Spatiotemporal Data Science
The world evolves continuously across space and time. Massive volumes of data are generated through sensing, simulation, remote observation, and human activities, capturing dynamic processes in environmental, social, economic, and engineered systems. Critical insights are embedded within these large-scale spatiotemporal datasets. Spatiotemporal Data Science provides a conceptual and methodological framework for analyzing such data by integrating spatiotemporal thinking, computational infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and domain knowledge. The field advances methods for data acquisition, harmonization, modeling, visualization, and decision support, enabling applications in natural disaster response, public health, climate adaptation, infrastructure resilience, and geopolitical analysis. By leveraging emerging technologies—including generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), large-scale cloud platforms, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration, and digital twin systems—Spatiotemporal Data Science enables scalable, interoperable, and solution-oriented research and innovation. It represents a critical frontier for scientific discovery, engineering advancement, technological innovation, education, and societal benefit. Spatiotemporal Data Science is a transdisciplinary field that studies and models dynamic phenomena across space and time by integrating spatial theory, temporal reasoning, artificial intelligence, and scalable computational infrastructure. It enables the development of adaptive, predictive, and increasingly autonomous systems for understanding and managing complex real-world processes.
Authors
- Nan Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9624-9449)
- Shuming Bao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2851-2054)
- Anusha Srirenganathan Malarvizhi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5068-3434)
- Manzhu Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6769-7517)
- Lingbo Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9876-8506)
- Seren Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0354-7381)
- Daniel Q. Duffy
- Zifu Wang
- Qunying Huang
- Siqin Wang
Institutions
- University of Southern California (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- George Mason University (US)
- Geographical Institute (HU)
- Future Earth (CA)
- ILC Dover (United States) (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Encyclopedia
- Published
- 2026-04-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia6040084
- Primary Topic
- Geographic Information Systems Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Goddard Space Flight Center