Anticipatory Mobile Computing: A Survey of the State of the Art and Research Challenges

Today's mobile phones are far from mere communication devices they were ten years ago. Equipped with sophisticated sensors and advanced computing hardware, phones can be used to infer users' location, activity, social setting and more. As devices become increasingly intelligent, their capabilities evolve beyond inferring context to predicting it, and then reasoning and acting upon the predicted context. This article provides an overview of the current state of the art in mobile sensing and context prediction paving the way for full-fledged anticipatory mobile computing. We present a survey of phenomena that mobile phones can infer and predict, and offer a description of machine learning techniques used for such predictions. We then discuss proactive decision making and decision delivery via the user-device feedback loop. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of anticipatory mobile computing.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figure

Wandering in cities: a statistical physics approach to urban theory

The amount of data that is being gathered about cities is increasing in size and specificity. However, despite this wealth of information, we still have little understanding of what really drives the processes behind urbanisation. In this thesis we apply some ideas from statistical physics to the study of cities. We first present a stochastic, out-of-equilibrium model of city growth that describes the structure of the mobility pattern of individuals. The model explains the appearance of secondary subcenters as an effect of traffic congestion, and predicts a sublinear increase of the number of centers with population size. Within the framework of this model, we are further able to give a prediction for the scaling exponent of the total distance commuted daily, the total length of the road network, the total delay due to congestion, the quantity of CO2 emitted, and the surface area with the population size of cities. In the third part, we focus on the quantitative description of the patterns of residential segregation. We propose a unifying theoretical framework in which segregation can be empirically characterised. In the fourth and last part, we succinctly present the most important---theoretical and empirical---results of our studies on spatial networks. Throughout this thesis, we try to convey the idea that the complexity of cities is -- almost paradoxically -- better comprehended through simple approaches. Looking for structure in data, trying to isolate the most important processes, building simple models and only keeping those which agree with data, constitute a universal method that is also relevant to the study of urban systems.Comment: PhD Thesis. 212 pages, 63 figure

O uso da análise de dados para resolver problemas de habitação em Lagos, Nigéria

The constant growth in population has made a significant impact on housing and accommodation in Lagos Nigeria and the shortage and the problem of distribution of housing for both homes and offices and urban planning, in general, has been a challenge in African cities in general. Housing a fast-developing city with a population in record speed increase like that constated in Lagos needs to be reviewed most especially with the fast rate of digital development and internet access. The United Nations (UN) has ranked Nigeria among the countries that will drive the growth of cities over the next four decades, posing challenging challenges in terms of job creation, energy consumption and infrastructure, as well as housing. This thesis aims to explore a maximum of data on housing, the development of the internet of things and how these perspectives envisaged by the government. One of the main sources of information of our century is big data, this element is extracted from the opinions of the inhabitants of Lagos on housing problems, their practice and information available in public services. The goal of using data is to improve practices, anticipate problems, etc. But to do this, it is necessary to digitally collect useful information to help public policies to the deployment of housing using these datasets. The results of the thesis and the prospects for research or the deployment of applications, software or models could be useful to the Lagos government to manage the challenges of the future related to the expansion of the population, the disappearance of surfaces to urbanize and more global issues such as climate change and its effects on the population.O crescimento constante da população cosou um impacto significativo nas moradias e acomodações em Lagos, na Nigéria, e a escases e o problema da distribuição de moradias para residências e escritórios, e o planetamento urbano, em general, tem sido um desafio nas cidades africanas em general. Viver dentro de uma cidade em rápido desenvolvimento, com uma população em aumento recorde de velocidade como a constatada em Lagos, precisa ser revisado principalmente com a rápida taxa de desenvolvimento digital e acesso o Internet. As Nações Unidas (ONU) classificaram a Nigéria entre os país que impulsionarão o crescimento das cidades nas próximas quatro décadas, apresentando desafios desafiadores em termos de criação de empregos, consumo de energia e infraestrutura, além de moradias. Esta tese visa explorar o máximo de dados sobre habitação, o desenvolvimento da Internet das coisas e como essas perspectivas são vistas pelo governo. Uma das principais fontes de informação do nosso século é o big data, esse elemento é extraído das opiniões dos habitantes de Lagos sobre problemas habitacionais, sua prática e informações disponíveis nos serviços públicos. O objetivo do uso dos dados é melhorar práticas, antecipar problemas etc. Mas, para isso, é necessário coletar digitalmente informações úteis para ajudar políticas públicas a implantação de moradias usando os conjuntos de dados. Os resultados da tese e as perspectivas de pesquisa o implantação de aplicativos, software o modelos podem ser úteis ao governo de Lagos para gerenciar os desafios do futuro relacionados a expansão da população, ao desaparecimento de superfícies a serem urbanizadas e mais globais questões como as mudanças climáticas e seus efeitos sobre a população

SUGAR. Sustainable Urban Goods Logistics Achieved by Regional and Local Policies. City Logistics Best Practices: a Handbook for Authorities

This publication is one of the main results of the SUGAR project and it is focused on the Best Practices analysis, a tool for the involvement of the community of experts in the emerging field of city logistics. The handbook proposes a quick overview on the project, a detailed collection of best practice synthesis, a synthesis of transferrability issues of such practices and the methodology for applying some of them to different cities and fields

Door to door: Future of the vehicle future of the city

International audienceLes véhicules écologiques et la communication numérique embarquée, à l’ère des flux intelligents et de l’Internet des objets, transforment l’architecture et la ville contemporaines. Door to door, Futur du véhicule, futur urbain, repense les situations urbaines, théorise et imagine les modèles futurs de développement, les nouveaux programmes architecturaux qui en découlent. Il propose et présente les « espaces de l’accès », l’extension-multiplication de l’accessibilité « porte-à-porte » sur six métropoles européennes, et la fonction réparatrice de ces nouveaux outils de « l’auto-mobilité » communicante, résolvant par leur usage les dysfonctionnements urbains.Le parking devient un programme d’avenir pour l’architecture, tandis que le Véhicule Ecologique Communicant (VEC), un outil bientôt automate, ni bruyant, ni sale, côtoie humains, nature et animaux dans les bâtiments – le partage des présences et des activités dans un « grand espace commun ». Le VEC est l’exemple le plus puissant de l’interaction entre la pratique des territoires urbanisés et les TIC. Il est le marqueur le plus incisif du retour du modèle des flux pour penser l’urbain, sous une forme cohérente avec la demande ou les injonctions de la société des échanges et du partage qui s’est mise en marche : la mobilité-accessibilité est redevenue le programme premier, la structure du futur. Que devient l’urbain lorsque l’accès en est le trait le plus dominant ? Les « pôles d’accessibilité et d’échange » sont des dispositifs de transformation de la vie urbaine, qu’ils reconfigurent pour plus de confort et d’efficacité.L’arrivée des nouveaux véhicules accélère ainsi l’interférence entre l’urbanisme des usages et des services et l’urbanisme spatial. A ce niveau, les véhicules sont équivalents à des bâtiments

Research on Vitality and Sustainable Development of Urban Villages from the Urban Perspective

北九州市立大学博士(工学)China's urban development has shifted from rapid urbanization to stock development with urban renewal as the main focus, but the backward facilities and inefficient allocation of public resources in urban villages make it difficult to support sustainable urban development, leading to a decline in the quality of life of residents and dissipation of urban vitality. Urban vitality is an important indicator of healthy and sustainable urban development, and it is of great significance to study the impacts of urban villages on vitality, to re-conceptualize the value of urban villages, and to explore the development path of urban villages for the sustainable development of cities. This study takes urban villages and urban vitality as the research object and proposes a quantifiable and replicable framework for the adaptation of urban villages in Shenzhen. After assessing Shenzhen's vitality in terms of economic, social, and cultural aspects, a regression model is developed to analyze the relationship between vitality and the built environment. Finally, an empirical case study is conducted. It is hoped that this will deepen the community's understanding of urban villages and provide a theoretical basis for the long-term revitalization and sustainable development of cities.doctoral thesi

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

Mangroves degradation: a local perspective on its awareness

Mangroves in Malaysia reside on the coastlines, and the largest areas of mangrove are in the Northern Sabah. Over the past decades, mangrove species have been reported to be disappearing from the globe. It is due to several natural processes that have been inserted to fill the needs of the increased population. These include illegal logging, agriculture activities and urbanisation. In this regards, awareness of the local residents about the problem of mangrove depletion is important to inhibit the problem to prolong further.Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the degree of awareness of local residents on the importance of mangroves in managing environmental quality. Consequently, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 103 respondents to examine their awareness on the subject of mangrove degradation.The respondents were selected randomly among local residents of Kuala Selangor district.It is found that only twenty percent of the total number of respondents are totallyaware of the issue and acted upon it; either taking part in the endeavours made by the government as well as those with the nongovernmental bodies or practicing mangroves replanting at their backyard

Proceedings of the GIS Research UK 18th Annual Conference GISRUK 2010

This volume holds the papers from the 18th annual GIS Research UK (GISRUK). This year the conference, hosted at University College London (UCL), from Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 April 2010. The conference covered the areas of core geographic information science research as well as applications domains such as crime and health and technological developments in LBS and the geoweb. UCL’s research mission as a global university is based around a series of Grand Challenges that affect us all, and these were accommodated in GISRUK 2010. The overarching theme this year was “Global Challenges”, with specific focus on the following themes: * Crime and Place * Environmental Change * Intelligent Transport * Public Health and Epidemiology * Simulation and Modelling * London as a global city * The geoweb and neo-geography * Open GIS and Volunteered Geographic Information * Human-Computer Interaction and GIS Traditionally, GISRUK has provided a platform for early career researchers as well as those with a significant track record of achievement in the area. As such, the conference provides a welcome blend of innovative thinking and mature reflection. GISRUK is the premier academic GIS conference in the UK and we are keen to maintain its outstanding record of achievement in developing GIS in the UK and beyond