The Applied Geomatics Research Laboratory focuses on original applications of geospatial technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing to environmental, physical sciences, climate change, social, and health sciences research at national, regional, and local scales.
The laboratory is based in the Faculty of Environment (School of Planning and Department of Geography and Environmental Management) at the University of Waterloo. Headed by Dr. Su-Yin Tan, our group consists of graduate students and research associates from a range of interdisciplinary backgrounds who are committed to developing innovative research in the areas of GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis that address pressing social and environmental issues in Canada and beyond.
The laboratory is based in the Faculty of Environment (School of Planning and Department of Geography and Environmental Management) at the University of Waterloo. Headed by Dr. Su-Yin Tan, our group consists of graduate students and research associates from a range of interdisciplinary backgrounds who are committed to developing innovative research in the areas of GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis that address pressing social and environmental issues in Canada and beyond.
News & Updates:
Spring 2026 Updates:
Winter 2026 Updates:
Fall 2025 Updates:
[...News Archive...]
- Dr. Su-Yin Tan has been promoted to the rank of Professor, Teaching Stream as of July 1, 2026. She is the first faculty member to be appointed to this rank in the history of the Faculty of Environment. In particular, Dr. Tan is recognized for a high order of achievement and long-standing record of excellence in teaching and educational leadership with impact beyond the classroom.
- Congratulations Renan Cai on successfully defending his PhD dissertation, "Spatiotemporal dynamics of urban processes in a university town: Neighbourhood change, transit development, and crime" on Thursday, June 25th. Many thanks to exam committee members Dr. Tarah Hodgkinson (WLU), Dr. Reza Ramezan, Dr. Markus Moos, and Dr. Peter Crank for their contributions. We are ecstatic and proud of your achievements, Dr. Cai! :)
- Congratulations to Renan Cai on two new publications:
- Cai, R. and Tan, S.Y., (2026). Urban Change in a University Town: Spatiotemporal Patterns of Post-secondary Students, University Graduates, and Young Adults During a Period of Development and Disruption. Applied Spatial Analysis, (19), 158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12061-026-09925-w
- Cai, R. and Tan, S.Y., (2026). Neighborhood Safety in a University Town: Linking Studentification to Crime and Disorder, Journal of Criminal Justice, (104), 102635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2026.102635
Winter 2026 Updates:
- March 17-21, 2026: AGRL lab members will be presenting their research at the American Association of Geographers' Annual Meeting 2026 in San Francisco, California, USA:
- Renan Cai (Paper Presentation): "How do Transit Projects Influence Neighborhood Change? The Relationship with Gentrification in a Mid-Sized Canadian City"
- Su-Yin Tan (Paper Presentation): "The Rhythms of Crime: Exploring temporal and spatial patterns of acquisitive and expressive crimes in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada"
- Lingfei Ye (Poster Presentation): "Developing enriched LiDAR-based 3D building models for micro-population estimation in the City of Toronto"
- Mengtan Zhou (Poster Presentation): "Assessing Climate Change Resilience in Tanzania Agroforestry: Spatial Analysis Using GIS and Remote Sensing Data"
- Photos are here...
Fall 2025 Updates:
- Welcome to new MSc Geomatics students, Mengtan Zhou and Mark Allemang to the AGRL group!
- Congratulations to Renan Cai (PhD candidate) on his new publications:
- Cai, R., & Tan, S.-Y. (2025). Are There Non-Business Days for Crime? A Small-Area Bayesian Spatiotemporal Analysis of Crime Patterns. Deviant Behavior, 46(11), 1492–1509. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2024.2387659
- Cai, R., & Tan, S.-Y. (2025). Exploring the relationship between income inequality and crime in Toronto using frequentist and Bayesian models: Examining different crime types and spatial scales. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 52(8), 1814-1831. https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083241311969
- Congratulations to Lingfei Ye (PhD candidate) on her new publication based on her previous Masters (MSc) thesis:
- Ye, L., & Tan, S-Y. (2026). 3D GIS modelling of road and building material stocks: A case study of Grenada. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 225(Volume 225, 108605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108605
[...News Archive...]
|
School of Planning
Department of Geography & Environmental Management Faculty of Environment 200 University Avenue West Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1 Tel: +1 519 888 4567 E-mail: Dr. Su-Yin Tan |
|