GeoAI in Geospatial Research: Challenges and Opportunities
Since its introduction in 2017, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) has grown rapidly in remote sensing and GIS research. This technology does not just introduce a new topic; it changes how we approach geospatial science by prioritizing predictive power over scientific understanding. This webinar reviews the history of AI in GIS and highlights recent major accomplishments. We will explore new research opportunities and discuss the challenges that could hinder GeoAI or impact the future of geospatial research and education.
Prof. May Yuan
Ashbel Smith Professor of Geospatial Information Science at The University of Texas at Dallas
May Yuan is the Ashbel Smith Professor of Geospatial Information Sciences in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, with all her degrees in Geography: B.S. 1987 from National Taiwan University, and M.S. 1992, and Ph.D. 1994 from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Geographers, and the University Consortium of Geographic Information Science. She currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Geographical Information Science. Previously, she served as a program director for Human-Environment and Geographic Science at the U.S. National Science Foundation (2022-2025), on Scientific Advisory Committee of the Geospatial Science and Human Security Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2020-2025), NOAA’s Environmental Information Working Group (2016-2022), Landsat Advisory Group (2019-2022), National Geospatial Advisory Committee (2016-2021), and Editorial Board of Annals of American Association of Geographers (2005-2017) and as President of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (2019-2020) and of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (2011-2012). Her research has been supported by NSF, NASA, DoD, DHS, DOJ, DOE, NOAA, USGS, NIST, and NIH. She and her students at the Geospatial Analytics and Innovative Applications Lab explore ways to understand the dynamics of people, events, and places, and how interactions between spatial behaviors and the environment affect brain health and cognitive development.