Mark Altaweel

About the Author

Mark Altaweel is a Reader in Near Eastern Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, having held previous appointments and joint appointments at the University of Chicago, University of Alaska, and Argonne National Laboratory. Mark has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

Author Archive Page

Spatial Analysis

Finding Pleasant Routes Using GIS

September 3, 2019By Mark AltaweelSpatial Analysis

GIS is being to used to plan pedestrian routes not based on the fastest way but centered on finding the quietest, shadiest, or most pleasant paths.

Using Geospatial Analysis to Map the Optimal Places for Tropical Rainforest Restoration

August 25, 2019By Mark AltaweelSpatial Analysis

Using peer-reviewed GIS datasets and remote sensing data, 88% of the needed restoration effort could focus on just six countries that are likely to help restore tropical rainforest growth.

What the Rise of Small Satellites Means for Geospatial Data

August 15, 2019By Mark AltaweelGIS Industry

Small scale satellites are changing how we can acquire our data as geospatial analysts.

Platforms for Making Deep Learning Easier for GIS

August 13, 2019By Mark AltaweelSpatial Analysis

New tools have been developed to facilitate the integration of deep learning tools within GIS applications.

Voronoi diagram for every Starbucks location. Map by James Davenport.

Voronoi Diagrams and GIS

August 9, 2019By Mark AltaweelMaps and Cartography

Voronoi diagrams can be created by many GIS packages today for understanding spatial patterns.

Mapping the Human Footprint

August 7, 2019By Mark AltaweelMaps and Cartography

The world settlement footprint, created in a online application called Urban Thematic Exploration Platform (TEP) sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), is the first map that combines optical and radar satellites to create a human urban footprint map of the world.

Using Crowdsourcing and Deep Learning to Map Human Settlements

August 6, 2019By Mark AltaweelSpatial Analysis

Machine learning techniques are being applied to crowdsourced data to map new urban and land use patterns not previously possible or difficult to determine.

How Google Earth Engine Has Changed Access to Remote Sensing Data

August 2, 2019By Mark AltaweelGIS Industry

Google Earth Engine has enabled thousands of scientists to have access to remote sensing data and to integrate them without having access to sophisticated software or technicians with given skills.

kepler.gl’s point, arc, and heatmap layers (top) and grid, hexbin, and polygon layers (below) provide rich geospatial data analysis. Source: Uber

Uber’s Open Source Mapping Tool

August 1, 2019By Mark AltaweelSpatial Analysis

In 2016, kepler.gl, Uber’s mapping tool used to track and map journeys on its popular ride hailing application, was released as an open source project by the company.

Using Historical Photographs to Map Landscape Change

July 25, 2019By Mark AltaweelSpatial Analysis

Recently, scientists have begun to increasingly use old photographs, some going back to the mid 19thcentury, to classify and landscape change.