Photo: Professor Contact info Email: xyao@uga.edu Office: 212C GG Building Phone Number: 706-583-0326 Research Interests: Geospatial data science: GIS, spatial statistics, machine learning, network analysis, Geovisaulization Subject areas of focus: Urban Transportation, Public Health Google Scholar profile Dr. Yao is a professor of Geography at the University of Georgia. As a geospatial data scientist, her research interests focus on geospatial techniques ranging from GIS, spatial statistics, machine learning methods, network analysis, and geovisualization. With domain interests in urban transportation and public health, she applies geospatial techniques to study various urban and health problems. Dr. Yao is chair of the ICA (international cartographic association) commission on Geospatial Analysis and Modeling and has co-organized a series of professional meetings in that capacity and the President-Elect of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS). She also serves on the board of directors of the UCGIS (university consortium for geographic information science). Dr. Yao is always happy to recruit promising graduate students interested in developing and/or applying geospatial analytical techniques to study urban or health problems. Education Education: Ph.D , University at Buffalo, State University of New York MSc., ITC (now Twente University), the Netherlands B.S., Wuhan University, China Course Instruction Courses Regularly Taught: GEOG 4/6370-4/6370L GEOG 4/6470-4/6470L GEOG 4/6380 GEOG 8570 GEOG 8350 Research Selected Publications: Wei, X., & Yao, X. (2022). A GIS representation framework for location-based social media activities. Transactions in GIS, 26, 1444– 1464. https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.12929 Tian, Y., deSouza, P., Mora, S., Yao, X., Duarte, F., Norford, L. K.,Lin, H., Ratti, C. (2022). Evaluating the Meteorological Effects on the Urban Form–Air Quality Relationship Using Mobile Monitoring. Environmental Science & Technology. doi:10.1021/acs.est.1c04854 Oh, D., Yao, X. A. (2021). Geo-Information Assessing Place Type Similarities Based on Functional Signatures Extracted from Social Media Data. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10090626 Huang, H., Yao, X. A., Krisp, J. M., & Jiang, B. (2021). Analytics of location-based big data for smart cities: Opportunities, challenges, and future directions. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 90, 101712. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COMPENVURBSYS.2021.101712 Fan Q, X.A. Yao XA, X. Han. 2021 Spatial variation and disparity in female breast cancer relative survival in the United States. Cancer. doi: http://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33801. Wei, X., X. Yao. 2021. Constructing and analyzing spatial-social networks from location-based social media data. Cartography and Geographic Information Science 48(3):258-274.https://doi.org/10.1080/15230406.2021.1891974 Tian, Y. X.Yao. 2021. Urban form, traffic volume, and air quality: a spatiotemporal stratified approach. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808321995822 Mertzlufft, C. E., M. Madden, N. Gottdenker, J. Runk, A. Saldana, S. Tanner, J. Calzada, X. Yao. 2020. Landscape disturbance impacts on Attalea butyracea palm distribution in central Panama. International Journal Of Health Geographics 19, 58(2020). doi:10.1186/s12942-020-00244-y Liu,R., X.Yao, C. Guo & X. Wei (2020) Can we forecast presidential election using twitter data? An integrative modeling approach. Annals of GIS, DOI: 10.1080/19475683.2020.1829704 Tian,Y., X.Yao, L .Mu. Q. Fan. (2020). Integrating meteorological factors for a better understanding of the urban form-air quality relationship. Landscape Ecology. 35(10): 2357-2373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01094-6 Liu,G. X Yao, Q. Fan. (2020). Agglomeration centrality examination of cities: an urban transport perspective. Sustainable Cities and Society. 61:102273.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102273 Rickless,D., X, Yao, B. Orland, M. Welch-Devine. (2020). Assessing social vulnerability through a local lens: An integrated geovisual approach. Annals of the American Association of Geographers. 110(1):36-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1625750 Liu, G. X. Yao, Z. Luo, S. Kang, W. Long, Q. Fan, P. Gao. (2019). Agglomeration Centrality to examine spatial scaling law in cities. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. 77:101357. Fan, Q., X.Yao, Spatio-temporal Analysis and Data Mining of the 2014-2016 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in West Africa. (2019) In Y. Lu., & E. Delmelle (Eds.), Geospatial Technologies for Urban Health. Springer. pp.181-208. Yao, X., Huang, H., Jiang, B., & Krisp, J. M. (2019). Representation and analytical models for location-based big data. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2018.1562068 Tian, Y., Yao, X., & Chen, L. (2019). Analysis of spatial and seasonal distributions of air pollutants by incorporating urban morphological characteristics. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 75 : 35-48. Wei, X., & Yao, X. A. (2018). A Conceptual Framework for Representation of Location-based Social Media Activities. In 10th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2018). Melbourne, Australia: Schloss Dagstuhl-Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Informatik. doi:10.4230/LIPIcs.GISCIENCE.2018.62 Xi, D. Q. Fan, X.A. Yao, W. Jiang, D. Duan. (2016). A visual salience model for wayfinding in 3D virtual urban environments. Applied Geography. 75: 176-187. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.08.014 Sahoo K, G.L. Hawkins, X.A.Yao, K.Samples, S. Mani. (2016). GIS-based biomass assessment and supply logistics system for a sustainable biorefinery: A case study with cotton stalks in the Southeastern US. Applied Energy. 182:260-273. Wei, X. and X.Yao. (2015). 3D model construction in an urban environment from sparse LiDAR points and aerial photos – a statistical approach. Geomatica. 69(3). Brown, C. and X. Yao. (2015). Development of a Nationwide Road Change Database for the U.S. in the Post–Recession Years (2008–2012). Chapter 10. In Francis Harvey and Yee Leung (eds) Spatial Data Handling 2015. Springer. Chen, A., Yao, X. A., Sun, R., & Chen, L. (2014). Effect of urban green patterns on surface urban cool islands and its seasonal variations. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 13(4):646-654 Wei, X. and X.Yao. (2014). A Hybrid GWR-Based Height Estimation Method for Building Detection in Urban Environments. ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 2(2):23-29. Wei, X. and X.Yao. 2014. Random Walking Value for Ranking Spatial Characteristics in Road Networks. Geographical Analysis 46(4):411-434. Jang, W. and X.Yao. 2014. Track Ethnically Divided Commuting Patterns Over Time – Method and a Case Study of Metropolitan Atlanta. Professional Geographers. 66(2):274-283. Yao, X. and S. Zhang. 2014.Social-spatial structure of Beijing: a spatial-temporal analysis. International Journal of Society System Science. 6(1):18-33. Shen, Z., X.Yao, M. Kawakami, P. Chen, M. Koujin. 2012. Integration of MAS and GIS using Netlogo. In Z.Shen (eds) Geospatial Techniques in Urban Planning, Advances in Geographic Information Science. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. pp.369-388. Jang, W. and X. Yao. 2011. Interpolating Spatial Interaction Data. Transactions in GIS. 15(4):541-555 Coleman, J.B., X. Yao, T. Jordan, and M. Madden., 2011. Holes in the Ocean: Filling Voids in Bathymetric Lidar Data. Computers and Geosciences. 37(4):474-484 Shen, Z., X.Yao, M. Kawakami, P.Chen., 2011. Simulating spatial market share patterns for impacts analysis of large-scale shopping center on downtown revitalization. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design. 38(1):142-162. Kim, H. and X. Yao., 2010. Pycnophylactic interpolation revisited: integration with dasymetric method. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 31(21):5657-5671. Yao, X. , 2010. Modeling and analyzing cities as spatio-temporal places. In B.Jiang and X.Yao (eds) Geospatial Analysis and Modelling of Urban Structure and Dynamics. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer. pp.311-328. Yao, X. and Jiang, B., 2009. Geospatial Modeling of Urban Environments Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design. 36(5):769-771. Thill, J.C. Kretzschmar, W.A., Casas, I. and Yao, X. , 2006. Detecting geographic and socio-economic associations in English dialect features with self-organising maps In Agarwal, P. and Skupin, A. (Eds) Self-Organising Maps: Applications in Geographic Information Science, Wiley. Yao, X. and L. Zou., 2008. Interoperable Internet Mapping - An Open Source Approach. Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 35(4):279-293. Yao, X. and J.C. Thill, 2007. Neuro-Fuzzy Modeling of Context-Contingent Proximity Relations. Geographical Analysis: An International Journal of Theoretical Geography. 39(2):169-194. Yao, X., 2007. Examining Potential Demand of Public Transit for Commuting Trips Computers, Environment, and Urban Systems. 31(5):535-550 Jiang, B. and Yao, X. , 2006. Location-Based Services and GIS in Perspective. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. 30(6): 712-725. Yao, X. and Thill, J.C. , 2006. Spatial Queries With Qualitative Locations In Spatial Information Systems. Computers, Environment & Urban Systems. 30(4):485-502. Yao, X. and Thill, J.C., 2005. How Far Is Too Far – A Statistical Approach To Proximity Modeling. Transactions in GIS. Vol. 9(2): 157-178. Yao, X. and B.Jiang, 2005. Visualization of Qualitative Locations. Cartography and Geographic Information Science. 32(4):219-229.