Forrest Tian

I am a PhD Candidate in Geospatial Information Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, specializing in GeoAI, remote sensing, spatial data science, and WebGIS. My work focuses on transforming complex spatial data into actionable knowledge for real-world applications such as housing, urban systems, and disaster assessment.

• PhD, Geospatial Information Science — UTD (2026), GPA: 3.82
• M.S. Data Science — Eastern University (2023), GPA: 3.90
• B.S. Civil Engineering — HUST (2004), GPA: 3.93
• Associate, Construction — Hubei TV University (1994)

• GeoAI and Autonomous GIS
• Building damage detection (Bakhmut war study)
• Spatio-temporal housing data reconstruction
• Graph Neural Networks for spatial modeling
• WebGIS platforms for public data accessibility

• FAA Certified Remote Pilot — United States, 2025
• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate — United States, 2022
• Microsoft SQL Database Certificate — United States, 2022
• First Grade Registered Structural Engineer — China, 2006

University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX (USA)
Graduate Teaching Assistant | Aug 2023 – Present

• Serve as Software Administrator: guide installation, configuration, and licensing for ArcGIS Pro, Drone2Map, ArcGIS Deep Learning, and ERDAS IMAGINE.
• Support research activities in collaboration with faculty advisor.
• Teaching Assistant for Remote Sensing, Advanced GIS, and Drone & Remote Sensing courses.
• Instructor for Drone and Remote Sensing labs, leveraging FAA Certified Remote Pilot expertise.

Eastern University, Philadelphia, PA (USA)
Graduate Teaching Assistant | Dec 2022 – May 2023

• Supported Data Manipulation course, assisting students with assignments and debugging code.
• Provided technical guidance in data analysis and programming workflows.

Shanghai Huaze Civil Engineering Technology Company, Shanghai, China
President & Founder | Mar 2010 – Mar 2021

• Led company operations, including team management, business development, and financial planning.
• Directed and delivered structural engineering solutions for nearly 100 construction projects.
• Served as First Grade Registered Structural Engineer in China, leading technical design and proposal development.

Database Systems & Data Engineering

• Designed and queried Chicago socioeconomic datasets using SQL and Jupyter Notebook (multi-table analysis).
• Built and managed cloud-based databases using IBM DB2.
• Developed relational database systems including Banking, Sales, and School databases.
• Implemented advanced SQL operations: views, stored procedures, transactions (commit/rollback).
• Analyzed SpaceX datasets for structured data exploration and query optimization.

Machine Learning & Deep Learning

• Developed CNN models for image classification (fruit recognition and pneumonia detection).
• Implemented NLP sentiment analysis and facial expression recognition models.
• Built machine learning models for housing price prediction (King County, Seattle).
• Applied SVM for tumor prediction and classification tasks.
• Developed logistic regression models for insurance default risk prediction.
• Performed time-series forecasting using linear regression (AWS revenue prediction).

Spatial Data Analysis (GIS & Remote Sensing)

• Conducted ecological environment monitoring in Jianghan Plain using GIS techniques.
• Analyzed spatial diffusion patterns across time and space.
• Performed areal interpolation and environmental inequality studies.
• Created geospatial visualizations for SpaceX launch sites and Canada immigration datasets.
• Built spatial autocorrelation models for Italy fertility prediction.
• Applied remote sensing techniques for Amazon rainforest change detection.

Structural Engineering & Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects

• Led structural design and engineering for 100+ large-scale construction projects.
• Representative projects include:
• Luxi Ecological Culture Town (500,000 m²)
• Xuanen Education Center (220,000 m²)
• Qingjiang Foreign Language School (220,000 m²)
• Lichuan First Middle School Campus (230,000 m²)
• Enshi International Automobile City (80,000 m²)
• Haigang International Shopping Mall (46,000 m²)
• Cangshan Renmin Hospital (28,000 m²)

Manuscripts Under Review

• Tian, S., & Qiu, F. “A Two-Phase Spatio-Temporal Interpolation Framework for Reconstructing Block Group Level Housing Values in California.” Scientific Report — Under review.
• Tian, S., & Qiu, F. “Spatio-Temporal Estimation of Census Block-Group Housing Values Using Graph Neural Networks." Green Technologies and Sustainability — Under review.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Tian, S., & Qiu, F. “UAV-derived Building Heights and Floor Counts for the University of Texas at Dallas (July 2025 Dataset).” Data in Brief (Elsevier), 2025.
• Tian, S., & Li, H. “Study and Discuss the Principle of Mountain Urban Planning and Architectural Design: A Case Study of Enshi Area.” Architecture and Culture, 2020.
• Tian, S. “Research and Practice on Architectural Planning and Design of the Pro-Poverty Alleviation and Relocation Project: A Case Study of Xuanen Area.” Construction Science and Technology, 2019.
• Tian, S. “Research and Practice on Planning and Design of Mountain Architecture: A Case Study of Xuanen Educational Center Planning.” Construction Science and Technology, 2019.
• Tian, S. “Impression of Chapel Hill City Planning.” Urban Planning International, 2019.
• Tian, S. “Case Analysis of Foundation Treatment of Deep Excavation and Filling of Building Sites in Mountainous Areas.” Architecture and Decoration, 2018.
• Tian, S., Zhang, N., & Zhang, J. “Analysis of Engineering Economics from the Perspective of Building Structure Design.” Shanghai Construction Science & Technology, 2009.
• Tian, S. “Attentions on the Load Value Calculation of Foundation Design.” PKPM Magazine, 2006.
• Tian, S. “Economic Analysis on the Foundation Scheme of the Taicang International Garment Trading & Sourcing Center.” Science and Technology Innovation Herald, 2006.

• First Place, GIS Day Map Competition — University of Texas at Dallas, 2025 (Dallas, TX)
• Selected as 1 of 14 Student Assistants, GEOINT 2025 Symposium — St. Louis, MO
• Academic Poster Selected among Top 40 Students, GEOINT 2025 Symposium — St. Louis, MO
• Pioneer Student Research Grant Recipient, University of Texas at Dallas, 2025–2026
• Esri Innovation Program (EIP) Student of the Year Award, University of Texas at Dallas, 2024–2025
• Excellent Architecture Design Award, Chinese Architecture Research Association, 2019
• Distinguished Individual Award, Shanghai Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd, 2015 & 2016
• Outstanding Alumni Award, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2014
• Nominee, Top 10 Business Elites of Hubei, Hubei Chamber of Commerce (Shanghai), 2014
• Graduation with Honors, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2004
• Merit Student, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2003

• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) — Feb 2026–Present (U.S.A)
• United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) — Jan 2025–Present (U.S.A)
• Toastmasters International (JSOM Friday Club) — Sep 2024–Present (U.S.A)
• American Association of Geographers (AAG) — Aug 2024–Present (U.S.A)
• North Carolina Chinese Scholar Sino-US Exchange Association — 2019–2021 (U.S.A)
• Enshi Chamber of Commerce — 2013–2023 (Shanghai, China)
• Shanghai Alumni Association of Huazhong University of Science and Technology — 2010–Present (China)

• Tian, S. “Assessment of Building Damage with Object-Based Change Detection from the War in Bakhmut, Ukraine.” American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Conference, March 27, 2025 — Detroit, MI.
• Tian, S. “Assessment of Building Damage in Bakhmut, Ukraine.” GEOINT 2025 Symposium, Academic Poster — St. Louis, MO.

• Peer Reviewer, Scientific Data (Nature Portfolio), Data in Brief (Elsevier)

• GIS: ArcGIS, QGIS, Remote Sensing
• Programming: Python, R, SQL, JavaScript
• AI/ML: CNN, NLP, GNN
• Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB
• Tools: AutoCAD, SketchUp

Email: Shuang.Tian@utdallas.edu

Location: Richardson, Texas

Website: forresttian.com