On February 23, 2024, Dr. Lei Zou was honored to be invited by the S4 Center at Brown University and gave a talk titled 'Expect the Unexpected: Empowering a Resilient Future with Responsible GIScience': https://www.brown.edu/academics/population-studies/event/expect-unexpected-empowering-resilient-future-responsible-giscience
In this talk, Dr. Lei Zou introduced that in a world where natural disasters and health crises often catch us off guard, leading to unexpected catastrophic impacts, the need for a forward-thinking mindset has never been greater. embracing the philosophy of ‘Expect the Unexpected’ is no longer an optional addition but an absolute imperative for facilitating resilience and well-being, especially in marginalized communities. Spatial data science, driven by the burgeoning geospatial big data (e.g., data from social media, mobility, and crowdsourcing) and cutting-edge technologies (e.g., GeoAI, CyberGIS, and digital twins), provides us with a diverse array of tools and channels to accurately and comprehensively monitor and predict varied, unforeseen societal impacts and human needs during hazardous events.
This talk delved into the theory, methodologies, and real-world applications of harnessing geospatial big data from various sources to uncover the unforeseen, disparate societal impacts and human needs triggered by natural disasters and health crises. Additionally, this research has designed innovative tools to effectively address these consequences and needs. The developed tools and knowledge will shed light on pathways to prepare for unexpected disaster effects and empower a resilient future in changing climates and environment.
Figure 1. GeoAI and Social Sensing for Human-Pandemic Dynamics
Figure 2. The Flyer and Presentation
Presenter: Dr. Lei Zou
Congratulations! We look forward to hearing more achievements from GEAR Lab! Gig'em!
