Upcoming Symposium

The Spatial Information Science Research Interest Group at SIS will host a symposium on “Advances in Spatial Information Science.”  This research symposium will be held on May 24 and May 25 at the School of Information Sciences, 135 North Bellefield Avenue.  For more information and reservations, please visit http://www.sis.pitt.edu/~cogmap/sisrig/sym07.html.  

The symposium will bring together a group of leading scholars in the area of Spatial Information Science to discuss recent advances and new directions in this growing field.  Spatial Information Science examines the computational, technical, and cognitive aspects of acquiring, storing, manipulating, using and understanding spatial information. The Spatial Information Science Research Interest Group (SIS-RIG), founded in 2006, is hosting this inaugural symposium.

The speakers for the symposium include:

• Gouray Cai, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University
• Louise Comfort, Professor of Public and Urban Affairs, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
• William Harbert, Associate Professor of Geophysics, University of Pittsburgh
  Topic:  Geospatial analysis of geohazards
• Alexander Klippel, Assistant Professor of Geographical Information Science, Pennsylvania State University
  Topic:  Toward A Framework for Geographic Event Conceptualization
• Mei-Po Kwan, Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio State University Ohio State
• Jonathan Raper, Professor, Information Science, School of Informatics, City University (UK)
• Ken Sochats, Director, Visual Information Systems Center, University of Pittsburgh
  Topic:  Dynamic Discrete Disaster Decision Simulation System (D4S2)

The speaker for the keynote address, scheduled for May 24, will be Robert Regan who serves as a Research Professor at the School of Information Sciences.  Regan is the author of two recent books that were created utilizing GIS and other spatial information systems:  “The Steps of Pittsburgh – Portrait of a City” and “The Bridges of Pittsburgh.” 

Other events during the symposium include an opening reception, a dinner, a series of presentations and discussions on leading edge topics in Spatial Information Science, and a poster session for students.