Research involves

Using spatial analysis and mathematical modelling to understand complex systems.

Research relevance

Help formulate public policy on issues including housing choices of the elderly, the use of health facilities, ways to promote household energy savings, evaluation of transportation projects in terms of vehicle energy consumption and associated air pollution.

Transportation Modelling - Predicting Human Behaviour

When faced with a choice of transportation alternatives, which will residents of a community choose? For urban planners and municipalities trying to encourage energy efficiency and discourage air pollution, predicting the right response is key to the future quality of life for their communities.

Pavlos Kanaroglou is using mathematical modelling and spatial analysis to predict the choices people will make on public policy questions that range from childcare to housing, transportation and health care. Kanaroglou is recognized as a leading international scholar in geography and is rated among the top dozen researchers employing spatial choice modelling in their research.

Spatial analysis provides planners with a statistical tool to analyze complex relationships and plan human activities in the spatial dimension. Kanaroglou's research helps planners who want to understand the environmental impact of expanding city boundaries or building a new link in their transportation network.

One of the McMaster University professor's major accomplishments to date has been to develop a model assessing these issues for the City of Hamilton. The Integrated Model for Urban Land-Use and Transportation for Environmental Analysis (IMULATE), a large-scale computer simulation model, is helping the city investigate the impact of air pollution on asthma patients and on mortality rates.

The infamous Sydney tar ponds are another focus of Kanaroglou's research, as he uses his models to investigate the impact of the tar ponds on the reproductive and psychosocial health of Cape Breton residents. He is also involved in examining the effects of Great Lakes pollution on the health of people living in the Great Lakes basin.

Financing this research chair will enable Kanaroglou to continue his critical research in areas which have important implications for population health and urban planning. The chair will also strengthen research networks across disciplines, including the environment, health and computer sciences. Finally, Kanaroglou's credentials as the first elected head of the Department of Geography at the University of Aegean in Greece will allow him to strengthen international collaboration among researchers in Canada and Greece.