CIESIN conducts a range of basic and applied research. CIESIN’s basic research aims at better understanding and predicting the behavior of socio-ecological systems and developing data to support research by others. CIESIN staff have served as principal investigators and senior research personnel on research projects supported by a range of funders (see Programs & Projects) in areas such as environmental security, climate migration, natural hazards, indicator development from remote sensing data, experimental uses of device location and nighttime lights data, and population-environment interactions.
CIESIN’s research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications and a range of reports.
Examining the distribution of green roofs in New York City through a lens of social, ecological, and technological filters
Treglia, M. L., T. McPhearson, E. W. Sanderson, G. Yetman and E. Nobel Maxwell. 2022. Examining the distribution of green roofs in New York City through a lens of social, ecological, and technological filters. Ecology and Society, 27(3):20. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13303-270320
Seizing the Urban Opportunity
Seizing the Urban Opportunity (March 2021). The second in a series by the Coalition for Urban Transitions on how governments can transform urban frameworks to increase shared prosperity. The report features updated population estimates from the forthcoming NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ) Urban Rural Population Estimates version 3 data set.
Estimating population and urban areas at risk of coastal hazards, 1990–2015: How data choices matter
MacManus, K., D. Balk, H. Engin, G. McGranahan, R. Inman. 2021. Estimating population and urban areas at risk of coastal hazards, 1990–2015: How data choices matter. Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss 13 (12): 5747–5801. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5747-2021.
Atlas of the Human Planet 2020
Atlas of the Human Planet 2020 January 2021, 139 pages, 22.7 MB PDF). This report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission presents policy-relevant examples provided by users of Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) products, in the areas of domains of disaster risk reduction and crisis management, environment, urbanization, and sustainable development. CIESIN is among select organizations which showcased applications.
Building resilience of urban ecosystems and communities to sea-level rise: Jamaica Bay, New York City
Khan, S., K. Macmanus, J. Mills, M. Madajewicz, and L. Ramasubramanian. 2020. Building resilience of urban ecosystems and communities to sea-level rise: Jamaica Bay, New York City. In Handbook of Climate Change Resilience, ed. W. L. Filho, 95–115. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93336-8_29.
Mapping urban extent at large spatial scales using machine learning methods with VIIRS nighttime light and MODIS daytime NDVI data
Liu, X., A. de Sherbinin, and Y. Zhan. 2019. Mapping urban extent at large spatial scales using machine learning methods with VIIRS nighttime light and MODIS daytime NDVI data. Remote Sens.11:1247. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11101247.
Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity
(September 2019, 160 pages, 14 MB PDF). A report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions finds that, because sea level rise exacerbates flooding and storm surge, it is a critical threat to urban coastal areas. Research and analysis by Columbia University’s CIESIN contributed to the new findings, based on an updated version of the Low Elevation Coastal Zone Urban Rural Population Estimates. This data set was the outcome of a 2007 study by a team from CIESIN and the International Institute for Environment and Development, which provided the first global estimates of impacts to urban populations from sea level rise.
Urban land expansion and the floating population in China: For production or for living?
Luo, J., X. Zhang, Y. Wu, J. Shen, L. Shen, and X. Xing. 2018. Urban land expansion and the floating population in China: For production or for living? Cities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2017.12.007
Urban growth and water access in sub-Saharan Africa: Progress, challenges, and emerging research directions
Dos Santos, S., E.A. Adams, G. Neville, Y. Wada, A. de Sherbinin, E. Mullin Bernhardt, S.B. Adamo. 2017. Urban growth and water access in sub-Saharan Africa: Progress, challenges, and emerging research directions. Science of the Total Environment 607–608: 497–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.157.
Policy-relevant indicators for mapping the vulnerability of urban populations to extreme heat events: A case study of Philadelphia
Weber, S., N. Sadoff, E. Zell, A. de Sherbinin. 2015. Policy-relevant indicators for mapping the vulnerability of urban populations to extreme heat events: A case study of Philadelphia. Applied Geography 63:231–243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.07.006.
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Clear filtersCIESIN’s applied research efforts are aligned with Columbia’s Fourth Purpose, which leverages the university’s scholarly knowledge to create societal and global impact, in close partnership with organizations outside academia. The goal of this research is to advance human welfare and environmental sustainability by applying the university’s distinct intellectual capacities to practical problem solving and policy development, thereby bringing about meaningful changes. Examples include helping to identify locations for solar desalination, policy-relevant research on climate-related migration, and scientifically robust environmental indicator development for policy audiences. Clients have included USAID, The World Bank, and state agencies.