Would you like to get involved with I-GUIDE?  Do you have current research or educational practices that align with I-GUIDE's mission, and are you already involved with key I-GUIDE areas, such as cyberGIS, geospatial AI, and geospatial data science?


We offer an annual opportunity to serve as UCGIS I-GUIDE Community Champions, to help expand the community reach of I-GUIDE.  These individuals will be able to participate directly with I-GUIDE's activities and contribute to outreach as we pursue a range of broad impacts. Community Champions each propose to work on a small-scale project of their own design that would align with that year's proposed I-GUIDE focal areas, and receive a $3000 stipend in return!. You can learn about our  cohorts below.


Based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE, iguide.illinois.edu), is pursuing advances to transform geospatial data-intensive sciences as it integrates AI and cyberGIS, reproducible data-intensive analytics and modeling, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles, and innovative education and workforce development programs. Funded by NSF, this new national institute is enabling geospatial data-driven scientific discovery to better understand the risks and impacts of climate change and disasters, with a particular emphasis on food and water security.


“The goal of I-GUIDE is to revolutionize theories, concepts, methods, and tools focused on data-intensive geospatial understanding for driving innovative cyberGIS and cyberinfrastructure capabilities to address the most pressing resilience and sustainability challenges of our world such as biodiversity, food security, and water security,” said Shaowen Wang, head of the Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science at U of I and founding director of the CyberGIS Center for Advanced Digital and Spatial Studies (CyberGIS Center), leading the Institute.


Join the mailing list for regular updates and announcements!  More information on the I-GUIDE webpage.


I-GUIDE is one of the five institutes that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded through its Harnessing the Data Revolution initiative to explore questions at the frontiers of science and engineering. Over 40 researchers from UCGIS and other universities and organizations, including Columbia University, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI), Florida International University, Michigan State University, the Open Geospatial Consortium, Purdue University, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Utah State University, as well as other partners, are actively involved with the I-GUIDE project.

UCGIS I-GUIDE Community Champions

UCGIS I-GUIDE Community Champions expand the community reach of I-GUIDE. They participate directly with I-GUIDE's activities and contribute to outreach as we pursue a range of broad impacts. These individuals each propose to work on a small-scale project of their own design that would align with that year's proposed I-GUIDE focal areas.

2024-2025 Community Champions

This year, the Community Champions will contribute their AI-related expertise towards our Spatial AI Challenge.  Their data, models, and/or Jupyter Notebooks will be added to the I-GUIDE Platform by February 2025. These materials, and additional mentoring and consulting, will serve as helpful examples for the people participating in the Challenge.  Additionally these UCGIS Community Champions will offer Virtual Consulting Office sessions or other online presentations to discuss their projects and offer guidance to those who are just beginning to work with Spatial AI.

2023-24 Community Champions

This year, the Community Champions will contribute to refining, enhancing, and applying the I-GUIDE Convergence Curriculum for Geospatial Data Science. The Convergence Curriculum for Geospatial Data Science is a flexible and integrative educational framework designed to help students, scholars, and professionals tackle complex real-world problems.

2022-23 Community Champions

For Year 2 of the project (October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2023), the focus of the Community Champions’ work will have direct relevance for the I-GUIDE Convergence Curriculum for Geospatial Data Science.

2021-22 Community Champions

For Year 1 of the project (October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022), the focus of the Community Champions’ work will have direct relevance for the synergistic activities between the UCGIS GIS&T Body of Knowledge and its applications for workforce and professional development emerging from I-GUIDE activities with spatial data science.

757-473-8701

arock@ucgis.org

1403 Greenbrier Pkwy, Suite 150, Chesapeake, VA, 23320


© 2025 University Consortium for Geographic Information Science