Our group currently engages in research within and among four strategic spheres of applied interest:​

​One of the central objectives for our group is to work through research and teaching to create a body of knowledge that blends insights from across these three spheres of interest for a broader audience. For example, we see promise in using knowledge and methodologies created in the study of disease to address issues related to changing markets and urban structures. Likewise, our educational efforts encourage our students to take coursework and synthesize knowledge from across our diverse spectrum of LI core course offerings.
Download a copy of this Location Intelligence book that documents the broad spectrum of
​analytical possibilities that exist across the field

Metropolitan Corporate Development

Our research in this dimension focuses on understanding the factors that shape the headquarters locations and leadership clusters associated with the largest firms in North America. We are also researching the evolving geography of highly-entrepreneurial, high-growth businesses across North America, and related insights into the relationship between firm growth and business cluster development in a variety of communities.

Sample Published Research in this Area
​
Rice, Murray D., and Ronald V. Kalafsky (2020) 'An infatuation with building things: Business strategies, linkages, and small city economic development in Manitoba', Growth and Change 51(1), 102-122.

Rice, Murray D., Chetan Tiwari, Sean B. O’Hagan, Donald I. Lyons, Milford B. Green, and Vicki Oppenheim* (2018) ‘Defining the record of high-growth firms by U.S. metropolitan region: What happens to the Inc. 500?’, Papers in Applied Geography 4(2), 137-156.
​
Rice, Murray D., Donald I. Lyons, and Sean B. O'Hagan (2015) ‘Fast-growing firms as elements of change in Canada’s headquarters city-system’,Urban Geography 36(6): 844-863.

* Past UNT student researcher in our group

Markets, Services, and Urban Change

​Study in this area focuses on the development strategies followed by large, national chain retailers. We also examine the geography of retail activity as it relates to urban change.
​
Sample Published Research in this Area

Rice, Murray D., and Joshua P. Bova (2020) 'Business District Development and Competition: An Exploration of Structural Evolution in the Retail Districts of Denton, Texas', Papers in Applied Geography 6(1), 35-55.

Rice, Murray D., Anthony Ostrander*, and Chetan Tiwari (2016) 'Decoding the development strategy of a major retailer: Wal-Mart's expansion in the United States', The Professional Geographer 68(4): 640-649.

Yarbrough, Trevor*, and Murray D. Rice (2013) ‘Retail change and light rail: An exploration of business location changes accompanying commuter rail development in Denton, Texas’, Papers in Applied Geography 36, 281-289.

Regan, Amanda*, and Murray D. Rice (2012) ‘An exploration of alternative food desert definitions in south Dallas’, Papers of the Applied Geography Conference 35, 183-191.

Dickinson, Amie*, and Murray D. Rice (2010) 'Retail location, clustering, and local economic development: A case study of Port Huron, MI’, Applied Research in Economic Development 7(1), 2-13.

* Past UNT student researcher in our group

GIS Applications for Risk Assessment and Management

Research interests in this area focus on applications of GIS and spatial analysis to identify the geographic dimensions of risk to aid public health policy and practice. 
​
Sample Published Research in this Area

Jones B, Tiwari C, Ramisetty-Mikler S. 2019. A Data-Driven Approach Using 911-Call Data to Reconfigure Police Beat Zones. Papers in Applied Geography.

Kala A.K., Tiwari C., Mikler A.R. and Atkinson S.F. 2017. A comparison of least squares regression and geographically weighted regression modeling of West Nile virus risk based on environmental parameters. PeerJ.5,p.e3070.

​King JM, Tiwari C, Mikler AR, O’Neill M. 2018. Challenges of designing and implementing high consequence infectious disease response. Disaster Medicine And Public Health Preparedness 12 (5), 563-566.

Application of Geospatial Methodologies to Spatial-Temporal Disease Dynamics

Research interests in this area include disease mapping, disease cluster analysis, and environmental health monitoring/modeling. 
​
Sample Published Research in this Area

Ruckthongsook W, Tiwari C, Oppong JR, Natesan P, 2018. Evaluation of threshold selection methods for adaptive kernel density estimation in disease mapping. International Journal of Health Geographics.

Tiwari C., Beyer K., and Rushton G. 2014. Impact of Data Suppression on Local Mortality Rates: The Case of CDC WONDER. American Journal of Public Health.

​Beyer K., Tiwari C., and Rushton G. 2012. Five Essential Properties of Disease Maps. Annals of the Association of American Geographers.

Our Research Leads to Educational Opportunities

Our UNT-LIRG research programs provide a necessary societal contribution. However, we also see the ongoing development of our graduate and undergraduate educational programs as central to the ultimate development of location intelligence in our UNT Geography community.

Summary

Location Intelligence Areas of Pursuit

Research Publications

We disseminate the results of our location intelligence research in peer-reviewed venues. Click here for a sampling of our journal publications.
Conference Leadership

We present in key conference venues covering applied geography, business geography, and complementary fields. Click here for a sampling of our recent presentations.
Learning Opportunities

We offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. Click here for a summary of the educational opportunities we provide.
Professional Practice

We practice what we teach and research. Click here for a listing of UNT Geography graduates who are active in location intelligence professional practice.