2025 AAG Annual Meeting, Detroit, Michigan
The 11th Symposium on Human Dynamics Research
We are delighted to announce that our Symposium on Human Dynamics Research is entering its 11th year of making significant contributions to the field. As we stand at this pivotal moment, where the world has evolved into a hybrid physical-virtual realm shaped by modern technologies, it is fitting to reflect on our accomplishments and chart a course for the future. Over the past 10 years, our symposia have thrived at the AAG (American Association of Geographers) annual meetings (2015–2024), resulting in the publication of numerous special issues in prestigious journals, the launch of the Journal of Computational Urban Science, and the creation of the highly regarded book series Human Dynamics in Smart Cities, both published by Springer.
The foundation of human dynamics research lies in understanding human needs, wants, and constraints. The primary theme of our 2025 Symposium will be “Human Dynamics and GeoAI”. As we approach the 11th Symposium at the 2025 AAG Annual Meeting, we recognize the growing impact of technologies such as the metaverse, generative AI, and quantum computing. These innovations, with their immersive, mixed-reality experiences and advanced conversational capabilities, are poised to transform human experiences and interactions profoundly. GeoAI, with its ability to analyze spatial data through artificial intelligence, will play a critical role in bridging human dynamics with geographic insights, offering new ways to understand and respond to complex urban challenges. In this context, our goal is to explore the seamless integration of the physical and virtual realms, acknowledging this convergence as a new paradigm in human dynamics research.
The symposium seeks to transcend the traditional boundaries between physical and digital environments that have previously constrained discussions on human dynamics. To achieve this, we advocate for a convergent approach that synthesizes perspectives from both realms, incorporating considerations of space and place. This holistic perspective aims to broaden our understanding of human behavior and interactions. By adopting a human-centered convergence research framework, we believe that human dynamics research holds the key to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Such collaboration has the potential to drive positive societal transformations, generating valuable insights for geographic and geospatial research and education.
We warmly invite you to participate in this milestone event by submitting proposals for paper/panel sessions, as well as individual presentations. Below are some sample paper/panel sessions to inspire your contributions, but we also encourage you to propose new and exciting topics aligned with your expertise and interests. Together, let’s shape the future of human dynamics research in this era of convergence, breaking down barriers and forging innovative paths of inquiry beyond traditional disciplinary silos.
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Advances in Dynamic Environmental Exposure, Mobility Patterns, and Health Outcomes
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: AI-driven Urban Planning and Sustainable Development
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Balancing Data Accessibility and Individual Privacy in Geospatial Research
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Ethical Considerations and Privacy Concerns
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Future Directions in Mobility, Accessibility, and Connectivity
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: GeoAI and its Role in Shaping Urban Policy
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Harnessing Urban Digital Twins
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Human-Centered GeoAI
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Human Dynamics in Post-Pandemic Urban Spaces
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Human Dynamics and Disaster Management
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Mapping, Modeling and Prediction with VGI
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Mining Human Dynamics with Big Data & Spatiotemporal Analysis
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Modeling Human Dynamics in Coupled Natural-Human System
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Privacy and Data Protection in Mixed Reality Spaces
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Reproducibility and Replicability Issues in Human Dynamics Research
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Risk Communication and Resilience
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Social Justice and Equity in Geospatial Research
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Emerging Themes in the Metaverse
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: The Emerging Quantum Social Science and its Applications in Human Dynamics Research
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Temporal Dynamics of Place
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: Understanding and Mitigating the Spread of Mis/Disinformation
- Symposium on Human Dynamics Research: What Makes a Neighborhood in a Hybrid Physical-Virtual World?
Sponsorship: Cyberinfrastructure Specialty Group (CISG), Geographic Information Science and Systems (GISS) Specialty Group, Spatial Analysis and Modeling (SAM) Specialty Group, etc.
Each session organizer will handle the call for presentations and coordinate abstract submissions among the presenters in their session(s). Please name your session(s) with a prefix of “Symposium on Human Dynamics Research”, followed by a subtitle of your specific session (see sample session titles above), such that the attendees can easily find all sessions of this Symposium. We request session organizers email the title, abstract, and PIN of papers/panelists in each proposed session to Xinyue Ye (xinyue.ye@tamu.edu) and Xiao Huang (xiao.huang2@emory.edu) such that we can work with the AAG office to schedule the sessions of this symposium. Please contact Xinyue Ye (xinyue.ye@tamu.edu), Xiao Huang (xiao.huang2@emory.edu), Shih-Lung Shaw (sshaw@utk.edu), or Dan Sui (dsui20@vt.edu) if you are interested in organizing paper/panel sessions as part of this symposium or if you have any questions. Please register and submit your abstract by November 14 through: https://www.aag.org/events/aag2025/
Organizing Committee:
Xinyue Ye (Co-Chair), Texas A&M University, xinyue.ye@tamu.edu
Xiao Huang (Co-Chair), Emory University, xiao.huang2@emory.edu
Shih-Lung Shaw (Co-Chair), University of Tennessee, sshaw@utk.edu Daniel Sui (Co-Chair), Virginia Tech, dsui20@vt.edu