Historical GIS &
geodemographics
Digitising and georeferencing historical records to study the geography of populations and the adoption of fixed-line telephony.
Read the researchPhD candidate · UCL Geography
Connecting people,
places & data.
I’m Michael Xiao, a researcher in social and geographic data science at University College London.
My work brings together spatial data analysis, geographic information science and GeoAI.
UCLDepartment of Geography
Social and Geographic Data Science GeoDSGeographic Data Service
Affiliate Spatial analysis GeoAI Historical GIS
Social and Geographic Data Science GeoDSGeographic Data Service
Affiliate Spatial analysis GeoAI Historical GIS
01 / About
A geographic
perspective.
I’m a PhD candidate in Social and Geographic Data Science in UCL’s Department of Geography, with a background in GIS and remote sensing engineering.
I specialise in spatial big data engineering and GeoAI applications. My research includes historical geodemographics, using digitised telephone directories to connect the geography of the past with contemporary questions about people and places.
Alongside my doctoral research, I also deliver teaching in UCL Geography, supporting both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Explore my teaching experience
02 / Research
Across space and time.
Research interests at the intersection
of geography and data science.
Historical GIS &
Spatial data
analysis
Geographic information systems, spatial data modelling and computational approaches to understanding people and places.
Geographic information scienceGeoAI &
remote sensing
Artificial intelligence for geographic applications, with interests in deep learning, natural language processing and remote sensing.
AI for geographic applicationsReprinting and Linking the Past: Creating a Nationwide Georeferenced Directory of Fixed-Line Telephone Subscribers, 1881–1984
Proceedings of the 34th Annual GIS Research UK Conference
Digitally encoding and georeferencing historical telephone directories to examine telephony adoption and population geography across Great Britain.
@inproceedings{xiao2026reprinting,
author = {Xiao, Michael (Xiancheng) and Gibin, Maurizio and Van Dijk, Justin and Longley, Paul A.},
title = {Reprinting and Linking the Past: Creating a Nationwide Georeferenced Directory of Fixed-Line Telephone Subscribers, 1881--1984},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 34th Annual GIS Research UK (GISRUK) Conference},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Zenodo},
address = {Birmingham, UK},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.19430249},
url = {https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10224466/}
}
I teach at the intersection of geography and data science, through co-instruction, technical guidance and seminar support.
My teaching covers spatial data manipulation, spatial autocorrelation, spatial modelling and Bayesian methods, alongside human geography methods and field-data analysis.
Teaching experience · UCL Geography
- GEOG0115
Introduction to Social Data Science
Co-instructor Postgraduate Sep 2025
- GEOG0114
Principles of Spatial Analysis
Teaching Assistant Postgraduate Sep 2024 – Dec 2026
- GEOG0018
Methods in Human Geography
Teaching Assistant Undergraduate, Year 2 Sep 2026
- GEOG0186
Foundations of Geography 1
Teaching Assistant Undergraduate Nov 2025
- GEOG0013
Geography in the Field 1 (Data Analysis)
Teaching Assistant Undergraduate, Year 1 Nov 2024
Upcoming · January 2027
- GEOG0125
Advanced Topics in Social and Geographic Data Science (GeoAI Applications)
Co-instructor Postgraduate Starts 4 January 2027
- GEOG0187
Foundations of Geography 2
Teaching Assistant Undergraduate, Year 1 Starts 11 Jan 2027
05 / Background
Experience
& education.
Experience
Current
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Geography
University College LondonJul – Oct 2026
Research Statistics Reviewer
Office for Statistics Regulation
UK Statistics AuthorityJan – Oct 2024
Research Assistant
The Bartlett School of Planning
University College London
Education
Doctoral research · in progress
PhD candidate, GeoDS
Department of Geography
University College LondonMSc Social and Geographic Data Science
University College London
MSc Geographical Information Science
University of Manchester
Environmental GIS and remote sensingBSc Geography
Zhejiang Normal University
Minor in Music Theory and Composition
06 / Contact
Let’s connect.
For research conversations, academic enquiries
or questions about my work.