John Östh

Why did you choose Lund University?

The Human geographers at Lund University are at the forefront of quantitative spatial research with interesting projects spanning from GeoAi, Remote sensing to Time-Geography. To be able to be part of this environment and to develop joint international research related to these topics is both a great opportunity and matter of pure joy.

Can you briefly describe your current research?

As a regional scientist, my work centres on empirical and applied research at the intersection of spatial analysis, urban analytics, population and economic geography, transport/mobility/accessibility studies, and GIS. I have a string interest in testing and furthering the link between geographic theory and the new sources of geographical data and spatial methods. 

In recent years I have been working intensively with tourism (Airbnb data in particular), Ai/LLM solutions, urban mobility and the geographies of well-being and health.

What will be your main research focus during your time at Lund University?

My primary focus will involve integrating remote sensing data with research register data to advance theory development in geography and broader social sciences. I aim to deepen linkages between GeoAI, advanced spatial analysis, and key subfields such as urban, economic, and population geography. 

We (me and researchers at the department at LU) have already written a few applications jointly where satellite data and social science/geography is in focus, but we are currently also developing application and research ideas that are relevant for urban planning, green and blue infrastructure, neighbourhood studies and citizen science.