Specialization Area: 

Geographic Information Science and Technology

Biography:

Ramachandra Sivakumar (Siva) is a senior research engineer in the Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics (CURA). He has more than 20 years of comprehensive experience in GIS and Information Technology. His expertise include web-based GIS application design and development, network management, database management, and system administration.

At CURA, Siva is involved in a variety of projects apart from his primary role of system, network, and IT administration. Recent projects include design and development of a GIS database for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, developing a GIS framework for MEAG Power’s Location Georgia group, and developing an enterprise GIS plan for the City of Albany, Ga. He was a contributor in City of Atlanta’s initial Enterprise GIS implementation efforts and played a vital role in the development and operation of Georgia GIS Data Clearinghouse, a spatial data repository for the State of Georgia. Siva implemented the first National Spatial Data Infrastructure node in Georgia. 

He has provided GIS research support for various ongoing projects supported by National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, National Science Foundation, Mid America Earthquake Center, and other sponsors. In addition, Siva administers the ESRI GIS software program, the ESRI Education Development Center for Georgia Tech, and the ERDAS GAHEAK software for the University system of Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia chapter of Urban and Regional Information Systems Association, GIS Certification Institute oversight committee, and a volunteer with GISCorps.

Teaching Interest:

Siva teaches several graduate level GIS courses from introductory to advanced spatial concepts, systems design and management, GIS Professional Seminar, and directs Capstone projects.

Research Interest:

Siva’s research focuses on applying spatial reasoning using Geographic Information Systems theory, tools and techniques for spatial data management, data analysis, and enterprise system development to address issues across domains.

List of Recent Scholarly Work:

Sivakumar, Rama; "Teaching & Learning GIS in the Age of AI, Georgia Geospatial Conference" (2025)
Sivakumar, Rama; "Living Campus, University Consortium for Geographical Information Science (UCGIS) Symposium" (2025)
Sivakumar, Rama; “Building ArcGIS Enterprise Deployment Skills: Hands-On Learning in Classrooms” (2025)
Sinha, Megha; Sivakumar, Rama; Brennan, Laurence; Archilla, Juan; “It’s Alive!!! Georgia Tech’s Bold Comprehensive Campus Plan”, Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Conference (2024)

Degrees with Year of Award:

Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology (1997)
Master of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Mississippi (1993)
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Madras (1989)