in the geospatial sciences. We innovate the use of drones and drone-acquired data to address challenges in a variety of sectors, uniting expertise across disciplines.

Explore our research and learn with us 
Justyna Jeziorska interacts with UAS data on a touchscreen

Workshops and trainings

UAS Operations & Analytics Workshop

Our popular three-day professional development workshop is held twice a year at NC State and covers everything from UAS operation basics to advanced imagery processing.

Learn more 

Customized UAS Training

Unable to attend a scheduled workshop at NC State? We can come to you: choose a three-day workshop, one-day training or half-day imagery processing crash course for your location.

Contact Justyna Jeziorska 

MAPPING a dynamic planet NEWS

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Service Learning Partnerships Drive Innovation with GIS

During the Spring 2023 semester, our graduating professional master’s students worked with industry, government and nonprofit partners to apply their knowledge and skills to pressing geospatial challenges. 
A research image from a student in the Ph.D. in Geospatial Analytics program

Researchers Use Geospatial Analytics and AI to Develop Global Food Security Solutions

Integrating AI and geospatial technology can help solve challenges to global food security and poverty that are exacerbated by climate change. 
Alex Yoshizumi

Alex Yoshizumi Is NC State’s 2023 Esri Innovation Program Student of the Year

NC State joined a select group of universities worldwide when it became part of the Esri Innovation Program in 2017. Congratulations to our 2023 EIP Student of the Year: Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. candidate Alexander Yoshizumi! 
Close-up of a leaf

Scientists Use Satellites To Track Earth ‘Greening’ Amid Climate Change

Research led by Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student Xiaojie Gao found changes in global “greening” will play a significant role in how much carbon dioxide plants capture and store. 

Are Densely Built or Sprawling Cities Better for Conservation?

New research co-authored by Faculty Fellows Jelena Vukomanovic ‏and Adam Terando ‏examined whether densely packed or sprawling urban development best meets biodiversity and conservation goals and found…there is no consensus. 
Rescue workers search through rubble following an earthquake in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.

Why the Turkey-Syria Earthquakes Were So Destructive

The sheer power of the recent earthquakes created the “perfect recipe for strong ground motions to take place,” says Faculty Fellow Ashly Cabas.