Claus Rinner PhD, GISP

Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, Geographic Analysis

Memberships/ServicesCanadian Academics for Covid Ethics, Canadian Association of Geographers, Canadian Cartographic Association, Canadian Institute of Geomatics, URISA Ontario Chapter

OfficeJOR 606

Phone416-979-5000 x552686

Areas of ExpertiseGeomatics, geospatial data analysis, data visualization, cartography, Web mapping; multi-criteria decision analysis, spatial decision support systems; COVID-19 and pandemic politics; environmental, public health, and urban applications of GIS; participatory GIS; open data.

crinner@torontomu.ca

https://linktr.ee/clausr

Research themes:

Geotechnology

Claus Rinner is a Professor, Undergraduate Program Director, and former Graduate Program Director and Chair in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). He holds the European equivalents of a Bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier, France; a Master's degree in applied systems science from the University of Osnabrück, Germany; and a PhD in geography from the University of Bonn, Germany.

Dr. Rinner's research and teaching expertise is in the areas of geographic information systems (GIS), cartography, and decision support systems, with applications in public health, social policy, and environmental planning. He leads a New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) project on post-pandemic recovery, holds an NSERC Discovery Grant in the area of geospatial multi-criteria decision analysis, and has also participated in research funded by CIHR, SSHRC, and the Network of Centres of Excellence.

Dr. Rinner features in Stanford University's ranking of the world's top scientists since the August 2021 update; his career-long publication record places him among the 2% most influential researchers in the field of Geological & Geomatics Engineering. His research impact is also reflected in a total of over 4,000 citations, an h-index of 30, and eleven publications with over 100 citations (Google Scholar as of September 2024).

Additional information

C. Rinner, M. Uda, L. Manwell (2025) A Global Index to Quantify Discrimination Resulting from COVID-19 Pandemic Response Policies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22(4): 467. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040467 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2025) Peer Review Report for: Conflict between freedom and health in the COVID-19 pandemic: An appraisal of China's zero-COVID-19 policy [version 1; peer review: 1 not approved]. F1000Research 13: 1548, https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.173445.r360018
C. Rinner, P. Jankowski (2024) Multi-Criteria Evaluation. In John P. Wilson (ed.) The Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (2024 edition), https://doi.org/10.22224/gistbok/2024.1.21 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2024) Challenging hate of "the unvaccinated": An imperative for sustainable post-pandemic recovery. Abstract and presentation at the Annual Canadian Sociological Association Conference, 17-21 June 2024, Montreal, Quebec/online, https://www.csa-scs.ca/conference/paper/challenging-hate-of-the-unvaccinated-an-imperative-for-sustainable-post-pandemic-recovery/ (external link, opens in new window)
D. Simandan, C. Rinner, V. Capurri (2024) The academic left, human geography, and the rise of authoritarianism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Geografiska Annaler B: Human Geography 106(2): 175-195, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/04353684.2023.2168560 (external link)
C. Rinner (2023) Comment re: COVID-19 Infection Rates in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Inmates: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Cureus, https://www.cureus.com/articles/179946-covid-19-infection-rates-in-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-inmates-a-retrospective-cohort-study#!/ (external link, opens in new window)
E.E. Millar, S. Melles, C. Rinner (2023) Screens, streams, and flows: Implications of digital platforms for aquatic citizen science. Geoforum 146: 103864, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103864 (external link, opens in new window)
J. Wilson, C. Rinner, A. Pefoyo Kone, E. Bosveld (2023) Vaccine hesitancy was not shown to be associated with traffic safety or driver behaviour. Frontiers in Public Health (Section Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention) 11, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1204205/full (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2023) Unexpected patterns in the global COVID-19 pandemic data. International Journal of Scholarly Research in Multidisciplinary Studies 3(1): 56-68, https://srrjournals.com/ijsrms/content/unexpected-patterns-global-covid-19-pandemic-data (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner, L. Manwell (2023) The Pandemic Report Cards – Context and Design Proposal for a World Atlas of COVID-19 Restrictions and Mandates. Abstract and poster at the 26th Annual Conference of the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE), 13-16 June 2023, Delft, The Netherlands, https://doi.org/10.32920/23244506.v1 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2023) Pandemic Open Data: Blessing or Curse? To be included in V. Kakulapati (ed.): New Trends and Challenges in Open Data. London, UK: IntechOpen. Published online-first at https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/1133397 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2023) The Coronoia Perfecta: Global Hygiene Theatre and Health Delusion – Cliff-Hanger or Closure? Independently published, 176 pages, https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C2SVRQZS (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2023) RE: Strawman argument or proto-factual revisionism? Response/e-Letter, Canadian Medical Association Journal 195(15): E552-E554, https://www.cmaj.ca/content/195/15/E552/tab-e-letters (external link, opens in new window)
O. Hirsch, C. Rinner (2022) Elements of Propaganda in the Western World’s Political, Public Health, and Media Narratives of 2020-2022. In E. Egel, C. Patton (eds.) The COVID-19 Pandemic: Ethical Challenges and Considerations. Cambridge: Ethics Press, pp. 78-101. Preprint available at https://doi.org/10.32920/24595017.v1 (external link, opens in new window)
S. Greene, C. Rinner (2022) Examining the Value of Geospatial Open Data. In P. Robinson, T. Scassa (eds.) The Future of Open Data. University of Ottawa Press, pp. 159-178, https://doi.org/10.32920/24625011.v1 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2022) The Coronoia Perpetua: New Stories of Exponential Follies, Divisive Politics, and Public Harm. Independently published, 90 pages, https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09ZVJXMS8 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2022) We Need a Systems-Oriented Approach to Exit the Pandemic. The Ideas Institute, 28 March 2022, https://theideasinstitute.org/2022/03/28/we-need-a-systems-oriented-approach-to-exit-the-pandemic/ (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2021) The Coronoia Revolutions: Witnessing the Failure of Public Health and the Loss of Common Sense in the Western Matrix. Independently published, 98 pages, https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09MYSHLHW (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner, A. Pietropaolo (2021) Tracking area-based composite indices over time: change indicators vs. jointly rescaled indicators. Geomatica 75 (2): 51-64, https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/geomat-2020-0014 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2021) Reality Check: No, Canadian Colleges and Universities Cannot Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination Without Violating Charter Rights. Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship, SAFS Newsletter no. 90, pp. 33-37, https://safs.ca/newsletters/article.php?article=1168 (external link, opens in new window)
T. Noth, C. Rinner (2021) Prioritization in wildfire restoration using GIS-based ordered weighted averaging (OWA): A case study in southern California. AIMS Environmental Science 8(5): 481-497, https://aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/environsci.2021031 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2021) The Coronoia Reloaded: Surfing the Waves of SARS-CoV-2 and Lockdowns in Canada and Around the World. Independently published, 96 pages, https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B099NZKJZD (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2021) Mapping COVID-19 in Context: Promoting a Proportionate Perspective on the Pandemic. Cartographica 56(1): 14-26, https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/cart-2020-0020 (external link, opens in new window) . Preprint available at https://doi.org/10.32920/24593247.v1 (external link, opens in new window)
M. Obadia, C. Rinner (2021) Measuring Toronto's vital signs–Comparing global and local ideal point analysis in an urban equity case study. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 88: 101634, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0198971521000417 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2020) The Coronoia Blogbook. Critical Observations re COVID-19 and Lockdowns in Canada, Germany, and the United States. Independently published, 105 pages, https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08PTSHPVK (external link, opens in new window)
E.C. Hazell, C. Rinner (2020) The Impact of Spatial Scale: Exploring Urban Butterfly Abundance and Richness Patterns using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and Principal Component Analysis. International Journal of Geographical Information Science 34(8): 1648-1681, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13658816.2019.1675072 (external link, opens in new window)
N. Karwowski, C. Rinner (2020) French Connections – Examining the Residential Clustering and Dispersion of Francophones in the Toronto Area. In M. Schrenk, V.V. Popovich, P. Zeile, P. Elisei, C. Beyer, J. Ryser, C. Reicher (eds.): REAL CORP 2020 Proceedings/Tagungsband, 15-18 September 2020, Aachen, Germany, pp. 355-364
C. Rinner, L. Johnson (2020) Mapping Wide, Sparsely Populated Tables – The Case of Retail Market Shares Estimated by the Huff Model. Cartouche, Newsletter of the Canadian Cartographic Association, Number 97, Autumn 2020, p. 20-23
C. Huber, C. Rinner (2019) Market Area Delineation for Airports to Predict the Spread of Infectious Disease. In P. Kyriakidis, D. Hadjimitsis, D. Skarlatos, A. Mansourian (eds.) Geospatial Technologies for Local and Regional Development. Proceedings of the 22nd AGILE Conference on Geographic Information Science, Springer, pp. 263-289, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-14745-7_15 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Oswald, C. Rinner, A. Robinson (2019) Applications of 3D Printing in Physical Geography Education and Urban Visualization. Cartographica 54(4): 278-287, https://utpjournals.press/doi/10.3138/cart.54.4.2018-0007 (external link, opens in new window)
J. Pierre, V. Fast, J. Kumari, C. Rinner (2019) Cartoforum - A Map-Based Discussion Forum with Applications in the Planning of Cycle Lanes, Community Food Gardens and Campus Sustainability. GI_Forum 7(1): 171-184, (PDF file) https://www.austriaca.at/8609-0inhalt/B03_2137_FP_Pierre.pdf (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner, R. Matadeen, S. Swales (2019) Using Multi-Criteria Analysis to Estimate Retail Site Attractiveness for the Huff Model. In V. Fast, G. McKenzie, R. Sieber (eds.): SKI-Canada 2019, Proceedings of the Conference on Spatial Knowledge and Information - Canada, Banff, Alberta, Canada, February 22-23, 2019, (PDF file) http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2323/SKI-Canada-2019-7-3-3.pdf (external link, opens in new window)
V. Fast, C. Rinner (2018) Toward a participatory VGI methodology: crowdsourcing information on regional food assets. International Journal of Geographic Information Science 32(11): 2209-2224, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13658816.2018.1480784 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner (2018) Spatial Decision Support. The Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (2nd Quarter 2018 Edition), John P. Wilson (Ed). Topic GS-25, https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/spatial-decision-support (external link, opens in new window)
E. Baculi, V. Fast, C. Rinner (2017) The Geospatial Contents of Municipal and Regional Open Data Catalogs in Canada. Journal of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association 28(1): 39-48, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Victoria-Fast/publication/322300659_Mediating_open_data_Providers_portals_and_platforms#page=41 (external link, opens in new window)
M. McHenry, C. Rinner (2016) The Impact of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Parameters on an Urban Deprivation Index. Cartographica 51(4): 179-197, https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/cart.51.4.3210 (external link, opens in new window) (abstract only)
J. Malczewski, C. Rinner (2015) Multicriteria Decision Analysis in Geographic Information Science. Springer: Berlin Heidelberg, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-540-74757-4 (external link, opens in new window)
K. Heinrich, C. Huber, C. Rinner (2015) Making Area-based Composite Indices Comparable across Time - The Role of Standardization and Outlier Removal. URISA Journal 27(2): 37-49, https://www.academia.edu/download/90805217/Vol27No2.pdf#page=39 (external link, opens in new window)
A.C.-D. Lee, C. Rinner (2015) Visualizing Urban Social Change with Self-Organizing Maps: Toronto Neighbourhoods, 1996-2006. Habitat International 45(Part 2): 92-98, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197397514001039 (external link, opens in new window)
C. Rinner, V. Fast (2015) A Classification of User Contributions on the Participatory Geoweb. In F. Harvey, Y. Leung (Eds.) Advances in Spatial Data Handling and Analysis - Select Papers from the 16th IGU Spatial Data Handling Symposium, Springer, pp. 35-49, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-19950-4_3 (external link, opens in new window)