Geographical Analysis

Our work focuses on spatial and spatiotemporal analysis to tackle urban crime, mobility, and safety challenges. We bring together academics, researchers, and students who share an interest in applying geoinformatics, GIScience, and spatial modelling methods to real-world problems.

About us 

Mission

Our mission is to advance the theory and application of spatial and geographical analysis to support evidence-based decision-making in crime science, public safety, urban mobility, and environmental resilience.

We believe that spatial thinking provides powerful tools for identifying patterns, understanding risk, and designing effective interventions. Whether it is mapping crime hotspots or forecasting risk, we aim to push the boundaries of how place-based data can inform practice and policy.

Our work is both interdisciplinary and impact-driven. We bring together researchers from security and crime science, engineering, sensing technologies, social science, and urban analytics to address complex, real-world problems through a spatial lens. The group supports research across methodological traditions, including spatial statistics, GIS, network-based approaches, machine learning, and qualitative spatial inquiry.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive environment for researchers and students at all levels who are engaged with spatial analysis or are interested in learning more.

Our members work closely with policing agencies, local authorities, and national policy bodies. The group’s combined expertise in applied research and policy-relevant consultancy highlights our capacity to deliver spatial insights that translate into operational impact and safer communities.

Goals

• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration in spatial and geographical analysis across UCL and beyond.
• Support research translation and engagement with policy-makers, law enforcement, and urban stakeholders.
• Provide mentoring and methods support for researchers at all levels.
• Offer spatial data clinics and training for MSc/BSc students.
• Promote knowledge exchange through seminars, talks, and workshops.

Research group

• Dr Alina Ristea (Group Lead)
• Professor Spencer Chainey
• Professor Kate Bowers
• Professor Aiden Sidebottom
• Dr Matt Ashby
• Professor Kevin Chetty

Research themes and projects 

1. Spatial Crime Analysis and Forecasting

• Predictive policing, risk mapping, hotspot analysis, and repeat victimisation
• Machine learning for spatial classification and hotspot detection
• Application of spatiotemporal models to various crime types

2. Mobility, Urban Infrastructure and Public Safety

• Spatial dynamics of crowds, transport networks, and public spaces
• Event-related crime analysis, safety perception, and urban movement

3. Remote Sensing and Urban Data

• Sensor networks, radar data, and spatiotemporal anomaly detection

4. Place-Based Harms and Crime Risk

• Mapping inequalities, harm concentrations, environmental stressors, and underreported crime

PhD students

We welcome doctoral researchers using spatial methods to join the group. Current areas of interest include spatial statistics, environmental crime, mobile phone theft, sensor-based crime prevention, and more.

Publications

Please check research group member’s UCL profiles and Google Scholar pages.