Title: A New Era of Spatial Intelligence with GeoAI
Abstract: Drawing on ongoing GeoAI initiatives spanning public health, education, and urban analytics, this talk advances a vision of GeoAI as a next-generation paradigm for intelligent spatial decision-making. Through real-world case studies, including advanced computer vision integrated with urban visual analytics, GeoAI-enabled malaria intervention in East Africa, and Generative AI–supported geography education, the presentation illustrates how high-resolution satellite imagery, street-view data, foundation models, and community-engaged frameworks can transform geospatial information into actionable intelligence. It also critically examines emerging challenges, including data bias and quality, digital divides, geo-hallucinations, and AI–human perceptual mismatches. By coupling theory-aware modeling with responsible cyberinfrastructure and human-in-the-loop design, GeoAI can move beyond automation toward equitable, explainable, and socially grounded spatial decision intelligence in a rapidly evolving world.
Bio: Dr. Xiao Huang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University. His research spans human–environment interactions, computational social science, urban informatics, GeoAI, and disaster remote sensing, with a strong focus on integrating artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies for societal impact. He has authored more than 240 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 20 book chapters, edited five books, and received more than 7,000 citations on Google Scholar. He is recognized among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford/Elsevier. Dr. Huang serves as Associate Editor for Computational Urban Science and the Journal of Remote Sensing, and sits on the editorial boards of several leading journals. His work has been featured by Nature News, NASA, NBC, and Fox. He has secured competitive funding from NSF, NASA, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Academies, and is the recipient of the 2026 AAG Glenda Laws Award.
Calendar link: https://today.wisc.edu/events/view/219143
Personal website: https://envs.emory.edu/people/bios/huang-xiao.html