UCalgary researcher wins Mitacs award for (re)shaping the future of geographic information systems

University of Calgary researcher Dr. Faramarz Samavati has been awarded the Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Research Leadership for his continued work in 3D globe systems. 

“It is a great honour to receive this award,” says Samavati, PhD, a professor in the Department of Computer Science. “Scientific discovery only becomes truly powerful when it evolves into impactful innovation. What begins as research can be transformed into solutions that solve real‑world problems and enrich everyday life.”

Mitacs, a national non‑profit that fosters innovation and connects researchers with businesses, has supported Samavati’s work through multiple grants. The most recent grant, awarded in 2024, is the largest to date for the Faculty of Science and is still active, enabling Samavati and his students to advance their efforts to revolutionize geographic information systems (GIS).

“We are thrilled to join Mitacs in celebrating Dr. Faramaz Samavati’s achievements and dedication to innovation,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). 

“This award highlights his groundbreaking work on the virtual globe, and his vision has made a significant impact on how we use geospatial data to make better decisions about our world. Congratulations, Dr. Samavati!”

Samavati has been a UCalgary faculty member for 24 years and leads the university’s Graphics, Interaction and Visualization Lab. His theory-to-real-world research has helped develop a 3D Digital Earth System built on a global grid system, software that enables better collection and storage of the data gathered by geospatial sensors.

The Digital Earth System is a virtual, three-dimensional representation of the Earth — Samavati has described it as a “virtual globe.” The globe, which is designed to replace flat paper maps, also stores vast amounts of geospatial information, gathered from satellites, drones and other sensors. 

Conventional GIS that relies on flat maps cannot harness the massive and rapidly expanding streams of geospatial data generated by technologies such as satellites, drones and mobile devices — data that can be vital to making informed, timely and location-based decisions about the planet. And flat maps are distorted, which, Samavati says, “creates misconceptions … and creates a fundamental challenge to data flow."

A better understanding of the world above and below the surface

The virtual system is useful in creating a more-accurate picture of conditions in a region. For example, it allows a better understanding of the data gathered to monitor natural-disaster risks and behaviour of disasters like extreme weather or wildfires, allowing more-accurate predictions of when those events might occur. It allows us to see what’s happening below the Earth’s surface, as well as above us, and how they all relate to each other.

Beyond natural disasters, Samavati’s system can help cities plan infrastructure, epidemiologists map disease outbreaks and the energy sector make decisions about subsurface operations. In our day-to-day lives, it can help create more accurate traffic and weather reports.

Samavati is also the lead scientist for a technology startup, Big Geo, which aims to bring clarity to geospatial data for its stakeholders through an innovative global grid system, allowing them to make well-informed decisions.

Big Geo has close ties to UCalgary, which is a top startup creator in Canada. Past grants from Mitacs were in support of the collaboration between the company and Samavati’s research team. 

“Innovation is always a collective achievement,” says Samavati, who thanks his research team and collaborators for their contributions, as well as UCalgary and the Faculty of Science for supporting his work and for "combining academic excellence with a spirit of innovation.

He’s also thankful to Mitacs for enabling these partnerships, and to his sponsors — especially BigGeo — for their vision and commitment.

Samavati sees bold possibilities for the future, moving beyond the idea of the digital global toward a living digital twin of the Earth.

“Imagine a tool that helps us see and understand our planet in new and better ways?” he says.