Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science, UCSB

The Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science (@spatial) a research center at the University of California, Santa Barbara built on a rich legacy of providing visionary and interdisciplinary leadership in geographic data science. Formerly named the Center for Spatial Studies, @spatial was founded in 2008 by Michael Goodchild, and focuses on spatial thinking across domains, spatial intelligence, geoinformatics, geographic information science, and geographic information systems. Founded on values of excellence and inclusion, the mission of the Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science is to serve the UC Santa Barbara campus, the local community, and society by accelerating scientific discovery, education, and access to actionable solutions. The Center hosts speakers, workshops, and visiting researchers as well as the annual Specialist Meeting that brings global experts together on emerging topics in spatial data science to fuel discussion and set research agendas. The Center is comprised of core researchers engaged in center management and initiatives, affiliate researchers across UC Santa Barbara interested in participating in Center activities, a Trainee Network of post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduate students, support staff, and valued external partners. Community engagement and outreach is a priority of the Center, with efforts including the Earth + Humans podcast about the challenges brought on by human’s interactions with the environment and the Community GIS Initiative, which aims to increase access to GIS solutions by creating a pathway to those who have GIS skills.