About Us

Digram showing Research & Community Projects, Training for professional skill building and Knowledge exchange events as three key elements of GIS, Data, Data analysis and Visualization

Our Mission

The Spatial Analytics and Visualization Institute (SAVi) at San José State University, housed in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URBP), College of Social Sciences, is a world-class academic center dedicated to advancing cross-disciplinary research about complex urban problems using the power of spatial thinking, Geographic Information Systems Science (GISci/GIS), and big data. Furthering racial and social justice in communities via spatial analytics and visualization forms the thematic core of SAVi’s endeavors. SAVi produces impactful research and provides professional consulting services in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. The Institute partners with 91ÁÔÆæ university departments and research units, neighborhood organizations, public agencies, and private sector entities to develop innovative evidence-based solutions supporting social equity, particularly in small towns and rural areas. Organizing events with scholars, social influencers, and GISci tech entrepreneurs and educators, SAVi facilitates GIS knowledge exchange, professional skill building, and workforce development while providing spatial analytics and visualization research for the public and private sectors to advance decision-making that promotes equity

Diagram showing Support, Advance, Promote, Inform and Assist as key elements of SAVi

Our Vision

The SAVi at 91ÁÔÆæ aspires to be the foremost interdisciplinary research hub in the nation for geospatial analytics and visualization that advance innovative solutions to major societal challenges. The aim is to make Northern California a major locus for geospatial advocacy initiatives. Engaging top researchers at 91ÁÔÆæ and across the globe, policy experts, and industry leaders, SAVi will coordinate activities, knowledge generation, and policies of collaborative outreach to support informed decision-making and governance. Achieving this means coalescing a network of connections between people, government and community organizations (i.e., citizens and governments), and scholars into a knowledge-based community focused on how geospatial technology can address equitably urban challenges.

SAVi Staff

Ahoura pic

Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Ph.D.

SAVI Founding Director
Urban and Regional Planning Associate Professor
PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
ahoura.zandiatashbar@sjsu.edu 
Kos

Richard Kos, AICP

SAVI Associate Director
Senior Lecturer, MUP/MPA Program Graduate Advisor, Admissions Director, Practitioner-in-Residence
Master of Regional Planning, May 1995. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
richard.kos@sjsu.edu 
Judi

SAVI Associate Director
MS GISc Faculty, School of Planning, Policy and Enviromental Studies
BMath, U of Waterloo (Canada) 1986, MA Education Santa Clara University 2013, Dual MA Geog/MUP 91ÁÔÆæ 2024
 judith.heher@sjsu.edu
SAVI Visiting Scholar

SAVI Active Mobility Scholar
Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington
mona.hashemi.yazdi@gmail.com 
Gaurav

WalkAI Project Lead
AI Engineer @ DeepLearning.AI
MS AI, 91ÁÔÆæ
aurav.surtani.tech@gmail.com 
Somesh

WalkAI Project Lead
AI & Software Engineer @ Cisco

MS AI, 91ÁÔÆæ

someshbgd3@gmail.com 

SAVI Students

Stephanie

SAVI Researcher

California A-TOD Assessment

MS GISc Student

stephanie.nemet@sjsu.edu

SAVi Faculty Associates

Anton

Industry Assistant Professor
at NYU Center for Urban Science + Progress

ar8843@nyu.edu

 

A smiling man with long hair and mustach

Professor for Computational and Theoretical Geography, Hunter College

 PhD, University of Vechta, Germany 

jochen@hunter.cuny.edu

212-772-5221

A woman with short curly hair

Associate Professor of Public Policy and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University

se.alexander@northeastern.edu

A smiling man with short hair wearing a suit

Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara University

PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

cj@cjgabbe.com

SAVI Alumni

Jake

SAVI Student Alum

BA Geography

Jaisipa

SAVI Student Alum

MA Geography

PM

SAVI Student Alum

MS Human Computer Interaction

 

Jamsheed

Jamsheed Mistry

SAVI Student Alum

MS ENVS Student

JK

Janhvi Kriplani

SAVI Student Alum

MS Human Computer Interaction

Phani

Phani Sai Ram Munipalli

SAVI Student Alum

MS Computer Software Engineering