Our research is characterized by an interdisciplinary perspective on spatial data science driven by advances of quantitative geography (e.g., geographic information science), earth observations (e.g., remote sensing) and computational science. We are interested in deep learning of heterogeneous geographic information to support uncertainty-aware geographic knowledge discovery and decision making. Particularly, we focus on the development of statistical and computational methodologies for (a) integrating heterogeneous sources of geographic information (e.g., incompatible scales) for geographic analysis; (b) characterizing and modeling complex spatiotemporal patterns in geographic phenomena and processes; (c) characterizing and modeling spatiotemporal bias and uncertainty of geographic information and the associated impacts; (d) addressing the computing challenges when the data scale and model complexity increase dramatically; and (e) building geospatial-enabled cyberinfrastructure for domain scientists. Domain applications focus on environmental sciences, public health and social sciences.
DOC NIST: Innovative Measurement and Modeling of Dynamical Social and Health Effects of Windstorms (2019-2022), $667,024, Co-PI
USGS: Toward Near Real-time Monitoring and Characterization of Land Surface Change for the Conterminous US (2017-2022), $1,062,069, Co-I
CH Foundation: Mapping Local Community Preparedness to Tornado Hazards in Lubbock, Texas (2018-2019), $29,500, PI
CH Foundation: Immersive VR Experience for Teaching, Learning, and Researching (2018-2019), $17,989, Co-PI
Texas Tech: Story Maps of Humanitarian Projects around the World (2017-2018), $90,000, Co-PI
USAID: Mappers Without Borders (2015-2020), $990,000, Co-PI
USDA: Development of a GIS Model to Project and Map Future Water Availability (2015-2016), $119,895, Co-PI
Texas Tech National Wind Institute: Toward a Geospatial Cyberinfrastructure for Enhancement of Community Resilience to Tornado Hazards (2014-2015), $30,500, PI
Texas Tech Transdisciplinary Research Academy: A Big Data Approach for Spatial Environmental Epidemiology (2014-2015), $4,000, PI
USDA: Development of Current Hydrologic Data and Analysis of Water Availability in the Ogallala Aquifer over the Next 50 Years (2014-2016), $40, 679, Co-PI
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Pilot Research Core: Center of Excellence at Meharry (HDRCOE): “Linking climate, air pollution and housing conditions to develop strategies to reduce racial disparities in infant mortality” (2014-2015), $12,729, Co-PI