Over the past decade, the development of digital networks and operations has produced an unprecedented wealth of information. Handheld electronics, location devices, telecommunications networks, and a wide assortment of tags and sensors are constantly producing a rich stream of data reflecting various aspects of urban life.
This constant stream of 0s and 1s allows unprecedented research opportunities. Through phone calls we can see cities making bold ‘handshakes’ during business hours, and then becoming introverted during the evening. With SMS texts, we capture crowds cheering and sharing their emotional highs in special events. These digital traces also reveal the migratory magnetism of coastal city hotspots and the drudgery of a gridlocked commute.
The 'Network & Society' project at the MIT Senseable City Lab employs these large-scale digital datasets to explore physical mobility, social networks and urban places.
Team
Carlo Ratti, lab director
Dominik Dahlem, group leader
Markus Schläpfer - Christian Sommer
Clio Andris - Francesco Calabrese
Giusy Di Lorenzo - Gautier Krings
Mauro Martino - Santi Phithakkitnukoon
Daniele Quercia - Jonathan Reades
Francisca Rojas - Stanislav Sobolevsky
Partners
Airsage - AT&T - BT - Orange - Telecom Italia
It is duly credited as a project by the MIT Senseable City Lab. PDF copy of the publication is sent to senseable-press@mit.edu
For more information, senseable-contacts@mit.edu