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Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing, and Applications (CSTCA)

Center Overview

The Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing, and Applications (STC) partners with industry, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies to drive cutting-edge innovations in spatiotemporal research. By developing advanced software tools and creating transformative solutions, the STC addresses critical 21st-century challenges, such as enhancing real-time responses to natural disasters, mitigating environmental pollution, and managing emergencies effectively. STC is envisioned to build both national and international spatiotemporal infrastructure to advance:

Human intelligence through spatiotemporal thinking and education, from high school students to Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellows.
Computer software and tools through spatiotemporal computing with new software tools and systems.
Human capacity to respond to deep scientific questions such as mitigating potential hazard asteroids, and grand engineering challenges such as fighting pandemics and global flooding.

Universities

Harvard University
George Mason University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

S ("Subu") V Subramanian
Center Co-Director
+1 617 432 6299
svsubram@hsph.harvard.edu

Chaowei Yang
Center Director
+1 703 993 4742
cyang3@gmu.edu

Research Focus

Spatiotemporal thinking

The STC is pioneering new cognitive methodologies designed to enhance human intelligence and decision-making. Spatiotemporal thinking involves innovative approaches to analyzing space-time dynamics, fostering a deeper understanding of complex, multi-dimensional problems, and promoting cross-disciplinary discoveries in both physical and social sciences. A full-scale education from high school students to postdoctoral fellow has been implemented successfully with all participants broadening their pathways towards the next level of their education and career.

Spatiotemporal computing

Spatiotemporal computing explores the optimization of computational infrastructure by utilizing space-time patterns, models, and algorithms. This research area focuses on advancing computational efficiency and enabling significant breakthroughs in data-driven scientific discovery and large-scale engineering developments. New software and systems are built to enable analytics of petabytes of climate data, detect global conflict incidents and optimizing computing infrastructure operation.

Spatiotemporal applications

The STC develops innovative applications by integrating spatiotemporal methodologies into diverse domains, from environmental monitoring to pandemic response. Leveraging the insights gained from spatiotemporal thinking and computing, these applications are tailored to address global and national challenges, from safely reopening campus during the COVID-19 pandemic to detecting flooding in near real time.

Awards

1841403

Phase II I/UCRC Harvard: Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing and Applications (STCA)

Everything happens at some place, some time. Through collaboration among George Mason University, University of California at Santa Barbara, and Harvard University, this project builds national spatiotemporal capacity and advances education and research. This project aims to acquire superior knowledge of spatiotemporal principles, build computational infrastructure capable of processing big spatiotemporal data efficiently, develop insights on how to apply these principles and capabilities to solve real-world problems, and implement educational programs with state-of-the-art spatiotemporal curricula in order to understand our world better, to respond to regional and global emergencies in a timely way, and to prepare the next generation's workforce.

As a center, the three universities will collaborate with industry, government agencies, and other organizations to form a leading national and international consortium for building a comprehensive infrastructure base for spatiotemporal thinking, computing, and application; conducting research to develop spatiotemporal thinking and its methodologies; developing new spatiotemporal technologies, solutions, datasets, tools, and software that will be integrated with existing and future industry products and services; building demonstrative applications for government agencies and organizations to improve the impact and reach of this work; and formulating new educational methodologies and materials to advance human knowledge for the public.

The center will be a platform for academia, industry, and agencies to collaborate to achieve fundamental and discipline-wide results. Members from academia will get unique opportunities to interact with industry and agencies to understand real world problems and research needs. Industry members will be able to access the research results and turn them into future products and services to improve their competitiveness. Agencies will be able to apply the research results, incorporating them into their operations for better efficiency. The products, services, and operations will serve thousands to millions of end users, from the public and K-16 to professionals.

Research results will be presented in international conferences or symposiums; published in Geographic Information System (GIS) journals or books; shared as code packages in GitHub (https://github.com/cga-harvard), posted on the center website (https://www.stcenter.net/), and circulated as center published newsletters, posters or flyers. Platforms developed by this project will be publicly accessible (as approved by the sponsoring board members).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

1841520

Phase II I/UCRC [George Mason University]: Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing and Applications.

We live in a four dimensional world with three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. Understanding the nature of the spatiotemporal dimensions integratively will help us better prepare for challenges facing us in the 21st century and beyond: a) responding to climate change with better climate simulations, b) mitigating asteroids' impact to our home planet like the dinosaur-killer, c) resolving political disputations with spatiotemporal understanding of the culture, boundaries, history, and future of relevant nations, and d) equipping our future leaders with spatiotemporal thinking capability and decision support tools.

Following the success of Phase I spatiotemporal Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) investigation as a collaboration among George Mason, Harvard, and the University of California-Santa Barbara, the second phase of the center will move forward with the mission to 1) build a national and international spatiotemporal infrastructure; 2) develop, with industry and agency members, new spatiotemporal technologies, solutions, tools, and software that will be easily integrated with existing and future industry products and services; 3) improve human intelligence by developing a set of spatiotemporal thinking methodologies built into K-16 curriculum; and 4) improving human capabilities in responding to grand scientific and engineering challenges.

Outreach will be conducted to maximize the broader impacts: 1) collaborating closely with more than four active members each year to develop relevant methodologies and technologies; 2) disseminating research results to industry and government agency members and through publications for adoption and broader impacts. 3) working with leading associations to broadcast the research results and recruit new members; 4) developing new course material and curriculum within existing degree programs and broadcast for wider adoption; 5) continuing our diverse traditions to include minorities and other underrepresented groups in this STEM field; 6) making all results open source to benefit relevant domains nationally and internationally.

The center will post all information on an official website (https://www.stcenter.net/) and two content management portals accessible through the official website. A project management website will be utilized to share all project reports, working papers, presentations, posters, and publications. The data and research results produced will be integrated into the center's operational community cloud (http://sites.cloud.gmu.edu/sthcp/index.php) to be maintained as a sustainable resource for the center for long term sustainability. Source code developed in the center will be open to the public using github.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.