Ming-Hsiang Tsou, MA '96

Cutting edge technology 

Professor of Geography Ming-Hsiang Tsou, MA '96, has helped combat the 2003 San Diego wildfires, monitored the quality of the city's water supply and enhanced homeland security - all while sitting at his computer.  Tsou specializes in geographical information science (GIS), which uses computers to link the physical world to important spatial information, such as the location of fire hot spots, population centers and border activity.  This cutting-edge technology, one of the most promising and fastest-growing science fields, has far-reaching implications.  Tsou says, "Things like working with the San Diego wildfires demonstrates how important the GIS and geospatial technology is and how it can help people prevent damage and recover from disaster."

Tsou majored in geography as an undergraduate in his native Taiwan, and his interest in GIS led him to UB.  "SUNY Buffalo was my first choice because it has one of the best GIS centers in the country.  Also, the geography department is very good and there is a strong history of GIS education there."  He says that his MA advisor, Barbara P. Buttenfield, as well as David Mark and the late Hugh Calkins, all had significant impacts on his career.  He went on to earn his PhD at Colorado University, where he began researching Internet mapping.

Teacher and researcher

Now at San Diego State University, Tsou teaches courses in computerized map design, Internet mapping and GIS and was awarded the outstanding faculty award by the students in 2004.  Tsou enjoys both his teaching and research and says that the two pursuits feed off of each other:  "Often when I teach, I learn from my students, and a lot of times when I find a research topic, it has actually come from one of my students.  For example, a graduate student suggested that I take a look at the beta version of Google Earth (software that combines 3D data and imagery to display detailed global information in real time) before it even came out."

This type of Internet mapping figured heavily in Tsou's involvement with the San Diego wildfires in 2003.  He downloaded satellite imagery of the region from NASA, overlaying that with local maps of San Diego and census data.  Tsou was thus able to generate updatable online information on the position of the fire's hot spots in relation to population and property locations.  He says, "People could go to the website and see where the fire was, where properties had been destroyed, which areas had the most significant damage, and know exactly what the fire's impact was on their families and friends."

Tsou is also involved with two other major research projects.  A $1.8 million collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Border Patrol is focusing on improving security at border crossings.  GIS technology is used to monitor border activity in San Diego and to create a database for field agents in the field or other agencies such as police and firefighters.  Tsou is also assisting the city of San Diego in using the Internet to monitor its water supply.  Volunteers sample and measure the water's quality in various locations, and Tsou's team gathers the data, converts it into GIS and publishes it on a Web site where citizens can go to check the water quality in their neighborhood.  

Career begins at UB

Tsou envisions a bright future for GIS, and has partnered with the National Science Foundation to develop a GIS training and awareness program aimed at encouraging high school and community college students to enter the field.  "Right now I think we have realized only 5 to 10 percent of its potential," he says, "and in the next five or 10 years you will see a huge growth in geo-spatial technology applications."  Tsou says that another hot topic is location-based services, which illustrate the commercial value of GIS.  "Think about how you spend your money," Tsou says.  "You have a higher likelihood of going to the coffee shop or shopping area close by rather than one far away.  So if some company can detect your location - from your cell phone or other device - they can make a huge profit."  However, Tsou points out that locational privacy becomes an issue, and an interesting research area is how to protect citizens' privacy.  Outside of the commercial sector he envisions cell phones, laptop computers and PDAs becoming part of the GIS network, so that in the future a park ranger, police officer or firefighter can use those devices to access up-to-date information in the field and then make critical decisions on how to rescue, evacuate or protect citizens.

Tsou, who is married with three children, says that he is very proud to be an alumnus of the University at Buffalo and grateful for the assistance he received there.  "The faculty there really gave me support," he says, "and I appreciated their help.  As a foreign student, I knew no one and they welcomed me and trained me very well for my future career."

Written by Jessica Dudek, BA '94

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