Geospatial AI and the New Urban Science

Abstract:  

The rise of geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) offers powerful tools to analyze multimodal data, forecast urban dynamics, and optimize the design, construction, and operation of complex built environments. Yet, integrating AI into this domain brings challenges—including limited and fragmented data, ethical considerations, and the opacity of black-box models. Recent advances in knowledge-driven AI address these transparency needs, resonating with engineering’s demand for reliability, interpretability, and safety. At the same time, engineering applications provide contextual, human-aware insights that ground AI in real-world challenges. From digital twins of infrastructure systems to generative models for scenario planning, this emerging synergy—what I term the New Urban Science—demonstrates the transformative potential of GeoAI to build smarter, more resilient, and sustainable communities.

Bio:

Dr. Xinyue Ye is the Endowed Shelby Distinguished Professor of Geospatial AI at The University of Alabama, where he serves as the Founding Director of ALA-GAINS (Alabama Geospatial AI & INformation Science) Hub and Co-Director of Alabama Center for the Advancement of AI. He is also AI for Social Impact Core Lead through The Institute for Social Science Research. Dr. Ye is the first scholar elected as a Fellow of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) under the Early/Mid-Career category. In 2025, he was awarded the AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honor (one of the two worldwide) for his “transformative work at the intersection of geography, urban planning, and data science”, achieving this distinction in the shortest interval in AAG history, earning the award just 15 years after completing a Ph.D. in 2010. He has been among the world’s top 2% scientists based on both career-long and year-specific citations by Stanford University since 2020.