Winter 2024 Newsletter

The NSF I-GUIDE proudly hosts an annual Summer School that champions the spirit of Convergence Science. Each year we bring together a group of the next generation of geospatial scientists and scholars for a week of collaborative learning and problem solving. Participants work in small groups, led by an established scholar or data scientist, to tackle projects related to the annual theme. The 2024 Summer School theme is “Leveraging AI for Environmental Sustainability.” Rooted in the belief that some of the most pressing societal issues demand a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, I-GUIDE provides a unique platform for graduate students and early-career scholars to engage with cutting-edge concepts and methodologies.

I-GUIDE invites graduate students, postdocs, and early-career scholars to apply as participants for the 2024 Summer School. All participant application documents must be received by Monday, April 1, 2024 at 11:59pm PT. Decisions will be finalized and all applicants will be notified by Monday, April 22, 2024.

NSF I-GUIDE also invites established scholars, academic faculty, and data scientists to apply as team leaders and to submit project proposals for the 2024 Summer School. Project proposals must be received by Monday, April 8, 2024.

The UCGIS I-GUIDE Community Champions program is a unique opportunity for mid- to late-career scholars and educators passionate about geospatial data science and education. Community Champion cohort members support the expansion and community reach of I-GUIDE’s initiatives, fostering innovation in the field of geospatial convergence science in the process.  Champions work on small-scale projects aligned with the program’s annual theme which this year focuses on refining and applying the I-GUIDE Convergence Curriculum for Geospatial Data Science.

Don’t miss the upcoming I-GUIDE Symposium on Geospatial Data Science for Sustainability at the 2024 AAG conference! By focusing on innovative cyberGIS and geospatial data science approaches, the symposium will address pressing sustainability challenges such as aging infrastructure, biodiversity loss, and food and water insecurity.

The event will feature paper and panel sessions as well as workshops exploring topics such as cyberGIS advancements, geospatial artificial intelligence, high-performance computing for geographic problem-solving, multiscale mapping and analysis, and the role of geospatial data science in promoting resilience and sustainability among others.

This VCO will present work completed by Team 1 from the 2023 I-GUIDE Summer School. This team analyzed changes in the location and extent of the wildland urban interface (WUI) in the contiguous US (CONUS) from 2000-2020. Using timeseries landcover data and Microsoft’s building footprints this team produced a novel timeseries of WUI interface and intermix maps consistently across CONUS. They then analyzed the changing extent of the WUI to characterize wildfire risk in the context of social vulnerability, providing useful information relevant for emergency planners.

Join I-GUIDE partner institution, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI), for a free introductory webinar on CUAHSI’s Cloud Computing services. This webinar will cover gaining access to CUAHSI compute services, launching CUAHSI compute, an introduction to capabilities and functionality, integrations with CUAHSI repositories, the API, the HydroShare Python client, and more. There will be time after the presentation for questions and discussion.

Join CUAHSI May 14th for an introductory HydroShare Webinar. This webinar will cover sharing, storing, collaborating on, and publishing data in HydroShare. We will also cover HydroShare’s integration with CUAHSI compute services and new and upcoming HydroShare functionality. This webinar is a perfect opportunity to either learn about HydroShare for the first time or to increase your familiarity with new features.

35 years ago, a pivotal investment from the U.S. National Science Foundation, helped Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evolve in to the $28 billion industry it is today, and in the process helped to shape the landscape of scientific applications and interdisciplinary approaches to address societal challenges.

As GIS technology, science, and applications have continued to grow, advances in data science, open science, and artificial intelligence are leading to exciting new frontiers. Shaowen Wang, director of I-GUIDE and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is interviewed and discusses how technological breakthroughs for working with very large and complex spatial datasets have been instrumental to addressing complex real-world problems, such as understanding geographical differences in access to healthcare during the Covid pandemic, prioritizing infrastructure improvement projects, and assessing the impacts of agriculture on water resources.

The Fifth National Climate Assessment is the United States Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the scientific foundation to support informed decision-making across the United States.

Deanna Hence, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and member of the I-GUIDE Executive Team, is a co-author of the chapter on Climate Trends within the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

The latest cutting-edge research and publications from the NSF I-GUIDE Team.  Click on the cards to view the full articles.

This recent paper by authors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Stanford University unveils that international trade fosters transboundary synergistic effects, with non-neighboring trade partners playing a crucial role in amplifying these synergies. Conversely, nature-induced flows like river flow, ocean currents, and air flow highlight the importance of geographical proximity in fostering cooperation among neighboring countries.

As nations strive to achieve the SDGs, this research underscores the imperative of enhanced collaboration and leveraging transboundary synergies. By embracing collective action and harnessing the interconnectedness of sustainability efforts, the global community can pave the way for a more prosperous and resilient future for all.