Dana Thomson

Dr. Dana R. Thomson is an applied researcher and spatial data expert working at the intersection of demography, public health, and geography. She serves as Associate Director for Science Applications at the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) within Columbia University’s Climate School, where she leads interdisciplinary initiatives that advance spatial data science on human–environment interactions. Her research spans fine-scale urban analytics, gridded population sampling, and the development of open tools that strengthen measurement in data-scarce settings. Her past work includes GIS analysis for global survey and development programs, population modelling in low-data contexts, the design of gridded population sampling frames with fieldwork across Africa and South Asia, health-system strengthening in several African and Caribbean countries, and the development of urban inequality metrics through IDEAMAPS. She also co-convenes international communities of practice, including POPGRID and IDEAMAPS, to improve the production and responsible use of geospatial data worldwide.
Dr. Thomson is a leader in the Integrated Deprived Area Mapping System (IDEAMAPS) Network, which brings together community members, government officials, humanitarian actors, and data scientists to build equitable systems for urban deprivation mapping and validation. Her work emphasizes open data, user-centered design, and partnerships that address long-standing inequities in data and decision processes. She advances frameworks for data co-production that integrate local knowledge with emerging geo-observational and AI-enabled data streams, producing policy-relevant indicators that communities can understand, adapt, and use to improve their lives.