About

Harvey Miller is a Professor and the Reusche Chair in Geographic Information Science at The Ohio State University Department of Geography. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from The Ohio State University, earned in 1991, and has a background that includes an M.A. and B.A. in Geography from Kent State University. His research and teaching focus on the intersection between geographic information science and transportation science, with particular interest in how people use mobility and communications technologies to allocate scarce time among activities in geographic space, a perspective known as time geography. Miller is interested in the social dimensions of transportation and the implications of human mobility and accessibility for sustainable transportation, livable communities, and public health. His main approach involves the development and application of GIS and spatial analysis techniques to extract information from fine-grained mobility and spatio-temporal data. He is also the Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA). His work emphasizes understanding mobility, livability, and sustainability through spatial analysis, contributing to the fields of GIScience and transportation science.

Research topics

• Geography
• Business
• Economics
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Sociology
• Transport engineering
• Demographic economics
• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Economic growth
• Demography
• Socioeconomics
• Operations research
• Statistics
• Finance
• Mathematics

Selected publications

• Analyzing teen drivers’ exposure to crash risk: An activity space-based approach

  Urban Studies · 2026-01-12

  article

  Teen drivers’ exposure to crash risk depends on where and how much they drive. Of the few published studies examining driving patterns and crash exposure, none focused on teen drivers, the highest crash risk group of all ages. This study used activity space measures to analyze everyday driving activities, resultant crash exposure, and associated factors for teen drivers aged 16–17. Using driving-related GPS-trajectory data collected from 76 teens for one month, we used a network-based activity space measure to categorize teens into three groups. We estimated each teen’s crash exposure by analyzing their travel frequency on specific roads and crash density on those roads for the broader young population. Lastly, we applied a cumulative link mixed model to assess the influence of demographic, road, and urban-social environmental characteristics on crash exposure and their variations across three driving activity-based teen groups. Our findings revealed that the geographic extent of teens’ everyday driving, measured through their activity space, varied extensively, resulting in varying crash exposure levels among them. The results suggested that teens’ exposure to crashes was associated with both the extent of their driving activity space and the road and urban environments in which they drive. Teens, who mostly drove within smaller geographic spaces experienced greater crash exposure while driving on primary roads and in poor neighborhoods compared to those driving extensively but mostly on highways. These findings have implications for urban planning and policymaking, identifying urban environments, particularly those crash-prone for teen drivers, and informing strategies to mitigate crash risks.

  PublisherDOI

• Building enduring smart city data platforms to provide urban management support: lessons learnt from UK Urban Observatories and the US Smart Columbus Operating System

  Frontiers in Sustainable Cities · 2025-04-02 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Cities are complicated entities with multiple stakeholders operating data infrastructures complying to different regulations and standards in heterogeneous environments; this can be challenging when developing a smart city data platform to support cross-sector urban data management. Recent advances in Internet-of-Things technology can combine real-time data streams, such as weather sensors, traffic lights, cameras, and parking sensors, in a smart city data platform that supports city decision-making and enables new collaborations and knowledge production. This paper uses a case study methodology to analyze the Smart City Operating System (SCOS), part of a Smart City project awarded by the US Department of Transportation in 2016 in Columbus Ohio. SCOS was developed as a robust smart city data management platform. However, despite a well-designed organization, methodology, and processes, the platform did not sufficiently capture city users, and was no longer used soon after demonstration funding ended in 2021. We employ a literature review, project completion reports, key informant interviews, and a project evaluation to understand the value and limitations of SCOS and consider how it could have better captured city users. Our comparative analysis of the UK Observatories shows that their more restrained “living laboratory” vision, university support, and stable funding environment helped them endure, although they serve primarily as a research platform rather than a city management platform. To make recommendations for future city data platform projects, we discuss organizational and technical aspects of conducting smart city projects, including continuous stakeholder engagement, required data ownership and real-time data management support. The results aim to support city stakeholders in developing future data platforms and provide urban management support.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Rethinking <scp>GIScience</scp> Education in an Age of Disruptions

  Transactions in GIS · 2025-04-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT GIS and GIScience education have continually evolved over the past three decades, responding to technological advances and societal issues. Today, the content and context in which GIScience is taught continue to be impacted by these disruptions, notably from technology through artificial intelligence (AI) and society through the myriad environmental and social challenges facing the planet. These disruptions create a new landscape for training within the discipline that is affecting not only what is taught in GIScience courses but also who is taught, why it is being taught, and how it is taught. The aim of this paper is to structure a direction for developing and delivering GIScience education that, amid these disruptions, can generate a capable workforce and the next generation of leaders for the discipline. We present a framework for understanding the various emphases of GIScience education and use it to discuss how the content, audience, and purpose are changing. We then discuss how pedagogical strategies and practices can change how GIScience concepts and skills are taught to train more creative, inclusive, and empathetic learners. Specifically, we focus on how GIScience pedagogy should (1) center on problem‐based learning, (2) be open and accelerate open science, and (3) cultivate ethical reasoning and practices. We conclude with remarks on how the principles of GIScience education can extend beyond disciplinary boundaries for holistic spatial training across academia.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Measuring the impacts of sidewalks on public transit first mile/last mile accessibility and their association with social and demographic factors

  Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives · 2025-08-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  • This paper compares FMLM accessibility of sidewalk and road network. • Sidewalk network provides 45 % – 50 % less spatial coverage compared to street networks. • 39 % and 49 % of bus stops provide access to fewer groceries and healthcare facilities when following sidewalk networks. • A tier between the peripheral area and city-center exhibits a cumulative burden of poor sidewalk access and social vulnerability. Public transportation offers a sustainable, environment-friendly, and equitable mode of travel, particularly for marginalized and disadvantaged groups. However, the first-mile/last-mile (FMLM) access problem can pose significant challenges to its efficiency and ability to generate accessibility. An incomplete sidewalk network reduces transit accessibility by creating barriers, especially for sidewalk-reliant groups such as people with mobility disabilities, elderly, and school children. In this study, we develop new metrics to measure the impacts of sidewalk incompleteness on transit FMLM accessibility. Using data from Columbus, Ohio, USA, a typical mid-sized American city with an incomplete sidewalk network, we apply these measures and compare them to the sociodemographic characteristics of the neighborhood surrounding each stop. We find that the sidewalk network and high-quality sidewalk network have 45%-50% less spatial coverage around bus stops compared to street networks, respectively. 39% and 49% of bus stops provide access to fewer groceries and healthcare facilities, respectively, when following sidewalk networks. We observe that inner-city neighborhoods, despite being less affluent, often have better sidewalk access compared to affluent suburban areas. However, peripheral to city-center and less-affluent neighborhoods exhibit a cumulative burden with the poor sidewalk access that impacts access to essential resources such as groceries and health care. The research provides a direct and comparative measure of FMLM accessibility and suggests a strong linkage of urban morphology with sidewalk accessibility. This study calls for targeted sidewalk improvements and a nuanced understanding of accessibility gaps to promote equitable and efficient public transportation systems.

  PublisherDOI

• Measuring Public Transit Resilience with High-Resolution Real-Time Geospatial Data

  2025-05-30

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Improving Well Completion Efficiency Though the Implementation of Jointed Pipe Injector Technology

  SPE/ICoTA Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition · 2024-03-12

  article

  Objectives/Scope Currently, jointed pipe completions on live wells are performed by either a workover rig with a rig assist snubbing jack or a stand-alone snubbing jack. These technologies require extensive training and operator input to convey tubing in and out of the wellbore. Conventional snubbing jacks run the risk of losing control of the string when they are transferring load between travelling and stationary slips. The main objective of the Jointed Pipe Injector Technology is to provide a safer alternative by reducing operator input and reducing the risk of losing control of the string while reducing the time it takes to move tubular strings in and out of the wellbore under pressure. Methods, Procedures, Process Applying a jointed pipe injector into the well completions package where a typical jack would function removes the transfer of load because it maintains constant grip on the tubing, much like a coiled tubing injector. By integrating additional sensors into this package make-up and break-out procedures may be carried out remotely, further reducing operator intervention for remedial operations. Results, Observations, Conclusions Through the recent deployment of a rig-assist jointed pipe injector in the DJ Basin, the oilfield service companies have been able to reduce operator training time from months to weeks. Operator input has been reduced by over 94% compared to a conventional rig assist snubbing unit. Tubulars can be tripped in or out of the well at twice the speed of the conventional rig assist jack. The main injector control has been located remotely, reducing the number of personnel at risk on the work floor by 33%. Novel/Additive Information The deployment of the jointed pipe injector in well completion applications leads to levels of automation, control, and mechanization typically seen in modern drilling packages.

  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating accessibility benefits and ridership of bike-transit integration through a social equity lens

  Computers Environment and Urban Systems · 2024-07-10 · 13 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Inclusive accessibility: Analyzing socio-economic disparities in perceived accessibility

  Computers Environment and Urban Systems · 2024-10-17 · 8 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A research agenda for GIScience in a time of disruptions

  International Journal of Geographical Information Systems · 2024-09-29 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Social issues, AI, and climate change are just a few of the disruptive focuses impacting science. The field of GIScience is well positioned to respond to accelerating disruptions due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the ability of GIScience approaches to be used in support of decision-making. This manuscript aims to start a conversation that will establish a research agenda for GIScience in an age of disruptions. We outline three guiding principles: (1) focusing on the relevance and real-world impact of research, (2) adopting systems-based thinking and contextual approaches and (3) emphasizing inclusive practices. We then outline prioritized research areas organized by what topics are important focal areas (Data and Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence, and Causality and Generalizability), and what approaches to science we should be attentive to (Impactful Open Science, Collaborative and Convergent Science, and through Diverse Participation and Partnerships). We conclude with a call to increase impact by balancing slow science with practical and policy-oriented research. We also recognize that while broad adoption of spatial approaches is a signal of GIScience's success, we should continue to work together to advance core knowledge centered on spatial thinking and approaches.

  PublisherDOI

• Pulmonary Exacerbations and Respiratory Illness Among Patients With Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Self-report Survey

  2024-04-30

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Green Accessibility: Measuring the Environmental Costs of Space-Time Prisms in Sustainable Transportation Planning

  NSF · $475k · 2012–2014

• Conferences: Advancing Movement and Mobility Science by Bridging Research on Human Mobility and Animal Movement Ecology

  NSF · $70k · 2016–2018

• Green Accessibility: Measuring the Environmental Costs of Space-Time Prisms in Sustainable Transportation Planning

  NSF · $417k · 2013–2017

Frequent coauthors

• Ken R. Smith

  26 shared

• Barbara B. Brown

  Texas Christian University

  23 shared

• Calvin P. Tribby

  Beckman Research Institute

  20 shared

• Carol M. Werner

  17 shared

• Shih‐Lung Shaw

  University of Tennessee at Knoxville

  14 shared

• Ying Song

  University of Minnesota

  11 shared

• Tijs Neutens

  11 shared

• Armita Kar

  10 shared

Education

• PhD, Geography

  The Ohio State University

  1991

• MA, Geography

  Kent State University

  1987

• BA

  Kent State University

  1985