Christophe Claramunt

Welcome to my webpage! I am a professor of computer science at the Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology and the Naval Academy Research Institute. I currently chair the ISblue Interdisciplinary Graduate School for the Blue Planet, which focuses on marine science, marine technology and ocean innovation. Before my current positions, I held academic positions at Nottingham Trent University and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. I have recently undertaken research leave at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, where I also maintain regular academic visits. My research is primarily centered on geographical information science (cf. list of publications):

My specific research interests are as follows:

Spatio-temporal models and theories. I am interested in alternative models of space, ranging from intuitive and computational approaches to the potential offered by large language models (LLMs) in spatio-temporal theory and modeling .
I focus on semantic and cognitive-based GIS, integrating human understanding into spatial data analysis, alongside space syntax, which examines how spatial configurations influence behavior. I also explore citizen science, fostering public participation in data collection and spatial decision-making .
I explore the integration of web, wireless, and GIS systems, ranging from the development of location-based services to spatial analysis of the web as a social network. This includes examining how geographic information can enhance online interactions, user behavior, and social network dynamics, providing insights into spatial patterns and connectivity in digital spaces .
In maritime GIS, I focus on spatial analysis for navigation and resource management. For environmental GIS, I study ecosystem monitoring and sustainability. In urban GIS, I explore spatial patterns for urban planning and smart city development

A full list of my PhD supervisions is available here.

I am currently one of the principal investigators of the EIG EU-Japan project SO-SMART (A proactive Social-based framework for SMART transportation) whose objective is to co-design, in collaboration with stakeholders, an innovative commputing infrastructure and services that leverage current transportation services in the island of Okinawa.

Amongst other affiliations, I am a research fellow at the Machine Learning and Data Science Unit at the Okinawa Institute, Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, the UrbanDataLab of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico, Department of Geography of the Université du Québec à Montréal, and the Institute of Geographic Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing. Previously, I have been an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and a former research fellow at Laval University in Québec, Shanghai Maritime University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, K.N Toosi University in Iran, Hyogo University in Japan.

I am an associate editor of the International Journal of Geographical Information Science (IJGIS) which provides a forum for the exchange of original ideas, approaches, methods and experiences in the rapidly growing field of geographical information science (GIScience). I serve in the editorial boards of the Journal of Spatial Information Science (JOSIS), Journal of location-based services (JLBS), Annals of GIS, ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, Geo-Spatial Information Science, Geomatics, Revista Cartográfica, Ciencia e Ingenieria Neogranadina, Revista Cuadernos de Geografia, Geofocus.

I am regularly involved with the international conference in Spatial Information Theory (COSIT), I am one of the founders of the Web and Wireless Geographical Information Systems (W2GIS) series of symposiums that run on a yearly basis since 2001 and its first event in Kyoto. I am also regularly involved in the program committees of GIScience, ACM SIGSPATIAL (ACMGIS), Spatial and Temporal Data (SSTD), Location-based services (LBS), AGILE on Geographical Information Systems.

My teaching activities include several computer science and computing courses at the engineering and master's levels. I have also developed multiple modules related to my research, covering GIS, LLMs and GIScience, Spatial and temporal theories, maritime GISs and sustainable development.

Contact Email: christophe[dot]claramunt[at]gmail[dot]com