Geography Professor John Kostelnick has used his expertise in GIS mapping to examine a range of issues, from the spread of religion in a U.S. region during the 1800s to the modern-day question of how expanding broadband service could improve crop production.
He has also tackled complicated global issues such as the mapping of abandoned minefields, all while teaching undergraduates to use high-tech mapping tools. His students have undertaken equally challenging studies, including an analysis of U.S. military casualties during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The accolades Dr. Kostelnick has garnered and the initiatives he has undertaken cement his reputation as an outstanding scholar and teacher who excels in using the science of geography to analyze complicated societal problems. And yet, he can still relate to the average person who wonders how anybody can do more in the realm of maps, other than using them to get from point A to point B. That very exercise as a child sparked a curiosity that turned into a professional passion.
“On family trips, I would be in the back seat following along with the map. That’s what started my fascination and love for maps,” said Kostelnick, who is as grateful as anyone who has ever tried to refold a map for the convenience of pulling up directions on a mobile device. And he completely understands why such advances have created the misperception that there is little left to be done in his field.
“Haven’t we already mapped the world?” He asks the question that is on the minds of many, displaying his humor and understanding of the puzzlement surrounding geographic information system (GIS) mapping.
“Geographers show meaning or purpose on maps,” Kostelnick said. “GIS is data-driven and allows us to complete a spatial analysis.” Creating such a map involves using GIS, the global positioning system (GPS), cartography, geovisualization, and remote sensing.
Appears InWith these tools, a layered map that emphasizes patterns and relationships in a geographic context can be created. “We can digitize and animate maps that come alive, creating so many visual possibilities,” said Kostelnick. He is intrigued by the power of GIS to look at complex questions such as what populations will be affected by rising sea levels, where access to public transportation is inadequate within an urban community, and what locations are best for shelters during global disasters.
“GIS mapping is behind the scenes and impacting us in so many ways. The technology is used to help us understand the world and create forecast models needed for smart planning that leads to informed decisions,” Kostelnick said.
An example of how such data is critical becomes clear through the work he and his students are completing with Project Broadband Breakthrough. The GIS mapping they are doing in partnership with government agencies and other Illinois universities provides the insight needed before a significant investment is made to expand coverage in Illinois.
An initiative of the Illinois Soybean Association, the broadband project is a study of rural areas where internet connectivity is poor to nonexistent. Despite a shrinking population in many rural communities, Kostelnick and his team have documented a vital economic factor tied to improved broadband access.
“We created a map that shows how much agriculture exists in areas not served by broadband, including how many acres of corn or soybeans are produced,” Kostelnick said. If broadband service were available, technology-based farming that requires high-speed internet could increase yields. Farmers could, for example, utilize precision farming when planting. The result of such advantages in McLean County alone is an estimated gain of $12 million in one growing season.
“Maps are a central component to gaining the understanding needed to solve a problem.”
Professor John Kostelnick
Such findings reinforce to Kostelnick’s students the value of their degree, as they are equipped to improve lives by changing communities. He teaches a range of courses at Illinois State including cartography, advanced GIS, maps and geographic reasoning, and human geography. He blends research with learning, including students in work that focuses on practical application and often results in co-authored publications.
A favorite class for Kostelnick is the Geography of Chicago course that engages students in a thematic study of the city. Topics have included industrialization, demographic shifts, and environmental issues. A highlight of the course is a trip to Chicago during spring break for students to participate in fieldwork.
“I teach to make students aware that we are global citizens and help them see how they can use the discipline of geography to make the world better,” Kostelnick said. “There are many challenges in the world today, from climate change to food insecurity and land conservation. Many of these issues have a geographical dimension. Maps are a central component to gaining the understanding needed to solve a problem. GIS allows us to start with a premise and build an analysis that answers ‘what if’ questions.”
Such inquiry has motivated Kostelnick since his undergraduate days, which he spent at Iowa State University earning a history degree. He completed a master’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he specialized in GIS, cartography, and remote sensing. His thesis was a study of how Catholic and Methodist churches spread along the Iowa frontier from 1833 to 1891.
Kostelnick continued his education in cartography and GIS at the University of Kansas, where he completed a doctorate while partnering with a faculty member working on mapping minefields that remain in war-torn countries.
“We tested mobile mapping equipment, suggested improvements, and came up with symbols to create standardization,” Kostelnick said. “It is still one of the most impactful projects for me, as it got me interested in humanitarian crisis mapping.”
With the doctorate completed, Kostelnick worked as an instructor at Haskell Indian Nations University. It was there he was part of a team that developed GIS methods for modeling global and local sea level rise. His research continued after his arrival at Illinois State in 2007 as an assistant professor.
Since then, Kostelnick has risen to the level of tenured professor and been named an outstanding university teacher. He was chosen last year as a Researcher to Know by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition. A leader in state, national, and international geographic and cartographic association work through the years, Kostelnick also serves as director of Illinois State’s Institute for Geospatial Analysis and Mapping (GEOMAP).
GEOMAP exists to support research, education, and outreach initiatives that allow for collaboration across disciplines and involve students partnering with faculty to examine an issue. Projects have included developing a web-based mapping system for use by emergency managers in Illinois and visualizing global sea level rise due to climate change.
“Here today … for tomorrow” is the GEOMAP motto. It also succinctly describes the perspective Kostelnick brings to each class and every scholarly endeavor. “I want my research to help people,” he said.
He will next focus on how global refugee situations are mapped, with the goal of revealing how these individuals can be better served. There is an urgent need for such a study, as the United Nations estimates there were 27.1 million refugees as of 2021. Kostelnick will use a sabbatical that began with the fall semester to take on what he calls “a global problem that sparks my curiosity.”
There is a sense of satisfaction and amazement as Kostelnick reflects on the fact he is still driven by the same inquisitiveness that was ignited during his childhood on family adventures. “From a kid in the back seat looking at an atlas, I never realized where maps would take me.”
Scholarly endeavors empower students
Dr. John Kostelnick is as committed to teaching as he is research, which is why he eagerly mentors students as they become involved in his scholarly work or take on their own projects.
Rachel Cantin ’22 credits Kostelnick for encouraging her to showcase the research she completed in his advanced GIS class at the Illinois GIS Association (ILGISA) annual conference last fall. She analyzed U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) for her class project.
“After sorting through data from the Defense Casualty Analysis System to find mappable casualties, I created a series of maps displaying casualties on the province level for every year of OEF,” Cantin stated on social media, voicing her appreciation for Kostelnick’s support. She received the ILGISA Outstanding Student Award.
Two other students partnered with Kostelnick and fellow ISU Geography Professor Dr. Jonathan Thayn on the Project Broadband Breakthrough initiative. Luke and Jake Brasen ’23, twin brothers who graduated in May, served as part-time research assistants in the GEOMAP Lab located in the Felmley Hall of Science. They used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data from the state’s GIS clearinghouse website at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to identify the tallest structures in selected areas.
Knowing where the tallest structures are is crucial to the project that is examining the expansion of internet services in rural areas. “Water towers and grain silos are prime real estate,” Kostelnick said. “Our task is to help rural communities know where to locate their internet connection, which needs to be line of sight. Making use of existing infrastructure is one way to save money.”
Kostelnick and Thayn are using this existing LiDAR data to create new, customized maps for each of the Illinois counties involved in the project. Rather than using radio waves, like radar detection does, LiDAR uses a laser to measure the shape of the Earth and characteristics on its surface. LiDAR gave the Brasens the ability to determine if an object is a vertical asset or an undesirable one like trees or school buses.
“The 3D surface of the maps is very accurate,” Kostelnick said. “It picks up houses, trees, and light poles. We don’t want those, so we extract them and set it for everything that’s above a certain height. We create a map that has points indicating where these vertical assets are. We give the counties the maps, and they can use them in their planning.”
Both Brasens said the research experience taught them something valuable. “The information we provide can help these communities, which is important,” Jake said. “And it shows that ISU is a college that helps out the surrounding areas.”
The efforts of both brothers in processing massive amounts of data were appreciated by their professors.
“The huge amount of data involved and the geospatial nature of the data means that implementing the process would likely be difficult for someone without a geospatial background and a really good computer,” Thayn said. “In fact, Jake and Luke’s help has been so beneficial that we are proposing that students at ISU continue to work on the project until the whole state is finished.”
