Principal Research Interests & Current Projects

• Applications of GIS in human and physical geography

• GIS-based analysis in accessibility modelling – with particular interests in investigating access to public services in rural areas in relation to the socio-economic characteristics of such communities

• Applications of GIS in medical geography and in particular researching the use of network-based models in examining access to primary and secondary health care

• Use of GIS and visualisation techniques in emergency planning such as the police and fire services

• Applying GIS techniques in collaborative environments and in particular the use of GIS in public participation arenas as part of decision support system frameworks.

• Investigating the use of so-called Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) in combination with multi-criteria decision analysis in the siting of facilities such as windfarms and landfill sites.

• Investigating patterns of environmental (in)justice in the UK.

• Use of innovative multi-method approaches based on spatial analytical techniques in investigating the socio-economic geography of Wales (WISERD initiative)

Recent Research Grants

• The Use of Geographical Information Systems in the health sector funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

• BCU analysis and CRDP analysis; cluster analysis project (funded by the Home Office)

• Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) Phase 1 (2008-2012): funded by the ESRC and HEFCW (Reconfiguration and Collaboration Fund) (jointly with Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea Universities)

• Understanding the role of ICT use in connectivity of minority communities in Wales funded by AHRC (jointly with Cardiff and Swansea Universities)

• Spatial Data Usability (funded by Ordnance Survey)

• WISERD Civil Society (2014-2019): Work-package 3.2: Implications of Spatial & Temporal Variation in Service Provision for Inequalities in Social Outcomes The proposed study will carry out analysis of existing secondary sources of quantitative data in order to investigate levels of social capital within communities in relation to changing levels of provision of key public services (Wales Institute of Social and Economic Data and Methods (WISERD) Civil Society, funded by ESRC Large Centres Grant scheme)

• WISERD Civil Society: Changing perspectives on Civic Stratification and Civil Repair (2019-2024): This Centre will look at divisions in society by focusing on the rights and obligations and practices of citizens and the role of civil society organisations in addressing inequalities in those rights and obligations. This will examine issues such as trends in polarisation of economic, political and social rights – looking at how campaigns for rights are changing and undertaking case studies of attempts to repair the fabric of civil life. WISERD is a partnership between the universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea. Principal Investigator, Professor Ian Jones

Main Teaching subjects and course leadership

• MSc Computing Schemes: IS4S766 GIS Principles and Practice (Module Leader)
• BSc/MSc Project Supervision
• MPhil/PhD (KESS) Research Supervision

Administrative Activities

• Co-Director Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) (2009-)

• Director GIS Research Centre, University of South Wales

• Reviewed manuscripts for over 50 academic journals and book proposals for 5 publishers
• Panel member for the RGS/IBG Geographical Information Science Research Group: Best Dissertation in the area of Geographic Information Science, 2012-
• Editorial Board Member for Computers, Environment and Urban Systems (2000-2008)
• Editorial Board Member for International Journal of Health Geographics
• Refereed Research Proposals for; ESRC, AHRC, NERC and EPSRC; Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Irish Health Research Board and Royal Irish Academy and Science Foundation Ireland, University of Florida CRC/Cornerstone SSPEG Program and Referee for Leverhulme Prize in Geography
• External examiner; MSc GIS, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Ulster, 2004-2008; School of Geography, University of Leeds 2009-2014
• External examiners on M.Phil and Ph.D theses
• Chair and Internal examiner, University of South Wales