Steve has worked at the SEI centre in the University of York since 1991 and became Deputy Director in 1999.

He specialises in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial modelling within the Institute's various projects. His research interest has focussed on using maps as communication tools at different governance scales through the development of methods and applications of participatory GIS (PGIS). Steve's PGIS approaches have been used to development and planning activities in developing countries assessing issues around natural resource management such as agriculture water management and the in the UK investigating a range of environmental concerns including air quality, rural inequalities and urban redevelopment.

Steve's recent research includes investigating the impact of green infrastructure on residents, businesses and workers in London. This involves assessing any co-benefits such as changes in environmental behaviour and purchasing decisions of people and businesses in areas with increasing GI but also economic returns in terms of customer footfall and workers wellbeing. (See Green Victoria Project)

He has also been researching approaches to build community resilience. This has involved participatory action research to try and encourage greater community interaction and knowledge exchange. (See Good Life Project)

Steve's recent research has included developing PGIS methods to encourage community engagement on environmental issues including environmental and social histories through the Open Air Laboratories Project (OPAL) funded by the Big Lottery. These engagement activities have been undertaken with a mixture of so called hard-to-reach groups and school children including those in deprived UK communities. A set of video tutorials on these methods is available at: http://preview.tinyurl.com/dxo3jgz

He has extensive experience of project management and has provided training and capacity building support for various institutes in diverse locations including Ghana, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, South Africa, China, Ivory Coast and India. In addition he has undertaken lecturing for masters and doctoral students in the Universities of York (UK), Turku (Finland), ITC (the Netherlands) and Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana).

He has written over 26 academic papers and book chapters over the past ten years and been principal or co-investigator in grants with a value of £750K over the past six years.

Publications

• Impacts of current and future ozone concentrations on carbon uptake and storage in trees across Europe: application of DO3SE (Report - 2012)

• Analyzing Perceptions of Inequalities in Rural Areas of England Using a Mixed-methods Approach (Journal article - 2012)

• Participatory geographic information systems for agricultural water management scenario development: A Tanzanian case study (Journal article - 2011)

• Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS): The Future of Local Environmental Management? (Proceedings - 2010)

• How to reach the ‘hard-to-reach’: the development of Participatory Geographic Information Systems (P-GIS) for inclusive urban design in UK cities (Journal article - 2009)

• A comparison of North American and Asian exposure–response data for ozone effects on crop yields (Journal article - 2009)

• Measuring inequality in rural England: the effects of changing spatial resolution (Journal article - 2009)

• Innovative approaches to option (Journal article - 2009)

• Enhancing the effectiveness of policy-relevant integrative research in rural areas (Journal article - 2009)

• Participatory GIS and its application in governance: the example of air quality and the implications for noise pollution (Journal article - 2008)

Complete list of publications »

Projects

• DEFRA - Victoria District

  
  

• Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS)

  
  

• CPWF L1 - Targetting and Out-scaling in the Limpopo Basin

  
  

• Challenge Programme on Water and Food (CPWF) V1 - Targeting and Scaling Out in the Volta Basin

  
  

• Transformation and shifts in productive landscapes for livelihood improvements in the Sahel: building a partnership in research

  
  

• AgWater Solutions Project

  
  

• Public Participation and GIS for Participation

  
  

• Inclusive and Sustainable Infrastructure for Tourism and Urban Regeneration

  
  

• Rural economy and land use

  
  

• Reducing carbon emissions in schools tool

  
  

• Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) network

  
  

• Intelligent Travel

  
  

• Modelling and Mapping of Ozone Flux

  
  

• SEI European Land Cover Map