New Journal for Spatial Social Sciences Seeks Articles
April 13th, 2007

Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences (LSRS) publishes high-quality, shorter papers on theoretical or empirical results, models and methods in social sciences that contain a spatial dimension. For more information, see the announcement and call for papers for the first issue, to appear in March 2008. The editors are Henk Folmer, Luc Anselin, Roberta Capello, and Yoshiro Higano. Additional details appear at www.springer.com/journal/12076 and in the First Announcement and Call for Papers

Workshop on Agent-Based Modeling of Complex Spatial Systems
Santa Barbara, California
April 14-16 2007

Over the past few years two research communities have developed more-or-less independently: the community of agent-based modelers of spatial systems on the one hand, and the community interested in the representational and computational aspects of complex dynamic systems on the other.

As part of the joint US National Science Foundation / UK Economic and Social Research Council Special Activity in the Area of E-Science, the University of California, Santa Barbara and University College London have received funding for a workshop of approximately 30 participants, to be held in Santa Barbara, California April 14-16 2007 at the Upham Hotel.

Link to site

Digital Gazetteer Research and Practice: Call for Participation
Upham Hotel, Santa Barbara, California, USA
December 7th - 9th, 2006

A 2 1/2-day workshop for the presentation, discussion, and summarization of current issues and opportunities.
Convened by the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, University of California, Santa Barbara, and the Redlands Institute.
Sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Location: Upham Hotel, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Dates: Early evening of Thursday, December 7, 2006 through late on Saturday December 9th
(participants will depart early Sunday)

Link to site

Social Science Computer Review
July 12, 2006

The "Social Science Computer Review", a peer-reviewed publication now in its 24th year of publication, is planning a special issue on "Crime Mapping" and solicits proposals for paper, reports, or book reviews. The issue will appear in 2007. Details about the journal can be found at: http://hcl.chass.ncsu.edu/sscore/sscore.htm

The "Social Science Computer Review" has an audience of social scientists, most of them never having done crime mapping. Therefore we are not necessarily looking for papers on technical refinements on cutting edge procedures. On the other hand, a paper would have to have some innovative aspect, doing more than showing that one can map crime variables. The key criteria in mind is, "What interesting things can social scientists do with these tools beyond what they probably already know, like dot mapping?" In addition to the field of criminology we are also encouraging papers to be submitted from all disciplines that incorporate the spatial perspectives of, but not limited to, inequality, residential stability, unemployment, access to resources, economic opportunities, housing availability, migration, segregation, and neighborhood effects as they relate to crime. < /p>

Those interested may email me, the guest editor, by Monday, July 31, 2006 with an abstract at [email protected]. Papers accepted will be due by mid to end October.

Link to site

9th Crime Mapping Research Conference - Call for papers now open
Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
July 12, 2006

The 9th Crime Mapping Research Conference will be about demonstrating the use and development of methodologies for practitioners and researchers. The MAPS Program is anticipating the selection of key accepted presentations for further development of an electronic monograph on GIS, Spatial Data Analysis and the Study of Crime in the following year. Call for papers (pdf) - Submissions due September 29, 2006.

Link to site

Vespucci Summer Institute on Geographic Information
Fiesole (Florence), Italy
26 June to 7 July 2006

The Summer Institute is aimed at researchers from the university, commercial, and government sectors. It provides an inspiring and productive opportunity for peer-to-peer interaction with leading international experts in the field.

The Vespucci Initiative for the Advancement of Geographic Information Science announces the 4th Annual Summer Institute on Geographic Information Science Fattoria Montebeni , near Fiesole (Florence), Italy

Link to site

Goodchild Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
April 26, 2006

Professor Michael Goodchild is among the 2006 class of Fellows elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The election, the result of a highly competitive selection process, recognizes Goodchild's "exceptional achievement" in the social sciences.

As its Charter of 1780 expresses it, the Academy's purpose is "to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people." Academy members from previous generations have included John Adams, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin in the 18th Century; Daniel Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Alexander Graham Bell in the 19th C.; and Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Neils Bohr, and Albert Schweitzer in the 20th.

The Academy is an international learned society composed of the world's leading scientists, scholars, artists, business people, and public leaders. Its current membership of 4,000 American Fellows and 600 Foreign Honorary Members includes more than 160 Nobel Prize laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners. Professor Goodchild and Dr. David Awschalom, Physics, bring the number of UCSB faculty members elected to the AAAS to 23; they will be among 175 new Fellows and 20 new Foreign Honorary Members who will be formally inducted into the Academy at its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 7th.

CSISS Director, Michael Goodchild, Receives Aangeenbrug Award
March 8, 2006

The Award Committee of the GIS Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers announced the selection of Michael F. Goodchild as recipient of the Robert T. Aangeenbrug GISSG Distinguished Career Award for 2006. Goodchild is co-PI on the NSF-funded SPACE program, Director of the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science, and Professor of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The Aangeenbrug Award is given to honor a senior scholar for sustained and effective research contributions in geographic information systems and science. It is bestowed based on a record of published research and/or other accomplishments that extend over a period of several decades. To be selected as a recipient of this award, the research of the scholar must be deemed of great importance and relevance to geographers, and this research must be largely concerned with or applicable to Geographic Information Systems and Science.

Goodchild received his BA degree from Cambridge University in Physics in 1965 and his PhD in Geography from McMaster University in 1969. He moved to Santa Barbara in 1988 and was Director of NCGIA from 1991 to 1997. He was elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and Foreign Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002. He has received honorary doctorates from Laval University, Keele University, McMaster University, and Ryerson University.

According to the Award Committee, Goodchild has made “sustained and effective contributions” to research and education in GIScience. His career achievements are mainly in his contributions to: (a) the transition from GIS as a tool to GIS as a science; (b) GIScience research; (c) GIScience research infrastructure; and (d) the dissemination of spatial thinking to researchers in a wide variety of disciplines (from environmental sciences to social sciences and humanities).

New GeoDa™ Workbook Available
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
March 7, 2005

"Exploring Spatial Data with GeoDa: A Workbook", the first complete version of the GeoDa™ workbook is now available for free download (5.1MB). It contains 244 pages with 25 chapters of step by step guidelines and exercises to learn all the features of GeoDa, including spatial regression analysis.

Link to site

Crime Mapping Research Conference - Call for Papers
Savannah, Georgia
September 7 - 10, 2005

NIJ/MAPS announces the call for presentations and professional development workshops for the 8th Annual Crime Mapping Research Conference. The conference is to be held, September 7 - 10, 2005 at the Savannah Westin Golf & Spa Resort, in Savannah, Georgia.

This year's theme is Research & Practice Affecting Public Policy. This conference, hosted by the National Institute of Justice's MAPS program, brings together researchers and practitioners to learn about recent innovative research and share practical experiences with crime mapping & analysis.

The National Institute of Justice will reimburse travel, lodging and conference registration fees for one speaker per presentation or workshop.

All prospective presenters are required to submit an abstract and brief description of their presentation or workshop. The forms should be completed and returned no later than January 25, 2005 at 5:00 pm EST.

Link to site

Tobler's Flow Mapper Updated
May 12, 2005

A new version of Waldo Tobler's Flow Mapper has been released. This release fixes several bugs. Flow Mapper is an interactive flow mapping program that allows for the production of a total movement map shown by volume-scaled bands, net movement given by scaled arrows, or simultaneous two-way moves.

Link to site

GeoDa Training Workshops with Luc Anselin, Summer 2005
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
July 25-27, 2005 and August 8-10, 2005

In response to many requests, Luc Anselin, PI for the CSISS Spatial Tools program and member of the CSISS Executive Committee, will offer two three-day GeoDa Training Workshops this summer at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. These will be introductory workshops - no background in GeoDa, GIS, or spatial statistics required.

Primary audience: those who will be using GeoDa in their teaching, but research use of GeoDa will be covered as well.

Cost: $1,200 per workshop. There will be limited enrollment to keep the size of each workshop small.

Link to site

Luc Anselin Receives RSA Fellow Award
Seattle, Washington
November 10-13, 2005

Luc Anselin, PI for the CSISS Spatial Tools program and member of the CSISS Executive Committee, received an RSA Fellow Award for his contributions to regional science at the 2004 Regional Science Association Meeting.

Workshop Coordinator Mei-Po Kwan Awarded for Research
UCGIS 2005 Summer Assembly
June 15, 2005

Dr. Mei-Po Kwan of the Department of Geography, Ohio State University has been selected as the 2005 UCGIS Researcher of the Year. The UCGIS Research Award is given to the creator(s) of a particularly outstanding research contribution to Geographic Information Science (GIScience). Dr. Kwan has a strong and varied research program and one of the researchers who is asking fundamental questions about the methods of geography and, as such, is shaping the field of GIScience. Dr. Kwan's work focuses on the geographical and temporal characteristics of peoples daily activities, and the impact of recent social, economic and political changes on their everyday lives as manifested through changes in the geographies of their daily activities.

GIS PLANET 2005
Estoril, Portugal
May 30 - June 2, 2005

GIS PLANET 2005 is a global, independent and open event designed to involve many organizations. It targets the participation of the worldwide community and is the largest event dedicated to Geographic Information in Europe.

It will gather experts and professionals from many backgrounds and fields, allowing research, institutional, technical and user perspectives to converge in a single event focused on the framework and development of the Geo Information Society (GIS). More information can be found at www.gisplanet.org .

The call for papers and call for workshops are now open.

Link to site

The SPACE Instructor Workshops for 2005
UCSB, OSU, SFSU
Application deadline: April 15, 2005

SPACE is now accepting applications for the 2005 Instructor Workshops. SPACE workshops are intended for instructors of undergraduate students in the social sciences. They offer content knowledge in methods of spatial analysis, instructional resources, and professional development support for curriculum planning and learning assessment.

Link to site

GIS and Population Science Workshops 2005
Penn State and UC Santa Barbara
Application deadline: April 10, 2005

The Population Research Institute (PRI) at Penn State and The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) at UC Santa Barbara recently received a training grant from NICHD to promote the adoption and use of spatial analysis methods and geographic information science in population research among the current cohort of young population scientists. Through this training grant, both PRI and CSISS will offer two-week intensive workshops during Summer 2005 and Summer 2006. These workshops will provide:

• a basic introduction to GIS, spatial analysis, spatial statistics, mapping, and visualization;
• a strong focus on applications in population research;
• coverage of the most important basic issues of spatial methods, including problems of inference, spatial dependence, spatial heterogeneity, scale, uncertainty, and the ecological fallacy;
• opportunities for participants to work with their own data; and
• activities that foster peer-to-peer interaction, through group projects and small-group discussions.

The workshops will primarily target interdisciplinary pre-doctoral students studying demography or a demography-related field (including agricultural economics, anthropology, economics, geography, public health, rural sociology, sociology) as well as young faculty, and researchers employed in population agencies. Applications are encourage from all citizen groups, including underrepresented minorities and applications from designated minority-serving institutions. Limited funds will be available to help offset costs incurred by attendees with priority given to graduate student applicants. The Summer 2005 workshops have been scheduled for May 29 - June 11, 2005 (Penn State) and June 19 - July 2, 2005 (UC Santa Barbara). Additional details about these workshops and application forms are available on the GIS and Population Science website.

Link to site

STARS software released under General Public License
San Diego State University
Released July 9, 2004

STARS: Space Time Analysis of Regional Systems
Version 0.7.2
Released 2004-July-09

The following information comes from STARS Project Director, Serge Rey:

STARS is an exploratory data analysis package designed for variables measured on geographical units over time. It combines a series of statistical and mapping views together with some newly developed measures for space-time statistical analysis. The views support several types of dynamic visualization:

• Linking different views to examine a given observation across different dimensions (spatial, temporal, distributional)
• Conditioning (brushing) one or more destination views on the selection of a set of observations on an origin view
• Animations of of maps, distributions, box plots, scatter plots, parallel coordinate plots and other views over time
• Spatial traveling
• Roaming windows
• View generated views (creating new views from existing views)

STARS includes a suite of computational modules:

• Classic descriptive statistics
• Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (local and global spatial autocorrelation in a dynamic context)
• Inequality Analysis
• Distributional mixing and mobility
• Classic Markov and Spatial Markov methods

STARS also includes utility methods for creating different types of geographical weight matrices, time series covariation matrices, variable transformations, and for reading ArcView shapefiles to develop STARS projects.

STARS is written in Python, making heavy use of Numpy and Tkinter, and is open source software released under GNU General Public License (GPL). It is cross platform, and has been successfully run on Mac Os X, Linux, and most versions of Windows.

Source code, a Windows binary installer, as well as user guides, QuickTime tutorials, background papers, user-list, and other documentation can be found at the project's homepage.

Link to site

Goodchild article published in ArcNews
Spring 2004

CSISS Principal Investigator Mike Goodchild has recently published an article titled Social Sciences: Interest in GIS Grows in ArcNews. ArcNews is a news magazine published quarterly for the ESRI user community and for others interested in mapping and geographic information system (GIS) technology.

Link to site

Tobler's Flow Mapper Updated
July 8, 2004

A new version of Waldo Tobler's Flow Mapper has been released. This release fixes several bugs. A new tutorial by Tobler is also now available. Flow Mapper is an interactive flow mapping program that allows for the production of a total movement map shown by volume-scaled bands, net movement given by scaled arrows, or simultaneous two-way moves.

Link to site

Location Privacy Workshop
Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine
August 5-7, 2004

The expanding use of spatial, mobile and context-aware technologies, the building of coordinated spatial data infrastructures and sensor-networks, and the use of location data as the foundation for many current and future information systems have profound implications for personal information privacy. This workshop will

1. explore diverse practices, perceptions and concerns of citizens, data developers, system developers, privacy advocates and users of spatial data and location-aware technologies in government and private industry,
2. explore the interconnectedness of location information and location technologies with personal privacy concerns,
3. evolve conceptual frameworks within which such links might be better understood and concerns accommodated,
4. consider the potential effects on spatial technology uses and developments of the legal options being suggested by scholars for protecting personal information privacy, and
5. make recommendations to the broad scientific and practitioner communities as well as to policy makers on directions and actions that would best balance the interests of all parties affected by spatial technologies.

Link to site

GIScience 2004 Call for Participation
University of Maryland Conference Center
October 20-23, 2004

GIScience 2004 is the follow-up meeting to the highly successful GIScience 2000 and 2002 conferences. At each of the previous conferences in the series approximately 150 papers were selected for presentation from among a large international pool of submissions. GIScience 2004 will again bring together scientists from academia, industry, and government to analyze progress and to explore new research directions. It will focus on emerging topics and basic research findings across all sectors of geographic information science. The conference program aims to attract leading GIScience researchers from all fields to reflect the interdisciplinary breadth of GIScience, including cognitive science, computer science, engineering, geography, information science, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, social science, and statistics. The conference will be held at the conference center of the University of Maryland's College Park campus, within the Washington, DC metropolitan area and accessible from the Washington Metro and several major airports.

Call for Papers

Link to site

Upgrade to GeoDa™ 0.9.5-i, DynESDA Replacement
January 23, 2004

An update to GeoDa™ 0.9.5-i is now available for dowload. GeoDa™, the Geodata Analysis software is the successor to and a replacement for DynESDA2 and the DynESDA extension for ESRI's ArcView 3.x GIS. It is a freestanding program, built on ESRI's MapObjects LT2 technology, using the shape file format as the standard for storing spatial information.

New in GeoDa 0.9.5-i:

• Data Manipulation
  • polygon shape files for regular grids
  • polygon shape files from text input
• Mapping
  • circular cartogram
  • conditional maps
• Exploratory Data Analysis
  • parallel coordinate plot
  • 3D scatter plot with brushing and linking
  • conditional plots (map, box plot, histogram, scatter plot)
• Spatial Regression Analysis
  • ordinary least squares with diagnostics for spatial effects
  • maximum likelihood estimation of spatial lag and spatial error models
• As well as many refinements to the user interface and current functionality

Link to site

CSISS Announces New NSF-funded Program for Instructor Development in Spatial Social Science
CSISS Website
October 9, 2003

SPACE (Spatial Perspectives for Analysis in Curriculum Enhancement) is a newly funded program of professional development, oriented to undergraduate-level instruction in the social sciences. SPACE is eligible for three years of support totaling $1.4 million under the NSF CCLI National Dissemination program of the Division of Undergraduate Education. The objectives of SPACE are to introduce spatial methodologies (GIS, spatial statistics, and analytic cartography) as foundation skills for undergraduates in such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, history, economics, political science, and sociology, and to interdisciplinary programs in criminology, demography, and urban studies. The program will feature one- and two-week-long workshops to permit instructors of undergraduate courses to gain a fundamental understanding of spatial methods and related software, to engage in the development of curriculum, lecture, and laboratory exercises, and resources for the assessment of student learning. Workshop participants will be instructors in social science disciplines from universities and colleges from across the United States. Unlike the CSISS program which aims to advance research infrastructure for spatial social science, SPACE is targeted at dissemination of tools and concepts for spatial thinking within undergraduate programs.

Don Janelle is the program director and PI for SPACE, working with co-PIs Michael Goodchild and Richard Appelbaum. Fiona Goodchild, recipient of a 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, is the Professional Development Coordinator. The SPACE program is sponsored through CSISS in cooperation with the Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research, the Department of Geography, and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

CSISS partners in the SPACE program include the Department of Geography at Ohio State University (Mei-Po Kwan, PI) and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (Arthur Getis, PI). SPACE workshops will be offered during the summer months, beginning in 2004, at UCSB and OSU, and at selected UCGIS institutions. In addition, SPACE will offer short orientation workshops at annual meetings of social science academic societies and through UCGIS programs.

A full description of the program and details on how to apply to participate are available at www.csiss.org/SPACE. This website will include resources to help instructors who are interested in introducing courses or course modules on spatial analysis. It will include course syllabi, exercises and related data, examples of spatial thinking, instruments for student learning assessment, and interactive forums to enable instructors to establish support networks and to discuss issues regarding pedagogy.

Link to site

The SPACE program offers Instructor Workshops for 2004
Application deadline: April 18, 2004

SPACE is now accepting applications for the 2004 Instructor Workshops. SPACE workshops are intended for instructors of undergraduate students in the social sciences. They offer content knowledge in methods of spatial analysis, instructional resources, and professional development support for curriculum planning and learning assessment. For more about SPACE see news below.

Link to site

Oxford University Press releases Spatially Integrated Social Science
January 10, 2004

The long awaited CSISS Best Practices Publication Spatially Integrated Social Science has been released by Oxford University Press. The volume illustrates the use of spatial approaches in the social and behavioral sciences. Editors are M.F. Goodchild and D.G. Janelle. Get a Preview.

Link to site

History and Geography Conference
The Newberry Library, Chicago
March 25-27, 2004

The Newberry Library's Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography will host "History and Geography: Assessing the Role of Geographical Information in Historical Scholarship," a conference devoted to assessing the many dimensions of historians'rapidly growing interest in geographical methods and sources, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in particular. Scholars engaged in historical research in the humanities, social sciences, and earth sciences will address emerging issues, including how to acknowledge the uncertainty and context of historical sources within the logical structure and visual representations of geo-spatial techniques, whether those techniques are contributing to a new positivism in history, and how geographers and historians can work together to improve geo-spatial methods and the quality of research based upon them.

Link to site

New Resource: Agent-Based Modeling for Land-Use Change
CSISS Spatial Resources
July 31, 2003

An increasing number of scholars are exploring the potential of agent-based or multi-agent system tools for modeling human land-use decisions and subsequent land-cover change. This resource provides a collection of information for scholars interested in MAS/LUCC models. The resources include current research initiatives, information on related events, an extensive bibliography and links to software tools. The site has been developed as a follow-up to a special workshop on agent-based models of land use in 2001, co-sponsored by CSISS and LUCC Focus 1.

Link to site

CSISS Report on Participant Survey Results
CSISS Website
October 20, 2003

In January of 2003 CSISS commissioned the UCSB Social Science Survey Center to survey applicants and participants in CSISS programs during the period of 2000-2002.

The purpose of the survey was two-fold – (1) to help trace trends in the development and use of spatial thinking in the social sciences and (2) to assess the impact of CSISS programs on teaching and research.

Link to site

CSISS co-sponsors meeting on Globalization in the World-System: Mapping Change Over Time
University of California, Riverside
February 7-8, 2004

This workshop will bring together about thirty scholars with a substantive or methodological interest in the study of global-scale socioeconomic processes across time and space. The group will be composed of empirically oriented scholars of global social processes and several experts on geographic information science and network analysis. The purpose of the workshop is to encourage participants to develop ideas for research projects on the structure and dynamics of globalization using new research technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial analysis methods (including network analysis), and sources of geographic information not usually employed by globalization researchers.

Link to site

Video Clips Released for CSISS Workshops 2002
May 2003

Several video clips have been produced from two of the 2002 summer workshops, Map Making and Visualization of Spatial Data and Introduction to Spatial Pattern Analysis in a GIS Environment.

These excerpts were filmed using a Sony DV camera, edited with Adobe Premiere and compressed for the web using Macromedia Flash MX. There is a significant increase in quality of this year's workshop clips, both in content and visual clarity. The latest version of Macromedia's Flash player is required to view these clips. Download Flash player now.

Select a workshop to begin viewing clips:

• Map Making and Visualization of Spatial Data
• Spatial Pattern Analysis in a GIS Environment

Link to site

CSISS Workshop at ASA 2003 Annual Meeting
Atlanta Hilton Hotel - Atlanta, GA
August,17 2003

Does Space Matter? Analyzing and Visualizing Spatial Effects in Sociology
8:30-11:30 a.m., 17 August 2003, Atlanta Hilton Hotel
American Sociological Association

This workshop addresses (1) the theoretical rationale for including spatial perspectives in sociological research, (2) the availability spatial data and spatial analytic tools for studying social patterns and processes, and (3) the integration of spatial statistics with methods of spatial visualization. Instructors will demonstrate new software tools for exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, and methods for assessing spatial effects in the analysis of social processes. They will illustrate how the spatial perspective adds substantive insights to research in areas of neighborhood and regional analysis of population, crime, health, and communication. Information on access to research resources and on training opportunities will be provided.

Download the Agenda

Link to site

Rural Sociology and the "Spatial Turn" Across the Social Sciences
The Rural Sociologist, Volume 23, Number 2
June 2003

Quoted from the President's Column by Linda Lobao, RSS President:

Since the 1980s, the spatial aspects of social life have increasingly interested social scientists. For rural sociologists, this spatial turn helps define our sub field, expands our substantive and methodological base with linkages to geography / regional science, and positions us centrally in spatializing sociology as a discipline. The July 2003 annual meeting, will be an excellent venue for considering how "spatial inequality" captures rural sociology's distinct contribution to the social sciences. To that end, I'd like to call your attention to the following events: 1) the pre-conference workshop, "Spatial Analysis for Rural Sociology and Agricultural Economics" organized by Paul Voss and Don Janelle as part of CSISS (Center for Spatially Integrated Social Sciences, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative) [which was] held Saturday, July 26 from 8:00am-12:00pm; 2) plenary Speakers, political geographer Kevin Cox, featured Monday July 28, and urban sociologist Harvey Molotch, featured Tuesday July 29; and 3) the Presidential address on Sunday, July 27, that [spoke] to Rural Sociology's contribution to the topic of spatial inequality.

Link to site

Upgrade to GeoDa™ 0.93, DynESDA Replacement
June 17, 2003

An update to GeoDa™ 0.9.3 is now available for dowload. GeoDa™, the Geodata Analysis software is the successor to and a replacement for DynESDA2 and the DynESDA extension for ESRI's ArcView 3.x GIS. It is a freestanding program, built on ESRI's MapObjects LT2 technology, using the shape file format as the standard for storing spatial information.

Link to site

R-Geo Added to CSISS Tools
June 24, 2003

R-Geo is a developing effort to promote spatial data analysis software in the R language. R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is a GNU project and can be considered as a different implementation of S. Much code written for S runs unaltered under R. One of R's strengths is the ease with which well-designed publication-quality plots can be produced, including mathematical symbols and formulae where needed. More can be found at the site.

Link to site

CSISS Learning Resources Expanded with GIS Cookbook
Santa Barbara, CA
October 12, 2002

The GIS Cookbook is a collection of simple descriptions and illustrations of GIS methods written with minimal GIS jargon. Recipes cover two GIS software platforms, ArcView 3.2 and ArcGIS 8.1. The target users are social scientists with an interest in introducing spatial thinking into their current research and who have some experience with computers but little to no exposure to GIS. GIS Cookbook is in its beginning stages and will be expanded to better serve the needs of social scientists.

Link to site

Will GPS tech lead to 'geoslavery'?
March 11, 2003

Jerome Dobson worries that 1984 may be just around the corner. Dobson, a University of Kansas research professor and president of the American Geographical Society, is concerned that technical advances carry the potential for bringing about George Orwell's nightmarish vision of a society that destroys privacy. This new threat, says Dobson -- a respected leader in the field of geographic information technologies -- is "geoslavery."

Link to site

Framing Land Use Dynamics: An International Conference
Utrecht University, The Netherlands
April 16-18, 2003

The aim of this conference is to identify (potential) land use changes in western urbanized countries, and the conflicts which may arise from these changes, through considering such questions as:

• What are the spatial impacts of recent economic, technological, demographic, and natural developments on urbanization patterns, mobility, water systems, and ecological habitats?
• How could 'smart' spatial configurations of socio-economic and environmental systems reduce spatial conflicts and enhance sustainable development?
• What improvements are necessary in integrated modelling to analyse, simulate and assess spatial land use dynamics?
• In what ways can we improve the application of scientific knowledge on land use dynamics in spatial planning processes?

The central themes of the conference are the integration of knowledge on land use dynamics from different disciplines and the application of that knowledge to spatial planning in western urbanized countries.

Link to site

Open Application for CSSIS Summer Workshops 2003
The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science Website
January 28 - March 31, 2003

The application deadline for positions and scholarships in the summer workshops was March 31, 2003. All successful applicants will be notified by April 11th. Full details on application procedures, objectives and content of each workshop is available from the CSISS Events page.

This year's workshops include:

• Population Science and GIS
  May 19-23, University Park, State College, PA
• Accessibility in Space and Time: A GIS Approach
  July 7-11, Columbus, OH
• Introduction to Spatial Pattern Analysis in a GIS Environment
  July 28 - August 1, Santa Barbara, CA
• Geographically Weighted Regression and Associated Statistics
  August 4-9, Santa Barbara, CA

Also offered by the Interuniversity Consortium on Political and Social Research (ICPSR):

• Introduction to Spatial Data Analysis
  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Spatial Regression Analysis
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Download Workshop Flyer 500kb - Print it and post in your office or share it on your website.

CSISS Workshop and Papers at AAA
New Orleans, LA
November 20th-24th, 2002

American Anthropological Association Workshop on Spatial Analysis in Anthropology

101st Annual Meeting, New Orleans, November 20-24, 2002

• Emilio Moran, Indiana University - Introduction 3.9MB
  
• Eduardo Brondizio, Indiana University - Enhancing Ethnographic Research through Spatial and Temporal Analysis 2.1MB
  
• Luc Anselin, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - Mapping and Analysis for Spatial Social Science 2.4MB
  
• Donald Janelle, UC Santa Barbara - Resources for Spatial Thinking and Analysis 3.4MB
  
• Susan Stonich, UC Santa Barbara The Future of Spatial Approaches in Anthropology

AAA Session: Powerful GIS Tools to Advance Spatial and Temporal Analysis in Anthropological Research, November 21, 2002, 4:00 - 5:45 p.m.

• Session and Paper Abstracts 29kb

Organized by Barbara Herr-Harthorn, UC Santa Barbara

Link to site

COSIT '03 Call for Papers
Kartause Ittingen, Switzerland
September 24-28, 2003

The sixth international Conference On Spatial Information Theory, COSIT '03, is concerned with theoretical aspects of space and spatial information. Of special interest are aspects of "large-scale" space, i.e. spaces too large to be apprehended at once without technological aid. These include spaces of geographic and environmental scales in which humans make decisions and carry out actions. Spatial information theory also deals with the formal and natural description of processes and events in spatial environments, thus providing a foundation for the design and construction of geographic information systems (GIS) and for spatial information systems (SIS) in general.

Link to site

Goodchild and Janelle quoted in TLtC article on GIS
University of California Teaching, Learning and technology Center website
October 2002

Both Prinicipal Investigator Mike Goodchild and Program Director Don Janelle were quoted in an article titled Not Just A Geography Tool: GIS Is Being Used in Various Disciplines to Enhance Student Learning, which appears on the TLtC website. The article discusses the many uses of GIS such as a digital atlas which displays data on the "socioeconomic ramifications of globalization" at UC Santa Cruz and ECAI at UC Berkely which "uses GIS to develop map-based representations of data sets and information about culture and history." CSISS and the NCGIA, also at UC Santa Barbara, are mentioned as well.

Link to site

Tools Specialist Meeting Proceedings CD Available
May 30, 2002

The proceedings from the very successful Specialist Meeting on Spatial Data Analysis Software Tools have been made available on CD. Please contact for purchasing info.

GIScience 2002 a Success
Boulder, CO
September 25th-28th, 2002

GIScience 2002 was the follow-up meeting to the highly successful GIScience 2000 conference. GIScience 2002 again brought together scientists from academia, industry, and government to analyze progress and to explore new research directions. The conference program aims were to attract leading researchers to reflect the interdisciplinary breadth of GIScience, including cognitive science, computer science, engineering, geography, information science, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, social science, and statistics.

Visit the conference website for more information.

Link to site

Michael Goodchild Elected as Member of the National Academy of Science
May 12, 2002

Michael F. Goodchild, professor in UCSB's Geography Department and director of Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science, a Geography-affiliated research organization, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Science. The election was held this morning during the business session of the 139th annual meeting of the Academy. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Those elected today bring the total number of active members to 1,907.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, that calls on the Academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology. Additional information about the institution is available on the Internet at http://national-academies.org.
(Excerpted from article in News Section on UCSB Geography Dept. Website, Tuesday, April 30, 2002)

Arthur Getis Recieves Honors at AAG
Los Angeles
March 22, 2002

Arthur Getis received Distinguished Scholarship Honors from The Association of American Geographers at its recent meetings in Los Angeles for contributions to the theoretical understanding of spatial processes and for leadership in promoting understanding of these processes to national and international audiences. Dr. Getis has coordinated CSISS summer workshops on Introduction to Spatial Pattern Analysis for the past two years and will repeat this for 2002. He is Professor and Birch Foundation Endowed Chair in Geographic Studies at San Diego State University, and he serves currently as President of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science.

Agent-Based Modeling in the Social Sciences
Lake Arrowhead, CA
May 9th-12th, 2002

The first Lake Arrowhead Conference on Computational Social Science and Social Complexity: Agent-Based Modeling in the Social Sciences.
Thursday, May 9th through Sunday, May 12th, 2002.
UCLA Conference Center, Lake Arrowhead, California.

Link to site

CSISS Panel Session Presentations, Association of American Geographers
Los Angeles
March 22, 2002

Panel Session: Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science
Chair: Helen Couclelis – Introduction

• Michael Goodchild – Why Space? What is Spatially Integrated Social Science? [PDF]
• Luc Anselin – New tools for Spatial Analysis in the Social Sciences [PDF]
• Donald Janelle – Web-based Infrastructure for Spatially Integrated Social Science [PDF]
• Stuart Sweeney – Discipline Relationships and Market Penetration of CSISS Workshops [PDF]
• Helen Couclelis – CSISS Specialist Meetings and the Diffusion of Spatial Thinking in the Social Sciences [PDF]

CSISS Specialist Meeting on Spatial Data Analysis Software Tools
Santa Barbara, CA
May 10-11, 2002

This meeting will bring together software developers from both the public, academic, and private sectors who deal with tools to visualize spatial data (geovisualization), carry out exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and facilitate spatial modeling (spatial regression modeling, spatial econometrics, geostatistics), with a special focus on the potential for social science applications.

Link to site

CSISS Co-PI, Michael Goodchild Appointed to the National Academies
February 19, 2002

The National Academies named geography professor Michael F. Goodchild a National Associate this January. The designation honors excellent work by people in the organization's committees and entitles the recipient to use the Member Center, located at the headquarters of the National Academies in Washington, D.C.

Goodchild specializes in developing mapping technology and has published over 300 scientific papers in his field. He is a highly decorated researcher. In 2001, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. He received the Association of American Geographers' Award for Scholarly Distinction in 1996, and the Canadian Cartographi Association's Award of Distinction for Exceptional Contributions to Cartography.

"It was a pleasant surprise," Goodchild said. "It's a way of rewarding people who have done a lot of work on committees and studies."

Congress created the National Academies in 1863 to counsel the government on matters relating to medicine, engineering, the sciences, and general research. It is composed of four academies that each specialize in one of the fields. Each academy is divided into committees that work on potential policy decisions and make recommendations to submit government agencies and lawmakers.

Announcing Two Paper Competitions
Association of American Geographers
Los Angeles, CA

The Spatial Analysis and Modeling Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers is announcing
two paper competitions for the 2002 AAG Meeting in Los Angeles. One competition will be a Student Paper
Competition for any research conducted while a student at an accredited university. The second will be an Emerging Scholar Paper Competition for anyone within six years of their Ph.D. degree award at the time of the 2002 AAG
meeting. The final version of the paper must be received by January 15, 2002.

NSF Scholarships for One-Week Course on Complex Systems
Cambridge, MA (at MIT)
January 7-11, 2002

New England Complex Systems Institute has just received a special grant from the National Science Foundation
providing support for a limited number of partial scholarships for the one-week intensive course on complex systems concepts and methods.

Course Title: Complex Physical, Biological and Social Systems
Course Date: January 7-11, 2002
Location: Cambridge, MA (at MIT)
Registration: http://necsi.org/education/oneweek/winter01.html

Applications should be sent to . NECSI will provide these scholarships on a first-come, first-served
and need basis. Members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

------------------------------------------------
Yaneer Bar-Yam
President
New England Complex Systems Institute

Call for Participation
The Geographical Dimensions of Terrorism:
A Research Agenda for the Discipline
December 17th, 2001 DEADLINE!

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded an AAG project entitled, "The Geographical Dimensions of Terrorism: A Research Agenda for the Discipline."

Call for Participation
Applications for participation in the project workshop are invited from all interested geographers or other researchers in universities, the private sector, and public agencies. Applicants should submit a resume and a 1-2 page cover letter summarizing the research themes or issues you would address, to: Douglas Richardson, Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives, AAG, 1710 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009 (email [email protected]). Applications should be received as soon as possible, but no later than December 17, 2001. Participation in the workshop is limited.

Link to site

Location-Based Services Specialist Meeting
Santa Barbara, CA
December 14-15, 2001

CSISS is hosting a specialist meeting - Location Based Services. The Global Positioning System and cellular technologies are enabling a new generation of electronic devices that know where they are, and are capable of modifying the information they collect and present based on that knowledge. The NSF-funded Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science are holding a specialist meeting to explore these new services, and their implications and significance for the social sciences and for geographic information science.

Link to site

Location-Based Services Specialist Meeting in the Headlines
GEOPlace.com

CSISS Location-Based Services Specialist Meeting makes headlines at GEOPlace.com.

30th Anniversary of Urban Data Management Society (UDMS)
Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy
December 12-14, 2001

UDMS, the Urban Data Management Society, has organised international symposia at various locations in Europe in order to promote the development of information systems in local government since 1971. A special event is organised to celebrate UDMS' 30 years long activity with the general theme: Looking Back, Looking Forward.

Link to site

5th Annual International Crime Mapping Research Conference:
Translating Spatial Research into Practice
Dallas, TX
December 1 - 4, 2001

5th Annual International Crime Mapping Research Conference: Translating Spatial Research into Practice Adams Mark Hotel, Dallas, Texas December 01-04, 2001 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc/conferences/01conf/brochuretext.html

CSISS Presentations at the Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association
Chicago, IL
November 15-18, 2001

Michael Goodchild and Donald Janelle, both of the CSISS Executive Committee, are presenting papers at the Annual Meeting of the Social Science History Association: What is Spatially Integrated Social Science? What might it contribute to Social Science History? and Building National Infrastructure for Enhancing Spatial Analysis in the Social Sciences

Link to site

ESRI International Health GIS Conference
Washington, D.C.
November 12-14, 2001

Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is becoming a significant tool for those who work health and health-related services. Many applications will be shared at the inaugural ESRI International Health GIS Conference which takes place November 12-14, 2001, in Washington, D.C.

Link to site

GIS Day 2001
Various locations worldwide

GIS Day is a grassroots event that formalizes the practice of geographic information systems (GIS) users and vendors of opening their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of this important technology.

Link to site

Six Scholarships to Digital Communities Conference: Cities in the Information Society
Chicago, IL
November 4-7, 2001

The Digital Communities Conference, November 4-7, 2001, has received funds from CSISS for six graduate students to attend and to present their research.

Link to site

Panel on
Applications of Demographic Analysis in
Post-2000 Redistricting
Miami, FL
October 11-13, 2001

Peter Morrison, member of the CSISS Advisory Board, has organized a panel Applications of Demographic Analysis in Post-2000 Redistricting at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Demographic Association, October 11-13, 2001. Stuart Sweeney, member of the CSISS Executive Committee, is principal panelist.

Link to site

Special Workshop on
Agent-Based Models of Land Use / Land Cover Change
Irvine, CA
October 6th-7th, 2001

A number of papers and presentations were prepared for this workshop. These materials are now posted on the Agent-Based website at /events/other/agent-based/.

Sackler Colloquium on
Adaptive Agents, Intelligence & Emergent Human Organization:
Capturing Complexity Through Agent-Based Modeling
Irvine, California
October 5-6, 2001

The National Academy of Sciences colloquium on Adaptive Agents, Intelligence and Emergent Human Organization: Capturing Complexity Through Agent-Based Modeling is an opportunity to organize a network of researchers working in the area of agent-based modeling. The intent is to develop a platform whereby ongoing research and funding opportunities may be discussed. There will be five panels offered October 5th - October 6th, 2001. The panels are:

• Implications of Agent-Based Modeling for Understanding Human Rationality and Learning
• Cooperation and Competition as Factors in Emergent Human Organization
• Economic Agents and Markets as Emergent Phenomena
• Agent-Based Modeling as Organizational and Public Policy Flight Simulators
• Platforms and Methodologies for Enhancing the Social Sciences through Agent-based Simulation
  

Attendance at the colloquium is limited to 250 registered attendees. A registration fee of $200 is required. To obtain registration materials, please contact Euel Elliot or Doug Kiel .

Those who are interested in this colloquium may also be interested in a new web site listing researchers creating agent-based models of land use: http://php.indiana.edu/~dawparke/contacts/abm_lucc.html

CSISS Advisory Board Meeting
Santa Barbara, CA
October 2-3, 2001

The Advisory Board for CSISS is meeting on October 2-3, 2001, in Santa Barbara, California. The Board will review the Center\'s second year, and advise on work that lies ahead.

Link to site

Long-Term Ecological Research
Workshop on Census and Historical Methods
Tempe, AZ
September 27-28, 2001

Don Janelle, CSISS Program Director, will represent CSISS at the Long-Term Ecological Research Workshop in Tempe. Its purpose is to establish a framework for conducting long-term evaluation of census and historical methods within and among LTER.

5th International Conference on Spatial Information Theory
Morro Bay, CA
September 19-23, 2001

COSIT 2001 takes place this year in beautiful Morro Bay, California. This conference is concerned with theoretical aspects of space and spatial information. Of special interest are aspects of "large-scale" space, i.e. spaces too large to be apprehended at once without technological aid.

Link to site

CSISS at the
Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Annual Meeting
Santa Barbara, CA
September 12-15, 2001

A session to explain CSISS to geographers is scheduled for the annual meeting of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers (APCG).

Link to site

A Special Wharton Summer Workshop
Introduction to Spatial Data Analysis in the Social Sciences
Philadelphia, PA
August 29-31, 2001

The Wharton GIS Lab and Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science are pleased to announce a special summer workshop scheduled for August 29-31, 2001. The goal of this 3-day workshop is to provide an overview and introduction to the range of statistical techniques used in the analysis of geographic data in social science research.

Link to site

Spatially Integrated Social Science Seminar
at the American Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Cities of the Future
Anaheim CA

In a four-hour seminar at the ASA Annual Meeting, Cities of the Future, CSISS leaders will present spatial analysis, and ways in which CSISS can be of use in research with a spatial component. Presenters include Dr. Michael F. Goodchild and Dr. Richard P. Appelbaum, both of UCSB, and Dr. John R. Logan of University of Albany.

Link to site

CSISS Summer Workshop
Introduction to Spatial Pattern Analysis in a GIS Environment
Santa Barbara, CA
August 6-10, 2001

This workshop focuses on applications of pattern analysis in a Geographic Information Systems environment. It features:

• a series of illustrated lectures on both GIS and spatial pattern analysis
• exercises demonstrating the principles outlined in the lectures
• data exploration based on current projects concerned with spatial patterns relating to various social, behavioral, and economic phenomena

Link to site

ICPSR/CSISS Summer Workshop
Spatial Regression Analysis
Ann Arbor, MI
August 6-10, 2001

This workshop is cosponsored by CSISS and the Interuniversity Consortium on Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Spatial regression analysis or spatial econometrics is the collection of statistical and econometric methods specifically geared at dealing with problems of spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity encountered in cross-sectional (and panel) data sets.

Link to site

CSISS Summer Workshop
Map Making and Visualization of Spatial Data in the Social Sciences
Santa Barbara, CA
July 23-27, 2001

This five day workshop features five prominent cartographers - Sara Fabrikant, Keith Clarke, and Waldo Tobler, all of the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as Barbara P. Buttenfield of the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Dan Dorling of the University of Leeds. This workshop introduces spatial information design and geographic visualization for the Social Sciences.

Link to site

CSISS Summer Workshop
Accessibility in Space and Time: A GIS Approach
Columbus, OH
July 16-20, 2001

This is one of the CSISS-sponsored summer workshops. This workshop focuses on spatial approaches to the conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of accessibility that can be applied to important societal questions in physical, social, or cyber-space. A series of lectures introduce network approaches, time-geographic perspectives, spatial optimization techniques, and spatial interaction modeling of accessibility.

Link to site

ICPSR/CSISS Summer Workshop
Introduction to Spatial Data Analysis
Santa Barbara, CA
July 16-20, 2001

This workshop is jointly sponsored by CSISS and the Interuniversity Consortium on Political and Social Research (ICPSR). This course provides an introduction to and overview of the application of spatial data analysis techniques in empirical social science research. Luc Anselin of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign is the instructor for this workshop.

Link to site

Spatial Analysis and GIS Seminar by Michael Goodchild
San Diego, California

This seminar is an introduction to the use of GIS for spatial analysis. It begins with definitions and basic issues: data modeling, accuracy, tools for organizing spatial analysis projects, and ideas for organizing the many possibilities that GIS offers. It then moves to review methods under several major headings: analysis of points, spatial dependence, spatial interaction, and spatial decision support. The presentation draws on a wide range of applications and makes reference to many software environments.

Link to site

CSISS Co-Sponsors Workshop on Political Processes & Spatial Analysis
Miami, Florida
March 5-6, 2001

Parallel developments in the quantitative analysis of political phenomena in Geography and Political Science indicate that the time is ripe for a stock-taking of the field and the development of a research agenda that will suggest future research directions. This workshop brought together many leading practitioners of spatial analysis applied to political subjects.

The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Sciences (CSISS) provided travel support awards for graduate students to attend this workshop.

CSISS at 97th Annual Meeting of AAG
New York, New York

Don Janelle, CSISS Director of Programs, presented Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science: A Critical Appraisal at the 97th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographer in New York.

Specialist Meeting on Externalities
Santa Barbara
January 11-13, 2001

About twenty experts met in Santa Barbara from January 11th through January 13th to research questions related to externalities. The concept of externalities has gained considerable recent attention in economics. The explicit modeling of interacting agents rather than isolated agents has come to the fore in fields such as economic geography, labor economics, public, urban and real estate economics, and environmental and natural resources economics.

Link to site

CSISS at the American Society of Criminology
San Francisco, California

Thanks to the efforts of Nancy LaVigne, CSISS Advisory Board member, CSISS programs were presented at the ASC meetings in San Francisco on November 16th. Mike Goodchild opened the lunchtime session, which attracted about 80 participants, by outlining the principles on which CSISS is founded. Don Janelle followed by describing CSISS programs, and ways in which criminologists could become engaged in CSISS activities.

Link to site