Our mission

Our mission is to facilitate optimal access to data and technologies to solve development problems in resource-poor settings. We provide capacity building and tools for data collection and analysis through collaboration with governments, the private sector, and civil society.

Who we are

We are a group of researchers and engineers from The University of Tokyo with expertise in big data analysis, AI, geospatial analysis, GNSS technology, and social surveys and analysis.

We are working with mobile network operators, network authorities, and many stakeholders engaged in development practices in Asia and Africa. We are also facilitating a public-private partnership in data access and utilization for public welfare through policy engagement and capacity building.

People

Ryosuke Shibasaki

Ryosuke Shibasaki is a professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan. He obtained his Ph.D. in remote sensing/GIS from The University of Tokyo in 1986. He is a former President of the Asian GIS Association and the GIS Association of Japan. He has also served as a board member of the Infrastructure Implementation Board of The Group of Earth Observations (GEO) and a steering committee member of the World Data System for The International Council for Science (ICSU). He works as a committee member on space policy for the Cabinet Office of Japan, to which he contributes his expertise on geospatial information technology and application development leveraged by space technology.
His research interests encapsulate mobile big data analysis for development, imagery, and sensor data analysis, which includes remote sensing, automated mapping with deep learning, human behavior understanding and modeling, and data assimilation of discrete moving objects.

Apichon Witayangkurn

Apichon Witayangkurn is a Lecturer at School of Information, Computer, and Communication Technology, Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) and also a Visiting Researcher at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan. He also serves as Visiting Faculty for Remote Sensing and GIS at AIT. With a background in computer engineering, he obtained his Doctoral degree in Spatial Information Engineering from The University of Tokyo and a Master’s degree in Information Management from AIT. His research interests center on utilizing mobile phone data to analyze human mobility and behavior to better understand the dynamics of cities. He is also interested in spatial big data processing, spatial information, human mobility and behavior analysis, cloud computing, and sensor networks.

Ayumi Arai

Ayumi Arai is a Project Assistant Professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan. She is also a Research Fellow at LIRNEasia — a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank based in Sri Lanka. Her main interest is in human dynamics research for development policy-making. She analyzes large-scale human mobility data by combining them with various field survey data and satellite images. She obtained her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from The University of Tokyo, obtained her Master’s degree in International Development Studies from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and received a Master’s degree in Architectural Engineering from Waseda University, Japan. Prior to joining The University of Tokyo, she worked with the Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute.

Hiroshi Kanasugi

Hiroshi Kanasugi is a System Engineer at LocationMind Inc. and a Visiting Research Associate at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Aizu, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from The University of Tokyo. After finishing the coursework for his Ph.D., he worked as a Project Researcher at the Center for Spatial Information Science, the Institute of Industrial Science, and the Earth Observation Data Integration and Fusion Research Initiative, The University of Tokyo. His research interests include mobile big data analysis and system development, human activity analysis, data assessment of open GIS data (such as OpenStreetMap), development and management of infrastructure GIS data, and applications to personal data ecosystems.

Hiroyuki Miyazaki

Hiroyuki Miyazaki is an Assistance Professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Information from Keio University, Kanagawa, Japan, in 2006, and his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Studies from The University of Tokyo, Japan, in 2008 and 2011, respectively. From 2011 to 2012, he was a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow with the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo. Since 2012, he has been a researcher with the Earth Observation Data Integration and Fusion Research Initiative, The University of Tokyo, and also works at the Asian Development Bank, Philippines. In 2016, he was appointed as a Project Assistant Professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo, and was transferred to the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. His research interests include geospatial information science, satellite remote sensing for socioeconomics, and applications to sustainable development.

Qianwei Cheng

Qianwei Cheng is a Project Researcher for the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo. He earned two Bachelor’s degrees: one in Economics from Central University of Finance and Economics and the other in Architecture from Nihon University. He received a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from The University of Tokyo in 2019. His current research interest is mapping based on remote sensing imagery to analyze the classification of settlement patterns and urban morphology and the distribution characteristics and change detection of slums.

Zipei Fan

Zipei Fan is a lecturer at the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo, and received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2012, and his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Civil Engineering in 2014 and 2017, respectively, from The University of Tokyo. He has seven years of experience conducting research on developing a citywide GPS trajectory processing system and an intelligent urban computing system. He has published 16 papers (8 as the first author) in conferences/journals related to both artificial intelligence and ubiquitous computing, such as UbiComp, IMWUT, SigSpatial, and IJCAI, and received an “honorable mentioned award” at UbiComp 2015. He served as a program committee member for workshops at UbiComp, MobiSPC, and MIPR, and was invited to be a reviewer for UbiComp, T-KDE, and WWWJ.

Silvino Pedro Cumbane

Silvino Pedro Cumbane is a Visiting Associate Researcher for the Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo. He is also Lecturer of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) course at Division of Geographical Information Sciences at Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique. He earned Bachelor’s degree in Geographical Information Sciences from Eduardo Mondlane University. He received a Master’s degree in the field of Civil Engineering from The University of Tokyo. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree of Geoinformatics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His research interest includes big data (anonymized mobile Call Detail Records (CDRs)) analysis for people mobility estimation and prediction, and displaced population estimation for disaster response activities.

Edson Herculano Inguane

Edson Herculano Inguane is a Visiting Associate Researcher for the Center of Spatial Information Science at The University of Tokyo. He graduated in the field of Geographical Information Sciences from Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique, where he is currently a Lecturer of Geographical Information System (GIS). He is Certified for Foundations for Big Data Analysis With SQL by Cloudera. His current work and interest include software development and Big data analysis including spatial data.

Alumni

Satoshi Ueyama

Satoshi Ueyama is a System Engineer at LocationMind Inc. He obtained his Ph.D. in Engineering from The University of Tokyo in 2019. His research interests include data visualization and computer graphics in the field of geographic information. He has developed a visualization tool, “Mobmap,” for moving object data. Mobmap is an open visualization tool and can be used by anyone, including researchers, private companies, or government agencies.

Satoshi Miyazawa

Satoshi Miyazawa is an engineer at LocationMind Inc. He received his Master’s degree in Geospatial Information Sciences from the University of Maryland. His main interest is in human mobility prediction using human mobility trajectories from mobile phones. His other research interests include geospatial modeling and analysis, human mobility analysis, and data mining.

Saurav Ranjit

Saurav Ranjit is an engineer at LocationMind Inc. He received his Doctoral degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Tokyo, Japan in 2018 and a Master’s degree in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand in 2014. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Kathmandu Engineering College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2009. His research interests include analysis of spatial trajectory data from probe vehicles, development of a spatial data infrastructure for big data and the assessment of GNSS data for positional accuracy.

Wataru Ohira

Wataru Ohira is a consultant at LocationMind Inc. He earned his Master’s degree in Agriculture at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, in 1987, and obtained his Ph.D. in Remote Sensing from the Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani in 2012. He worked as a researcher studying tropical forests in 11 countries throughout Asia using remote sensing for the Japan Wildlife Research Center and the Japan Forest Technology Association, and was also a contract consultant for UNESCAP and a short-term expert for JICA. His current research interests include the analysis of natural and urban environment spatial data for solutions to social issues.

Mohamed Batran

Mohamed Batran is an alumnus of The University of Tokyo. His research focuses on the spatiotemporal analysis of pervasive location data such as GPS and mobile big data for social good and industrial applications. Mohamed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Survey Engineering from Benha University, Egypt and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Tokyo, Japan.

Where we work

We are making a difference across the globe.