MY RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research focus is in the areas of: Participatory geographic information systems (PGIS); African (Peri)Urbanization; Urban and Regional Planning, Third World Development and Planning; and Regional and Rural Development. I am currently examining how the introduction of GIS in African urban geographic research is impacting the way peri-urban landscapes are understood and conceptualized. My work has been published and also cited in refereed journals and presented in regional, national and international conferences. Recently, I have also gained interest in uneven regional development in Alabama’s Black Belt. As such, I have begun preliminary work to set up a research project to explore how modern geospatial technologies may enhance local capacity to manage resources in the region.
Recent Publications
Koti, F. and D. Weiner. (Forthcoming) Understanding African Peri-Urban Landscapes Using Participatory GIS.
Koti, F. 2007. Developed a chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint based Classroom Response System (CRS) questions for the Physical Geography Course Text: McKnight, T. and D. Hess 2007. Physical Geography (9th Edition). Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice Hall. The CRS is a polling system that enables instructors to pose questions to students, record results, and display the results instantly in the classroom. Text was published by Prentice Hall.
Koti, F and D. Weiner. 2006. (Re)Defining Peri-Urban Residential Space Using Participatory GIS in Kenya. Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries 25 (8): 1-12. (Please see sample in the supplemental material. Work has been cited in books and journals.
Research Papers Presented in Conferences etc
Spring 2008 - Annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers, April 15-19, 2008, Boston, MA. Presenting paper: A Conceptual Overview of African Peri-Urbanization
2008 Global Dialogue on Emerging Science and Technology (GDEST) conference in Cape Town, South Africa, March 17-18, 2008. Presenting paper: Understanding African Peri-Urban Landscapes Using Participatory GIS.
2007 Annual Conference of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers, November 18-20, 2007, Charleston, SC. Presenting poster: Mapping Uneven Regional Development in Alabama’s Black Belt Using Participatory GIS.
2007 University of North Alabama Geography Alumni Conference, Florence, AL, Nov. 1-2, 2007. Presented paper: Mapping Uneven Development in Alabama’s Black Belt.
Annual Conference of the Association of American Geographers, San Francisco, CA, April 17-21, 2007. Presenting poster: Putting the Urban Poor on the Map Using Participatory GIS.
2006 Annual Conference of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG), Morgantown, WV, Nov 19-21, 2006. Presenting poster: Putting the Urban Poor on the Map Using Participatory GIS.
2006 Annual Conference of the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and the 9th Annual Zoning Administrator’s Workshop: May 17-19th, 2006, Florence, AL – Session Moderator.
Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, March, 7-11, 2006, Chicago, IL. Presenting paper: Understanding African Peri-Urbanization Using Participatory GIS – (Koti F.T., C. Masilela., D. Weiner).
First Geography Alumni Conference, University of North Alabama, October 7th, 2005. Presented a paper: Mapping Residential Development Using Participatory GIS in Kenya.
International Conference on Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication, September 7-10, 2005, Nairobi, Kenya. Presented a paper: Redefining Peri-Urban Residential Space Using Participatory GIS. (Koti F.T. and D. Weiner). Funding Provided by the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), the Netherlands.
Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, March 5th – 9th, 2005, Denver, CO - Presenting paper: (Re)Defining Peri-Urban Residential Quality of Life Using Participatory GIS in Kenya – (Koti F.T. and D. Weiner).
Koti, F.T. and D. Weiner. 2005. (Re) Defining Peri-Urban Residential Quality of Life Using Participatory GIS in Athi River Town, Kenya. Paper presented at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, April 5th-10th, 2005, Denver, Colorado.
Koti, F.T., G. Mulaku and D. Weiner. 2004. External Influences and the Diffusion of Geo-Spatial Information Technologies in Kenya. Paper to be presented at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, March 14th-20th, 2004, Philadelphia, PA.
Koti, F. T. and D. Weiner. 2003. GIS Representations of African Urban Space: Fear or Favor? Paper presented at the 1st ASA Annual Conference on the African Diaspora, April 12th, 2003,West Virginia University Morgantown, WV.
Koti, F.T. 2002. Same Place Yet Different Worlds: A GIS and Society Perspective on Kenyan Peri-Urbanization. Paper presented at a colloquium Seminar at the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, July 2002.
Koti, F. T. and D. Weiner. 2002. The Socio-Spatial Dynamics of Uneven Residential Development in Kenya: A GIS and Society Perspective. Paper presented at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, March 19th-23rd, 2002, Los Angeles CA.
Koti and Karigomba. 2001. Examining the Socio-Economic dimensions of GIS adoption in Sub-saharan Africa. Current paper: Socio-Economic Dimensions of GIS Use in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Paper presented at the AAG Annual conference - New York; February 28th, 2001.
Koti, F.T. 2000. The Production of Urban Space in Kenya: Central-Local Government Power Relations in Mediating Space in Athi River Town. Paper presented at the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, March 2000, Pittsburgh PA.
See relevant links:
Global Urban Indicators Database
Indicators of Urban Sprawl (US) - Univ. of Oregon
Urban Management Sustainability - Europe
Urban Indicators - United Nations Center for Human Settlements (HABITAT)
UCGIS Urban Indicators Project
Internet-based training (Asia and Pacific)
Urban Indicators Guidelines - Toolkit
Additional literature - Univ. of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
(Some related links)
| ASARD | WVU Geography | AAG | RRI | WV Tech Center | |
| GIS jobs | GIS Data Depot | UCGIS | Other | USGS | |
| NCGIA | Urisa Journal | WVDEP | NGS | Africa Data |
3 D Analysis Mapping - Creating DEM