Urban monitoring using NetKDE and VGI: network based kernel density estimation on volunteered geographic information applied to Baghdad, Iraq

This paper presents a methodology for urban monitoring using volunteered geographic information (VGI) and journalism data Iraq war logs with network based kernel density estimation (NetKDE). It investigates, using spatio-temporal analysis, the evolution of urban events in Baghdad between 2004 and 2009. The extracted street network is based on the data distributed by OpenStreetMap (OSM). A total of 21,876 logged events, 66,648 network segments, 22,644 gridpoints (200m resolution grid) and 362,304 gridpoints (50m resolution grid) are used for the analysis. The methodology combines and adapts these VGI data and is mainly based on open source and/or publicly available software. It handles very large datasets with multiscale, multi-resolution and temporal perspectives. Fuzzy-set map comparison (FMC) is used to identify level of changes between each period of time. The methodology is already used in other fields of research being biology, urban planning, criminology or economic evelopment. It should help stakeholders in respective domain to analyze the evolution of network constrained events in multiple contexts. This paper is divided in three parts. Firstly, conceptual background of VGI, NetKDE and FMC is presented. Secondly, the methodology is illustrated using data Iraq war logs, OSM data and grids with two different resolutions. Thirdly, spatio-temporal analysis results are presented and discussed.Peer Reviewe

Network based Kernel Density Estimation for Cycling Facilities Optimal Location Applied to Ljubljana

This paper presents a methodology that use volunteered geographic information (VGI), cyclist GPS tracking and Open Street Map network, with network based kernel density estimation. It investigates optimal location for cycle paths and lanes development. Recently completed research provides cycling data for Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was conducted over two years and was commissioned by the Municipality of Ljubljana. The methodology combines and adapts these VGI data and is mainly based on open source software. It handles large datasets with multiscale perspectives. This methodology should help planners to find and to develop suitable facility locations corresponding to current user behaviors

Integration of Urban Structures in Point Process Analysis

Traditionally, spatial analysis of point pattern has been mostly focused on Euclidean space. As many human related phenomena take place on a network, the assumption of a continuous isotropic space fails to describe events which actually occur on a one-dimensional subset of this space. Thus, recently, researchers have begun integrating network structure constraints to study point patterns. The focus of this report is primarily aimed at the integration of the network structure constraints in studying the first order property of point processes with Kernel Density Estimation (KDE). Two different approaches and the computational methods used to calculate network based kernel density estimation (NetKDE) are described, and are then compared to each other as well as to KDE. An original approach which aim is to replace the conventional search area in flat disk through Euclidean space is introduced. In urban context, polygons of various shapes can be generated and used over the network as an approximation of the potential accessible area for a given distance. As a first case-study, network based density values for various types of economic activities are generated for each building in Geneva. The integration of urban structures in the characterization of neighborhood attributes is an innovative approach which possesses many advantages. A classification based on the attributes generated with this method is performed, and a detailed analysis of the results is carried out. In a second case-study in urban environment, time is considered as an additional dimension in kernel density estimates. A three dimensional KDE approach is used in an attempt to monitor the risk associated with the explosions of improvised explosive devices (IED) in Baghdad through space and time. An animation of the simulations is presented as a visualization technique to detect sensitive areas

Application of Geographic Information Systems

The importance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can hardly be overemphasized in today’s academic and professional arena. More professionals and academics have been using GIS than ever – urban & regional planners, civil engineers, geographers, spatial economists, sociologists, environmental scientists, criminal justice professionals, political scientists, and alike. As such, it is extremely important to understand the theories and applications of GIS in our teaching, professional work, and research. “The Application of Geographic Information Systems” presents research findings that explain GIS’s applications in different subfields of social sciences. With several case studies conducted in different parts of the world, the book blends together the theories of GIS and their practical implementations in different conditions. It deals with GIS’s application in the broad spectrum of geospatial analysis and modeling, water resources analysis, land use analysis, infrastructure network analysis like transportation and water distribution network, and such. The book is expected to be a useful source of knowledge to the users of GIS who envision its applications in their teaching and research. This easy-to-understand book is surely not the end in itself but a little contribution to toward our understanding of the rich and wonderful subject of GIS

Identifying the gaps between needs, expectations, and views of different stakeholders related to car-sharing, bike-sharing, and scooter-sharing systems

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen