SAVI Talks
SAVI Talks, held once a semester, serve as a platform for fostering knowledge exchange on topics crucial for informing timely state legislative efforts. These discussions address pressing concerns such as the pandemic, wildfires, elections, and collaborative decision-making. This strategic direction positions SAVI as an ideal platform for leaders to drive conversations about the implications of Geographic Information Science for critical challenges. The aim is to establish SAVI as a thought leader and facilitator in discussions that contribute to informed decision-making on legislative matters.
Recent SAVI Talks
From Pixels to Policy: Image Analysis in City Planning
Join us for a thought-provoking webinar where three leading scholars will show how images—from satellites to street-level views—are transforming the way we understand and design cities.
Marcel Moran (San José State University) studies transportation systems through imagery, open data, and fieldwork, with research that has directly influenced policy in San Francisco and New York City.
Ayda Kianmehr (San José State University) focuses on climate resilience, using microclimate modeling and machine learning to uncover how tree canopies, extreme heat, and community vulnerabilities intersect.
Maryam Hosseini (UC Berkeley) develops open-source, computer vision tools that help planners improve walkability, accessibility, and equity—addressing challenges from disability access to climate adaptation.
Attendees will discover how innovative image-based methods are driving new insights into transportation, environmental health, and social equity. This webinar will highlight real-world case studies and demonstrate how visual data can become a powerful tool for building healthier, more resilient, and more inclusive communities. Whether you’re a student, planner, policymaker, or community advocate, this event offers fresh perspectives on how images can help shape the future of our cities.
SAVI-CARHS Talk: GIS 4 Health Equity
SAVI is delighted to partner with the Center for Applied Research in Human Services (CARHS) at San Jose State University the next SAVI Talk, a webinar on Using Advanced Geographic Information Systems in Health Equity Research.
Digital Twins: Implications for Public Decision Making
Digital Twins: Implications for Public Decision-Making, a conversation with experts from NVIDIA, Maynooth University, and the California Government Operations Agency. Explore how digital twin technology is transforming policy, urban planning, and public services. Discover the future of data-driven governance in this insightful discussion!
Pedaling Progress: Equity Assessment of San José's Urban Bike Infrastructure via SJ-BikeEquity Tool
Urban High-Tech Zones & Strategic Planning for Smart Growth
The SAVI Talk: Urban High-Tech Zones & Strategic Planning for Smart Growth hosted a panel discussion with the author of the book on urban high-tech zones, the Tecnológico de Monterrey urban design team, and Northern California policy, planning, and university leaders, focused on how cities can harness technology to create vibrant and sustainable communities. Our expert speakers will share insights on urban development, innovation, and the future of cities in the growing high-tech economy.
California's Housing Data Strategy (Sponsored by IMS)
GISci and Mapping Implication for Environmental Studies and Sciences Research
In this SAVI GIS Talk event, we were honored to have two panelists (Dr. Serena Alexander and Dr. C.J. Gabbe) with a rich background in environmental studies and sciences research where they will share their recent research and findings and how mapping and GISci could support ENVS research.
Public Participatory Geography Research Panel
The Spatial Analytics and Visualization Institute (SAVI) of SJSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning in partnership with Mineta Transportation Institute, University of Central Florida, UC Davis, and Astronaut High School cordially invite you to Participatory Geography Research Panel with K12 Education March 24 4PM at San Jose Guildhouse. We have a team visit SJSU from the University of Central Florida and Astronaut high school with K12 teachers and students. We will share the costal mapping project using drones, GIS, and citizen science with K12 education supported by NSF RET.
Data Science and Collaborative Decision-making
On April 16, 2021, SAVI welcomed Department Chair, Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian, and Dr. Moira Zellner, Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Director of Participatory Modeling and Data Science in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Northeastern University, to discuss the application of participatory modeling and spatial analytics in projects that have become successful examples of community-driven planning.
Using GIS, Drones, and data science for Urban and Environmental Studies
The SJSU Spatial Analytics and Visualization Institute (SAVI) is delighted to welcome Dr. Bo Yang; a new SJSU faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Dr. Yang joins SJSU with an interdisciplinary education background including degrees in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Ph.D. in Geography that well positions him to advance SJSU scholarly and educational activities on GIScience, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Remote Sensing, Human-environment Interactions, and Citizen Science as his expertise is very supportive of forming evidence-based policies around environmental challenges in the state of California.
In this SAVI Talk, Dr. Yang will be presenting his advanced research on urban and environmental challenges with using GISci, drones, and data science.
CA Megafires
On March 12, 2021, SAVI guest speakers discussed California megafires, the California Fire Hazard Severity Zone (CFHSZ) web map, and implication of CFHSZ data for examining asset impacts to the City of Los Gatos.
