The latest outputs from researchers, alumni and friends at the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA).
Map on Table is a project, currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter by Hasan Agar, to careful cut out an ornate metallic map of central London, apply a colour finish and mount it on four legs to create a small table. The table corners have markers showing the cardinal directions on them. A rendering of Agar’s […]
Continue reading »The book ‘Understanding Spatial Media‘ came out earlier this year. The project is the result of joint effort of the editors Rob Kitchin (NUI Maynooth, Ireland), Tracey P. Lauriault (Carleton University, Canada), and Matthew W. Wilson (University of Kentucky, USA). The book is filling the need to review and explain what happened in the part 20 years, with the increase use … Continue reading Chapter in ‘Understanding Spatial Media’ on VGI & Citizen Science
I do all my exploratory data work in Jupyter Notebook. It’s an amazing mix of nicely-formatted text, syntax-highlighted code and clear outputs. I love it: But it’s not the complete package. I often want to peek at the results of a calculation I’ve done, just to verify to myself that I know what I’m doing. … Continue reading “Finally, a Python workflow that actually works”
We featured Bridges of London earlier this week. However, the public realm relating to the Thames is more than the river itself and the bridges crossing it. One of London’s defining features, in recent times, as the Thames has cleaned and the spaces beside it have become less-traffic choked, is its riverside frontage. This lovely […]
Continue reading »Marketing is much more than creating advertisements that are outrageous and eye-catching, it’s a fine and intricate process that people spend years in school learning about. It’s important to remember that without marketing strategies, small and large businesses would have an incredibly difficult time attracting customers and in turn, receiving profits. By taking advantage of […]
The post The Benefits of Geospatial Analysis in Marketing appeared first on GeoTalisman.
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Abstract:
Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a technique that allows us to explore how the interactions of heterogeneous individuals impact on the wider behavior of social/spatial systems. In this article, we introduce ABM and its utility for studying geographical systems. We discuss how agent-based models have evolved over the last 20 years and situate the discipline within the broader arena of geographical modeling. The main properties of ABM are introduced and we discuss how models are capable of capturing and incorporating human behavior. We then discuss the steps taken in building an agent-based model and the issues of verification and validation of such models. As the focus of the article is on ABM of geographical systems, we then discuss the need for integrating geographical information into models and techniques and toolkits that allow for such integration. Once the core concepts and techniques of creating agent-based models have been introduced, we then discuss a wide range of applications of agent-based models for exploring various aspects of geographical systems. We conclude the article by outlining challenges and opportunities of ABM in understanding geographical systems and human behavior.Keywords: Agent-based modeling; Calibration; Complexity; Geographical information science; Modeling and simulation; Validation; Verification.
Full Reference:
Crooks, A.T., Heppenstall, A. and Malleson, N. (2018), Agent-based Modelling, in Huang, B. (ed), Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems, Elsevier, Oxford, England. Volume 1, pp. 218-243 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09704-9. (pdf)
1. [Readers of this blog might of expected the chapter would be about Agent-based Modeling, but its still worth a read!]↩
Continue reading »Abstract:
Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a technique that allows us to explore how the interactions of heterogeneous individuals impact on the wider behavior of social/spatial systems. In this article, we introduce ABM and its utility for studying geographical systems. We discuss how agent-based models have evolved over the last 20 years and situate the discipline within the broader arena of geographical modeling. The main properties of ABM are introduced and we discuss how models are capable of capturing and incorporating human behavior. We then discuss the steps taken in building an agent-based model and the issues of verification and validation of such models. As the focus of the article is on ABM of geographical systems, we then discuss the need for integrating geographical information into models and techniques and toolkits that allow for such integration. Once the core concepts and techniques of creating agent-based models have been introduced, we then discuss a wide range of applications of agent-based models for exploring various aspects of geographical systems. We conclude the article by outlining challenges and opportunities of ABM in understanding geographical systems and human behavior.Keywords: Agent-based modeling; Calibration; Complexity; Geographical information science; Modeling and simulation; Validation; Verification.
Full Reference:
Crooks, A.T., Heppenstall, A. and Malleson, N. (2018), Agent-based Modelling, in Huang, B. (ed), Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems, Elsevier, Oxford, England. Volume 1, pp. 218-243 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09704-9. (pdf)
1. [Readers of this blog might of expected the chapter would be about Agent-based Modeling, but its still worth a read!]↩
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The River Thames is London’s defining geographical feature and its inclusion is almost mandatory on any map attempting to cover the whole of the capital. Bridges are most Londoners’ visible contact with the river, with over 30 spanning the river in London, including elevated crossing by the so-called “Underground”. As such, illustrated maps of the […]
Continue reading »Last weekend, I updated my Linkedin page to indicate that I’ve now completed the move between departments at UCL – from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering to the Department of Geography. It’s not just me – the Extreme Citizen Science group will be now based at the Department of Geography. With this move, … Continue reading Changing departments – the pros and cons of being away from home discipline(s)
PGRG Blog #3, September 2017 Negotiating Brexit: Migrant spatialities and identities in a changing Europe By Kate Botterill and David McCollum Three sessions on ‘Negotiating Brexit’ at the 2017 RGS-IBG Annual Conference showcased emerging research on the impacts of Brexit on EU and non-EU nationals in the UK, British nationals in Europe and on established … More Highlights from RGS-IBG
A new paper that is based on the PhD work of Valentine Seymour is out. Valentine has been researching the patterns of volunteering in environmental projects at the organisation The Conservation Volunteers. In the paper, we draw parallels between the activities of environmental volunteers and citizen science participants. The analysis demonstrates that the patterns of … Continue reading New paper – Exploring Engagement Characteristics and Behaviours of Environmental Volunteers
Rail Technology Magazine |
TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube
Rail Technology Magazine Dr Hannah Fry, from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, added that wi-fi data offers a “completely new way” of viewing what’s happening underground, exposing the network’s pinch points and helping understand how and … Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London?SmartRail World (press release) |
GDP is easy to describe. It’s one of the reasons it is so popular as a measure of what a country “does” economically. You just add up everything that’s produced in a given year, and subtract all the stuff that went into making it. What’s left is the genuinely “new” stuff the economy produced that … Continue reading “GDP may partly be “based on randomly generated numbers””
SmartRail World (press release)Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London?SmartRail World (press release)Dr Hannah Fry ( @FryRsquared ) from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, said of the st…
Continue reading »SmartRail World (press release)Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London?SmartRail World (press release)Dr Hannah Fry ( @FryRsquared ) from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, said of the st…
Continue reading »Rail Technology Magazine |
TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube
Rail Technology Magazine Dr Hannah Fry, from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, added that wi-fi data offers a “completely new way” of viewing what’s happening underground, exposing the network’s pinch points and helping understand how and … Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London?SmartRail World (press release) |
Rail Technology Magazine |
TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube
Rail Technology Magazine Dr Hannah Fry, from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, added that wi-fi data offers a “completely new way” of viewing what’s happening underground, exposing the network’s pinch points and helping understand how and … |
TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube Rail Technology Magazine
Continue reading »TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube Rail Technology Magazine
Continue reading »TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube Rail Technology Magazine
Continue reading »Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London? SmartRail World
Continue reading »TfL seeking permanent customer wi-fi data collection on the Tube railtechnologymagazine.comTfL is looking to collect wi-fi data from passengers on a permanent basis across the full Tube network after a four-week trial revealed findings and p…
Continue reading »Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London? SmartRail World”…could enable us to map the journey patterns of millions of passengers and understand in much greater detail how people move around…” A four week trial…
Continue reading »Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London? SmartRail World”…could enable us to map the journey patterns of millions of passengers and understand in much greater detail how people move around…” A four week trial…
Continue reading »Wi-Fi use + big data analytics = better passenger journeys in London? SmartRail World”…could enable us to map the journey patterns of millions of passengers and understand in much greater detail how people move around…” A four week trial…
Continue reading »Once you switch the smartphone off from email and social media network, you can notice better when and how you’re crowdsourced. By this, I mean that use of applications to contribute data is sometimes clearer as the phone becomes less of communication technology and more of information technology (while most of the time it is … Continue reading Crowdsourced: navigation & location-based services
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Pilot shows how WiFi data can improve Tube journeys
WebWire (press release) Dr Hannah Fry from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, said: “By doing this study, TfL have demonstrated the very real way that big data can benefit us all. Using WiFi to understand how people are moving through … |
WebWire (press release) |
Pilot shows how WiFi data can improve Tube journeys
WebWire (press release) Dr Hannah Fry from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, said: “By doing this study, TfL have demonstrated the very real way that big data can benefit us all. Using WiFi to understand how people are moving through … |
PGRG Blog #2, September 2017 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes detailed population estimates by ethnic group for areas in England and Wales following each census. However, there are currently no reliable population estimates by ethnic group available at the local authority level for the years since the 2011 census. Given the user interest … More ONS report: New approach for producing population estimates by ethnic group
I hope more people (>2) see this post than actually attended the four lectures celebrating the contribution of D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson at this year’s RGS-IBG conference last Thursday when we presented. But such is the state of the world and … Continue reading →
Notes from two talks from the session on the role of expert knowledge. Details of the session in full are here. The potential of citizen science to inform expert understanding: a case study of an urban river in London Iain Cross (St Mary’s University, UK), Rob Gray (Friends of the River Crane Environment), Joe Pecorelli (Zoological … Continue reading RGS-IBG 2017 – The role of expert knowledge in socio-environmental policy and decision making
These are notes from some of the talks from the two sessions on Just air? during the RGS-IBG conference in 2017. Details of the sessions are available here and here. Passive, reactive and participatory governance of the air: three approaches under scrutiny Nicola Da Schio, Bas Van Heur (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) Looking at infrastructures, … Continue reading RGS-IBG 2017 – Just air? Spatial injustices, contestation and politicisation of air pollution (session notes)
A new book on data and big data in the city edited by Rob Kitchin, Tracey P. Lauriault, Gavin McArdle from Routledge. Lot of very interesting material here on the data revolution in cities. Smart cities concepts are explained and critiqued … Continue reading →
As part of a presentation I gave yesterday at the RSAI-BIS (Regional Science Association International – British & Irish Section) annual conference on DataShine Travel to Work maps, I outlined the following eight techniques to avoid swamping origin/destination (aka flow) maps with masses of data, typically shown as straight lines between each pair of locations. … Continue reading Eight Ways to Better Flow Maps →
Continue reading »This map created by illustrator Mike Hall (who we’ve featured before) for Penguin Books, shows the locations in London that featured in John le Carré’s George Smiley spy novels. This is a lovely map, drawn from scratch and using a distinctive yellow/green and pastel blue pastel colour palette that evokes classic literary works and hand-printed […]
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Geography Review is a brand new magazine for sixth formers (grade 12-13 in the US) studying any subject but particularly those who are interested in geography. In the UK geography is one of the top subjects in high school and … Continue reading →
PGRG Blog #1, August 2017 Welcome to the first blog of the Population Geography Research Group! We are delighted to be launching this blog and our new-look website at the Annual Conference of the RGS-IBG in London next week. Do come along to the launch and share a celebratory drink (Launch and AGM: Wednesday 30th … More Our first PGRG blog post
Abstract:
Big Data (BD) offers researchers the scope to simulate population behavior through vastly more powerful Agent Based Models (ABMs), presenting exciting opportunities in the design and appraisal of policies and plans. Agent-based simulations capture system richness by representing micro-level agent choices and their dynamic interactions. They aid analysis of the processes which drive emergent population level phenomena, their change in the future, and their response to interventions. The potential of ABMs has led to a major increase in applications, yet models are limited in that the individual-level data required for robust, reliable calibration are often only available in aggregate form. New (‘big’) sources of data offer a wealth of information about the behavior (e.g. movements, actions, decisions) of individuals. By building ABMs with BD, it is possible to simulate society across many application areas, providing insight into the behavior, interactions, and wider social processes that drive urban systems. This chapter will discuss, in context of urban simulation, how BD can unlock the potential of ABMs, and how ABMs can leverage real value from BD. In particular, we will focus on how BD can improve an agent’s abstract behavioral representation and suggest how combining these approaches can both reveal new insights into urban simulation, and also address some of the most pressing issues in agent-based modeling; particularly those of calibration and validation.
Keywords: Agent-based models, Big Data, Emergence, Cities.
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| The growth in Agent-based modeling -from search results of Web of Science and Google Scholar. |
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| Hotspots of activity of Tweeter Users: Tweet locations and associated densities for a selection of prolific users. |
Full Reference:
Crooks, A.T., Malleson, N., Wise, S. and Heppenstall, A. (2018), Big Data, Agents and the City, in Schintler, L.A. and Chen, Z. (eds.), Big Data for Urban and Regional Science, Routledge, New York, NY, pp. 204-213. (pdf)
Abstract:
Big Data (BD) offers researchers the scope to simulate population behavior through vastly more powerful Agent Based Models (ABMs), presenting exciting opportunities in the design and appraisal of policies and plans. Agent-based simulations capture system richness by representing micro-level agent choices and their dynamic interactions. They aid analysis of the processes which drive emergent population level phenomena, their change in the future, and their response to interventions. The potential of ABMs has led to a major increase in applications, yet models are limited in that the individual-level data required for robust, reliable calibration are often only available in aggregate form. New (‘big’) sources of data offer a wealth of information about the behavior (e.g. movements, actions, decisions) of individuals. By building ABMs with BD, it is possible to simulate society across many application areas, providing insight into the behavior, interactions, and wider social processes that drive urban systems. This chapter will discuss, in context of urban simulation, how BD can unlock the potential of ABMs, and how ABMs can leverage real value from BD. In particular, we will focus on how BD can improve an agent’s abstract behavioral representation and suggest how combining these approaches can both reveal new insights into urban simulation, and also address some of the most pressing issues in agent-based modeling; particularly those of calibration and validation.
Keywords: Agent-based models, Big Data, Emergence, Cities.
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| The growth in Agent-based modeling -from search results of Web of Science and Google Scholar. |
|
| Hotspots of activity of Tweeter Users: Tweet locations and associated densities for a selection of prolific users. |
Full Reference:
Crooks, A.T., Malleson, N., Wise, S. and Heppenstall, A. (2018), Big Data, Agents and the City, in Schintler, L.A. and Chen, Z. (eds.), Big Data for Urban and Regional Science, Routledge, New York, NY, pp. 204-213. (pdf)
The Corporate Archives division of Transport for London recently held a short internal exhibition at their headquarters at Palestra, called “Mapping London” and showcasing new and old maps of London’s transport from the archive. Amongst the highlights included this Lego historic tube map. The Lego is modern but the map was one of the last […]
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