Estimating Hourly Neighborhood Population Using Mobile Phone Data in the United States
arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.01170 (2025)DOI
Publications
Peer-reviewed articles and preprints.
Featured publications
GIScience in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: A Research Agenda Towards Autonomous GIS
Annals of GIS (2025)DOI
GIS Copilot: towards an autonomous GIS agent for spatial analysis
International Journal of Digital Earth 18(1), 2497489 (2025)
An autonomous GIS agent framework for geospatial data retrieval
International Journal of Digital Earth 18(1), 2458688 (2025)DOI
Automated floodwater depth estimation using large multimodal model for rapid flood mapping
Computational Urban Science 4(1), 12 (2024)
Autonomous GIS: the next-generation AI-powered GIS
International Journal of Digital Earth 16(2), 4668–4686 (2023)
Exploring the vertical dimension of street view image based on deep learning: A case study on lowest floor elevation estimation
International Journal of Geographical Information Science 36(7), 1317–1342 (2022)
Converting street view images to land cover maps for metric mapping: a case study on sidewalk network extraction for the wheelchair users
Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 95, 101808 (2022)
Full bibliography
The latest publication list can be found in Google Scholar.
Peer-reviewed and pre-prints
2026
Zhou, B., Huang, X., Wang, S., Mai, G., Li, D., Wang, Z., Wu, Q., Ning, H., et al. (2026). Measuring the spatial explicitness of GeoAI and geospatial foundation models: A systematic review and future roadmap. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 240, 601-622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2026.08.001
Li, Z., Khosravi Kazazi, A., Liu, R., Akinboyewa, T., Ning, H., Huang, X., Ye, X., Arundel, S. T., Li, W., Yang, C., Wang, S., & Simonis, I. (2026). Geospatial Agentic Services: a framework for interoperable geospatial intelligence. Annals of GIS, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475683.2026.2738374
Akinboyewa, T., Ning, H., Li, Z., Lessani, M. N., Li, X., & Qiao, S. (2026). Exploring the role of place visitation big data on small area health measure estimation. Computational Urban Science, 6(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43762-026-00287-0
Ning, H., Li, Z., Yu, M., & Yin, W. (2026). SIM: a framework for geometric measurement of built environment features using street view imagery. International Journal of Digital Earth, 19(1), 2678084. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2026.2678084
Niu, Y., Campbell, J., Feng, R., Huang, X., & Ning, H. (2026). Mapping AI-Related Skill Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Implications for Workforce Development (WIP). 2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--60077
Ning, H., & Huang, X. (2026). Agent-Hive: A Fractal Research Graph Architecture for Long-Running Scientific Agent Swarms. SSRN preprint 7380678. https://ssrn.com/abstract=7380678
Zhou, B., Huang, X., Ning, H., Wu, Q., Li, D., & Zhang, Z. (2026). NORA: A Harness-Engineered Autonomous Research Agent for End-to-End Spatial Data Science. arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.02092. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02092
Ye, X., Gong, W., Yang, Y., Zou, L., Tu, Z., Huang, X., Li, Z., Ning, H., & Wu, L. (2026). Towards Agentic Urban Digital Twins (AUDiTs): advancing new urban science through Human-AI co-learning agents. Urban Informatics, 5(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44212-025-00099-3
Ning, H., Li, Z., Yu, M., Huang, X., Zhang, S., & Qiao, S. (2026). Nationwide Hourly Population Estimating at the Neighborhood Scale in the United States Using Stable-Attendance Anchor Calibration. arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.12291. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.12291
2025
Ning, Huan, Zhenlong Li, Temitope Akinboyewa, and M. Naser Lessani. “An autonomous GIS agent framework for geospatial data retrieval.” International Journal of Digital Earth 18, no. 1 (2025): 2458688. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2025.2458688
Akinboyewa, Temitope, Zhenlong Li, Huan Ning, and M. Naser Lessani. “GIS Copilot: towards an autonomous GIS agent for spatial analysis.” International Journal of Digital Earth 18, no. 1 (2025): 2497489. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2025.2497489
Li, Zhenlong, Huan Ning*, Song Gao, Krzysztof Janowicz, Wenwen Li, Samantha T. Arundel, Chaowei Yang, et al. “GIScience in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: A Research Agenda Towards Autonomous GIS.” Annals of GIS 31, no. 4 (2025): 501-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475683.2025.2552161
Ning, Huan, Zhenlong Li, Manzhu Yu, Shiyan Zhang, and Shan Qiao. “Estimating Hourly Neighborhood Population Using Mobile Phone Data in the United States.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.01170 (2025).
Akinboyewa, T., Li, Z., Ning, H., Lessani, M. N., Holmes, L. M., & Qiao, S. (2025). Exploring the association between smartphone-based place visitation data and neighborhood-level coronary heart disease in the United States. PLOS One, 20(8), e0329455. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329455
Jiang, Y., Han, S. Y., Li, Z., Ning, H., & Kim, J.-S. (2025). Comparative analysis of human mobility patterns: utilizing taxi and mobile (SafeGraph) data to investigate neighbourhood-scale mobility in New York City. Annals of GIS, 31(3), 387-411. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475683.2025.2487984
Shi, F., Mi, T., Li, X., Ning, H., Li, Z., & Yang, X. (2025). Structural Racism and HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use in the Nationwide US: A County-Level Analysis. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 12(5), 3233-3239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-02127-5
Ning, H. (2025). Neighborhood Mobility Auditing and Assessment for Wheelchair Users Based on Street View Imagery and Artificial Intelligence. Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University.
Chukwu, M., Huang, X., Li Z., Ning, H., & Audu, K. (2024). Understanding Urban Park Visitors’ Pattern in New York City and the Long-Standing Inequity Issues: A Longitudinal Study with Fine-grained Human Mobility Data.
2024
Jing, Fengrui, Zhenlong Li, Shan Qiao, M. Naser Lessani, Huan Ning, Wenjun Ma, Jinjing Hu, Pan Yang, and Xiaoming Li. “Optimizing county-level infectious respiratory disease forecasts: a pandemic case study integrating social media-based physical and social connectivity networks.” International Journal of Digital Earth 17, no. 1 (2024): 2436486.
Akinboyewa, T., Ning, H., Lessani, M. N., & Li, Z. (2024). Automated floodwater depth estimation using large multimodal model for rapid flood mapping. Computational Urban Science, 4(1), 12.
Yu, M., Zhang, S., Ning, H., Li, Z., & Zhang, K. (2024). Assessing the 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke impact in Northeastern US: Air quality, exposure and environmental justice. Science of The Total Environment, 926, 171853.
Wang, S., Hu, T., Xiao, H., Li, Y., Zhang, C., Ning, H., … & Ye, X. (2024). GPT, large language models (LLMs) and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) models in geospatial science: a systematic review. International Journal of Digital Earth, 17(1), 2353122.
Jing, F., Li, Z., Qiao, S., Ning, H., Lessani, M. N., & Li, X. (2024). From neighborhood contexts to human behaviors: Cellphone-based place visitation data contribute to estimating neighborhood-level depression prevalence in the United States. Cities, 148, 104905.
Li, Z., Ning, H., Jing, F., & Lessani, M. N. (2024). Understanding the bias of mobile location data across spatial scales and over time: a comprehensive analysis of SafeGraph data in the United States. Plos one, 19(1), e0294430.
Gao, G., Ye, X., Li, S., Huang, X., Ning, H., Retchless, D., & Li, Z. (2024). Exploring flood mitigation governance by estimating first-floor elevation via deep learning and google street view in coastal Texas. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 51(2), 296-313.
2023
Li, Z., & Ning*, H. (2023). Autonomous GIS: the next-generation AI-powered GIS. International Journal of Digital Earth, 16(2), 4668-4686.
Wang, S., Ning*, H., Huang, X., Xiao, Y., Zhang, M., Yang, E. F., … & Zeng, Y. (2023). Public surveillance of social media for suicide using advanced deep learning models in Japan: time series study from 2012 to 2022. Journal of medical internet research, 25, e47225.
Li, Z., Qiao, S., Ning, H., Sun, X., Zhang, J., Olatosi, B., & Li, X. (2023). Place Visitation Data Reveals the Geographic and Racial Disparities of COVID-19 Impact on HIV Service Utilization in the Deep South. AIDS and Behavior.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-023-04163-4
Zeng, C., Zhang, J., Li, Z., Sun, X., Ning, H., Yang, X., … & Li, X. (2023). Residential Segregation and County-Level COVID-19 Booster Coverage in the Deep auth: Surveillance Report and Ecological Study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 9(1), e44257.
Jing, F., Li, Z., Qiao, S., Ning, H., Zhou, S., & Li, X. (2023). Association between immigrant concentration and mental health service utilization in the United States over time: A geospatial big data analysis. Health & Place, 83, 103055.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103055
Shi, F., Zhang, J., Yang, X., Sun, X., Li, Z., Zeng, C., Ning, H., Weissman, S., Olatosi, B., & Li, X. (2023). Moderation effect of community health on the relationship between racial/ethnic residential segregation and HIV viral suppression in South Carolina: A county-level longitudinal study from 2013 to 2018. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1013967.
Ning, H., Li, Z., Qiao, S., Zeng, C., Zhang, J., Olatosi, B., & Li, X. (2023). Revealing geographic transmission pattern of COVID-19 using neighborhood-level simulation with human mobility data and SEIR model: A Case Study of South Carolina. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 118, 103246.
2022
Ning, H., Li, Z., Ye, X., Wang, S., Wang, W., & Huang, X. (2022). Exploring the vertical dimension of street view image based on deep learning: A case study on lowest floor elevation estimation. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 36(7), 1317-1342.
Ning, H., Li, Z., Wang, C., Hodgson, M. E., Huang, X., & Li, X. (2022). Converting street view images to land cover maps for metric mapping: a case study on sidewalk network extraction for the wheelchair users. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 95, 101808.
Li, X., Ning, H., Huang, X., Dadashova, B., Kang, Y., & Ma, A. (2022). Urban infrastructure audit: an effective protocol to digitize signalized intersections by mining street view images. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 49(1), 32-49.
Song, Y., Ning, H., Ye, X., Chandana, D., & Wang, S. (2022). Analyze the usage of urban greenways through social media images and computer vision. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 23998083211064624.
Wang, S., Huang, X., Hu, T., Zhang, M., Li, Z., Ning, H., … & Li, X. (2022). The times, they are a-changin’: tracking shifts in mental health signals from early phase to later phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. BMJ global health, 7(1), e007081.
Ning, H., Ye, X., Chen, Z., Liu, T., & Cao, T. (2022). Sidewalk extraction using aerial and street view images. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 49(1), 7-22.
2021
Kupfer, J. A., Li, Z., Ning, H., & Huang, X. (2021). Using mobile device data to track the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on spatiotemporal patterns of national park visitation. Sustainability, 13(16), 9366.
Li, Z., Huang, X., Hu, T., Ning, H., Ye, X., Huang, B., & Li, X. (2021). ODT FLOW: Extracting, analyzing, and sharing multi-source multi-scale human mobility. Plos one, 16(8), e0255259.
Li, Z., Huang, X., Ye, X., Jiang, Y., Martin, Y., Ning, H., … & Li, X. (2021). Measuring global multi-scale place connectivity using geotagged social media data. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1-19.
Huang, X., Wang, C., Li, Z., & Ning, H. (2021). A 100 m population grid in the CONUS by disaggregating census data with open-source Microsoft building footprints. Big earth data, 5(1), 112-133.
2020
Ning, H., Li, Z., Hodgson, M. E., & Wang, C. (2020). Prototyping a social media flooding photo screening system based on deep learning. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(2), 104.
Ning, H., Huang, X., Li, Z., Wang, C., & Xiang, D. (2020). Detecting new building construction in urban areas based on images of small unmanned aerial system. Papers in Applied Geography, 6(1), 56-71.
Ning, H., Li, Z., Wang, C., & Yang, L. (2020). Choosing an appropriate training set size when using existing data to train neural networks for land cover segmentation. Annals of GIS, 26(4), 329-342.
Huang, X., Li, Z., Wang, C., & Ning, H. (2020). Identifying disaster related social media for rapid response: A visual-textual fused CNN architecture. International Journal of Digital Earth, 13(9), 1017–1039.https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2019.1633425
2019
Huang, X., Wang, C., Li, Z., & Ning, H. (2019). A visual–textual fused approach to automated tagging of flood-related tweets during a flood event. International Journal of Digital Earth, 12(11), 1248-1264.
2008
Bi, K., Li Y., Xue, Y., Ding, X., and Ning. H. “Study on Rapidly Processing Images Acquired from the Altitude Ultra-light Aircraft at Low to Make DOM Based on ERDAS LPS and TerraSolid [J].” Remote Sensing Information 5 (2008).
Selected publications with individual pages
The entries below provide separate details for selected papers.