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School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences |
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Research Interests:
Geographic Information Science
Biography
I am currently a Lecturer in the School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences at the University of New South Wales @ADFA, where I teach both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in GIScience. I completed my PhD at the GeoVISTA Center in the Department of Geography at The Pennsylvania State University in 2004.
Teaching
I currently teach an undergraduate unit on Environmental Hazards, a general education unit called Mapping the Sports Geography of Australia and a postgraduate unit on customizing GIS applications with programming languages.
Research
My research has two thrusts: (1) Geographic Information Science, with a focus on theoretical aspects of visual representation; and (2) human-environment interactions, particularly taking a complex systems science view of both chronic and infectious disease drivers.
Geographic Information Science:
My current research is investigating the process of visual cluster detection in animated and static maps. I recently collected eye-movement data while working with Sara Fabrikant at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. We hope this information will help us explain how map readers find moving clusters.
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This image shows the infrared light from the eye-tracker that is being bounced off my eyes to detect where I am looking. |
This image shows an introduction screen from the test instrument that we use to investigate visual cluster detection. |
I am also interested in several other aspects of perception and cognition with maps and am in the process of planning research projects in these areas.
Human-Environment Interactions:
With colleagues at CSIRO-Sustainable Ecosystems, the Australian National University and the ACT Department of Health, I am looking at how how obesity can be conceptualized as a complex system, with influences that range from the individual to the global scale.
Another current project with colleagues from the School of ITEE at UNSW@ADFA and CSIRO involves using agent-based models to investigate the recent equine flu outbreak in Australia.
Grants and Awards
- 2009 UNSW Major
Equipment and
Infrastructure
Investment
Scheme
$76,000
Setup and maintenance of an eye-tracking laboratory (with Hussein Abbass, Michael Barlow, Sameer Alam and Martin Copeland, co-CIs). - 2009-11 DSA Scholarship
Fund
$60,000
Social-Ecological Intersections: A spatial approach to understanding bushfire risk and community capacity for resilience and Adaptation in the Sydney Metropolitan Area. - 2008-10 DSA Scholarship Fund $60,000
(1 PhD student scholarship) Multi-agent spatial modeling of foot-and mouth disease. - 2005 Estelle Canning Memorial Prize for the best paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Australian Map Circle.
- 2003 Penn State Alumni Association Dissertation Award.
- 1999-2002: National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.
- 1997-1998: Fulbright Fellowship, Ruhr Universitaet, Bochum, Germany.
Select Publications
Peer Reviewed Publications:
Mishra, S.R. and A. L. Griffin. 'Encroachment: A threat to resource sustainability in Chilika Lake, India,' Applied Geography, in review.
Griffin, A. L. and S. Bell. (2009). 'Applications of signal detection theory in geographic information science,' Cartographica, in press.
Bhowmick, T., Griffin, A. L., MacEachren, A. M., Kluhsmann, B. and E. Lengerich. (2008). 'Informing Geospatial Toolset Design: Understanding the Process of Cancer Data Exploration and Analysis', Health & Place, 14(3): 576-607.
Scheyvens, R., Griffin, A. L., Jocoy, C., Liu, Y. and M. Bradford. (2008). 'Experimenting with active learning: Dispelling the myths that perpetuate resistance,' Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(8): 51-69.
Banos, A. and A. L. Griffin. (2007). 'A methodology for exploring urban neighbourhood shapes and sizes,' Proceedings of the 15th European Colloquium on Theoretical and Quantitative Geography, Montreux, Switzerland, September 7-11.
Griffin, A. L. , MacEachren, A. M., Hardisty, F., Steiner, E. and B. Li. (2006). 'A comparison of animated maps with static small-multiple maps for visually identifying space-time clusters,' Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 96(4): 740-53.
Griffin, A. L. (2002). 'Feeling it out: The use of haptic visualization for exploratory geographical visualization,' Cartographic Perspectives, 39:12-29.
Harrower, M., MacEachren, A. M. and A. L. Griffin. (2000). 'Developing a geographic visualization tool to support earth science learning,' Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 27(4): 279-294.
Book Chapter:
Griffin, A L. (2009).'Graphing: Information graphics,' In International Encyclopaedia of Human Geography, Kitchin, R. (Ed.), forthcoming.
Griffin, A L. (2009). 'Cartography: Colour, mapping,' In International Encyclopaedia of Human Geography, Kitchin, R. (Ed.), forthcoming.
Griffin, A. L. (2007). 'Visual Variables,' In Encyclopedia of Geographic Information Science, Kemp, K. (Ed.),Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, pp. 506-9.
Service and Professional Society Memberships:
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Editorial Board: Cartographic Perspectives (2006-2007); Cartographica (2007-).
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Manuscript reviewer for: Guilford Press, Cartography and Geographic Information Science; American Journal for Preventive Medicine; Annals of the Association of American Geographers; Computers, Environment and Urban Systems; Cartographica; MODSIM; Professional Geographer; Environment and Planning B; International Journal of Geographic Information Science; International Journal of Health Geographics; Journal of Spatial Science; New Zealand Association for Research in Education.
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Secretary, Institute of Australian Geographers (IAG) GIScience, spatial analysis and modelling study group.
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Member, Undergraduate Education Committee UNSW@ADFA, Postgraduate Education Committee UNSW@ADFA, Research Committee PEMS.