SDSU Global Campus Showcases Big Data Innovation at ESRI User Conference 2025
From July 14–18, 2025, San Diego State University’s Global Campus proudly participated in the ESRI User Conference at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. For the first time, our Global Campus hosted a booth, drawing visitors from across the globe and highlighting the cutting-edge research and academic excellence of the Master of Science in Big Data Analytics online program.
Among the key features of our exhibit was an interactive, 3D-printed scale model of downtown San Diego, showcasing homelessness density using color-coded data. This powerful visual representation was part of the NSF-funded research project titled:
“Analyzing Spatiotemporal Changes and Socio-Environmental Impacts of the Homeless Population in a U.S. Border Region and Creating a Homeless and Health Equality Research Consortium.”
(NSF Award #2417568 – https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2417568)
Led by SDSU faculty and researchers, this interdisciplinary project uses artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and GIS to map and analyze homelessness patterns over time. The project also established the San Diego Homeless and Health EquAlity Research Team (SDHEART) to advance community-based research through surveys, interviews, hackathons, workshops, and public engagement.
Global Campus staff Kevin Brown, Kirsten Sterling, Lance Stinnet, BDA faculty Dr. Ming-Hsiang Tsou, and Dr. Gabriela Fernandez were in attendance to share insights about the program and research. Visitors also explored student-led projects that demonstrate real-world applications of Big Data and GeoAI from the Center for Human Dynamics in the Mobile Age and the Metabolism of Cities Living Lab at SDSU.
We thank everyone who visited our booth and look forward to continuing our presence at future ESRI conferences. For more information on our Big Data Analytics program, visit the Master of Science in Big Data Analytics Online Program.
