Projects
Research Lines and Interests
(A) Context- and Physics-Aware Learning for Short- and Long-Term Mobility Forecasting
In this research line, we aim to develop advanced forecasting models that integrate contextual geospatial features and physical motion principles to improve the short- and long-term prediction of object trajectories in open environments. We aim to incorporate Newtonian dynamics into neural networks, advancing Physics-Informed Neural Networks for mobility systems. By combining physical constraints with contextual inputs such as ocean currents and weather conditions, we aim to develop systems that deliver realistic and consistent forecasts of mobility patterns. A key aspect is modeling the behavior of multiple moving entities, such as vessels, in loosely coordinated or adversarial settings where traditional models may struggle.
© MAPS Lab, Dalhousie University. All rights reserved.
(B) Machine Learning-based Climate Matching for Species Risk Invasion on a Global Scale
In this research line, we aim to develop machine-learning models that match climate patterns across biogeographic regions to identify ecological analogs where invasive species may be successfully established. By aligning multidimensional climate profiles (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and seasonality), we intend to construct a scalable framework for estimating species introduction risks in novel environments through link prediction, probabilistic forecasting, and reinforcement learning. The models are trained using global climate datasets and species distribution records, with future integration of biodiversity and land-use layers.
© MAPS Lab, Dalhousie University. All rights reserved.
(C) GeoAI and Underwater Acoustics for Regionalized Learning with Synthetic Data
In this research line, we aim to integrate geospatial artificial intelligence with underwater acoustic modeling to enable regionally adaptive learning frameworks for marine applications. By leveraging synthetic acoustic datasets informed by geographic, bathymetric, ecological, and vessel presence priors, we intend to develop models capable of performing classification, localization, and detection tasks without exposing sensitive signal properties or operational data. The methodology combines physics-informed generative modeling, spatial domain adaptation, and constrained optimization to support learning in data-sparse settings.
© MAPS Lab, Dalhousie University. All rights reserved.
Delivered and Concluding Projects
WSP's smartWhales project
Apr 2022 – Mar 2024Decision-Support System to help prevent encounters between vessels and whales. A collaboration between DAL, WSP, DHI, ISMER, and the Canadian Whale Institute.
AISViz: Making vessels tracking data available to everyone
Apr 2023 – Mar 2026Machine Learning applications for AIS data streams from terrestrial and satellite receivers, integrated with AISdb (docs ) and AISdb-lite (docs ), Python frameworks under the MERIDIAN umbrella.
(Geo)Physics-Informed Mobility Forecasting
Jan 2025 – Dec 2026International project between DAL and USP aiming to enhance the ability of deep learning models to learn about the physics of movement and the physics of the environment.
Trajectory Modeling in Ocean Waters using Deep and Reinforcement Learning
Jul 2025 – Jun 2026Project sponsored by Lambda AI on modeling vessel trajectories in ocean waters with deep and reinforcement learning.
Crowdsourced Intelligence: Gamified Citizen Science for Climate Adaptation
Jul 2025 – Jun 2026Ocean Frontier Institute project integrating gamified citizen science and AI for climate adaptation on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, in collaboration with the Eastern Shore Coastal Monitoring Network (ESCOM) .
Partners & Sponsors
