Bo Yang
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Assistant Professor Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Bo Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at San José State University. He has an interdisciplinary education background with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, an M.S. in Computer Science, and Ph.D. in Geography. Dr. Yang's research interests include GIS, Remote Sensing, Spatial Statistics, UAV/Drone Mapping for coastal science, Urban Heat Effect, and Citizen Science.
Dr. Yang's research focuses on spatial data science in GIS and remote sensing. He developed and implemented a new geostatistical (ST-Cokriging) method to assimilate multi-source data for forecasting and hindcasting spatio-temporal environmental & societal processes, such as satellite data fusion and sharpening, urban heat island effects measured with remote sensing, and urban crime prediction. Compared with previous image fusion/assimilation algorithms, this new machine learning method is more accurate with its additional capabilities in filling missing data and uncertainty estimates.
The other part of Dr. Yang's research focuses on UAV/Drone mapping for aquatic systems, including Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and coastal ecosystem mapping. He has been co-leading a collaborative NSF project to employ UAV/Drone for coastal management and conservation on the west coast, from Alaska to San Diego. He developed a quick scanning protocol to use high resolution drone image monitoring the spatial and temporal dynamics of the seagrass beds. He maintained an open-access UAV/drone training course and mentored over 20 undergraduate/graduate students through the NSF projects for GIS and drone mapping.
Dr. Yang is actively involved in student mentoring and cultivating the next generation of scientists. He worked in multiple participatory GIS projects with students and community engagement, such as NSF REU, RET, and K-12 outreach. He also engaged in GeoBusTM project, a mobile geospatial technology learning lab for K-12 and higher educations.
