Su-Yin Tan

Room EV1-227, ext. 38772
su-yin.tan@uwaterloo.ca
S2017 office hours: By appointment

Su-Yin joined the Department in 2008 and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on the theory and application of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies.  Her interdisciplinary research interests are in the field of geomatics and spatial data analysis with diverse application areas within both physical and human geography.  Current research projects include exploring threshold concepts and teaching in the GISciences, crime mapping in Toronto and the Kitchener-Waterloo region, and remote sensing for examining biogeophysical patterns and mapping land use and land cover.

Applied Geomatics Research Laboratory

Key Areas of Graduate Supervision
Remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), spatial statistics and data analysis, vegetation and climatology, public health and crime mapping, medical geography, environmental monitoring, GIS education

Recent Courses Taught
GEOG 210: Image Interpretation and Photogrammetry
GEOG/PLAN 281: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
GEOG/PLAN 481: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Project
GEOG 607: Applications of Geographic Information Systems

Research Interests
My research interests are in the field of spatial data analysis and geomatics with diverse application areas that span physical and human geography disciplines.  I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the theory and application of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies.  Current research projects include exploring threshold concepts and teaching in the GISciences, crime mapping in Toronto and the Kitchener-Waterloo region, and remote sensing for examining biogeophysical patterns, such as how land cover and ecosystem properties are affected by surface climate and weather systems.

Previous projects have included studying nitrogen uptake in montane forests of the Andes (Peru) and a NASA-funded project exploring the application of GIS and data mining techniques for understanding high dimensional remotely sensed images and climate data.  My PhD research at the University of Cambridge (UK) focused on developing similar spatial data analysis methodologies from a medical geography perspective, exploring the links between public health and crime, a project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Currently, I hold the position of Chair of the Space Applications Department in the Space Studies Program (SSP) at the International Space University (ISU).  I have a keen interest in continuing research in the related areas of conservation science and environmental health, while focusing on the application of statistical tools and geographic information technologies.

Recent Publications

• Tan, S.-Y., 2013.  Meteorological Satellite Systems.  Springer, New York.
• Fisher, J.B., Stitch, S., Malhi, Y., Fisher, R.A., Huntingford, C., and Tan, S.-Y., 2010.  Carbon cost of plant nitrogen acquisition: A mechanistic, globally applicable model of plant nitrogen uptake, retranslocation, and fixation.  Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 24: GB1014.
• Tan, S-Y., 2010.  Effects of Deforestation on Soil Carbon in Tropical Forests.  Conservation International, Arlington, VA.
• Tan, S-Y. and Haining, R., 2009.  An urban study of crime and health using an exploratory spatial data analysis approach.  In: Gervasi, O, Taniar, D., Murgante, B., Lagana, A., Mun, Y. (eds.), Computational Science and Its Applications - ICCSA 2009: International Conference, Seoul, Korea, Proceedings, Part I. Springer.
• Tan, S-Y., 2009.  Effects of Deforestation on Soil Carbon in Boreal Forests.  Conservation International, Arlington, VA.
• Fisher, J.B., Tan, S.-Y., Malhi, Y., Fisher, R.A., Sitch, S., and Huntingford, C., 2008.  A globally applicable, mechanistic model of plant nitrogen uptake, retranslocation and fixation.  American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA.
• Tan, S-Y, 2007.  Regional analysis of the spatial patterns of crime and health.  Joint Congress of the European Regional Science Association (47th Congress) and Association de Science Régionale de Langue Française (44th Congress), Paris, France.  (Peer-reviewed conference proceedings)
• Tan, S-Y., 2007.  The influence of temperature and precipitation climate regimes on vegetation dynamics in the U.S. Great Plains: A satellite bioclimatology case study.  International Journal of Remote Sensing, 28 (22): 4947-4966.
• Tan, S-Y, 2005.  Modelling spatial patterns of vegetation activity and climatological parameters in the U.S. Great Plains: a satellite bioclimatology case study.  31st International Symposium on Remote Sensing of the Environment Proceedings, St. Petersburg, Russia.  (Peer-reviewed conference proceedings)