CFP: Exploring Geospatial Methods and Human Dynamics to Address Challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
AAG Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, Apr. 16 – Apr. 20, 2024
Submission Deadline: November 16, 2023
Session Organizers: Atsushi Nara1 (anara@sdsu.edu), Ming-Hsiang Tsou1 (mtsou@sdsu.edu), Gabriela Fernandez1 (gfernandez2@sdsu.edu), Yi-Chen Wang2 (geowyc@nus.edu.sg), Jessica Embury1 (jembury8568@sdsu.edu), Christopher Swindell1 (cswindell5992@sdsu.edu)
1 The Center for Human Dynamics in the Mobile Age & Department of Geography, San Diego State University
2 Department of Geography, National University of Singapore
Sponsoring AAG Specialty Groups: Spatial Analysis & Modeling, Geographic Information Science and Systems, Health and Medical Geography, Human Dimensions of Global Change
Geographic approaches to human dynamics research easily translate to applications that address and promote sustainability. The principle objective of sustainability is to fulfill the needs of our current global society without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs.
Communities around the world face diverse challenges which place disparate health, economic, environmental, and social burdens on vulnerable individuals and groups of individuals. In 2015, the United Nations identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) to holistically guide current and future advances in economic growth, environmental protection, and social responsibility. With the integration of society and social responsibility into every Sustainable Development Goal, there are abundant opportunities to incorporate geospatial methods and human dynamics research into the management of our natural and built environments.
Currently, major obstacles to monitoring our progress toward the SDGs is a lack of available data as well as the need for greater data transparency. Analysis of big geospatial data (e.g., human mobility, remote sensing, smart sensors, social media, web/mobile applications, etc.) provides new viewpoints and insights which can help us overcome barriers to sustainable development. These datasets also provide a means of identifying geographic communities that are most burdened by disparity. However, data biases and ethical considerations limit the extent to which big geospatial data can, and should, be used to address the SDGs. Youth inclusion in data collection and the navigation of ethical dilemmas is crucial as this generation brings with them fresh perspectives and original ideas. Furthermore, today's youth will bear the brunt of ongoing economic, environmental, and social crises.
To facilitate discussions on human dynamics research as applied to sustainable development, this paper session focuses on innovative research agendas as well as quantitative, qualitative, and computational methods related to one or more of the SDGs. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
-
Spatiotemporal data analytics and modeling of human mobility and urban dynamics in the context of sustainable development.
-
GeoAI and geocomputational methodologies for analyzing and addressing the Sustainable Development Goals.
-
Qualitative and quantitative mixed methods to study human behavior, perception, and dynamics in the face of sustainability challenges.
-
Examination of the spatial disparity of sustainable development and the "leave no one behind" UN motto.
-
Geospatial data challenges such as data quality assurance, sampling biases, uncertainty, multiscale heterogeneous spatiotemporal data integration, and privacy and security issues.
-
Youth involvement in geospatial projects researching or addressing the SDGs, the collection of related data, and the navigation of ethical dilemmas.
-
Geospatial web and mobile application services as applied to the Sustainable Development Goals.
-
Application of lessons learned from sustainability research to the ongoing monitoring and analysis of human mobility and urban dynamics, development of data standards emphasizing cross-system compatibility, and database management and sharing for real-time and dynamic updates for policymakers, scientists, and the public.
-
Quantification and standardization of results to better understand the progression toward the Sustainable Development Goals, including descriptive and prescriptive viewpoints.
If you are interested in joining the "Exploring Geospatial Methods and Human Dynamics to Address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Challenges" session, please email your abstract code, paper title, contact information, and preferred/planned mode of presentation (i.e., in-person or virtual) to Jessica Embury (jembury8568@sdsu.edu) by November 16, 2023.
------------------------------
Ming-Hsiang Tsou
Professor and Director, the Center for Human Dynamics in the Mobile Age
Department of Geography, San Diego State University
mtsou@sdsu.eduhttp://map.sdsu.edu/tsou------------------------------