119 research outputs found
Spatial segregation measures: a methodological review
Quantitative indices of segregation are powerful tools for summarising the spatial relationships between population groups and thereby providing the basis for analysis and public policy intervention. While the broad concept of segregation may be intuitive, measurement is challenging because of the complexity of varied dimensions and spatial arrangements. Many traditional measures can be criticised for over-simplification or over-reduction, not least in their treatment of geographical space. Over the last several decades, however, a series of measures has been developed to explicitly incorporate the spatial arrangement of population groups as well as their interactions. This paper reviews the development of spatial segregation measures, particularly focusing on the mathematical formulation of spatial arrangement/relations. In addition, several related issues are discussed, including representation of spatial interaction, spatial scale and statistical inferences. Also, this paper presents an overview of existing software tools that are readily available for calculating some of the reviewed measures. Finally, discussions on challenges and future research are provided
The link between ethnic segregation and socio-economic status : An activity space approach
The extent to which ethnic segregation results from differences in socio-economic factors remains a seminal topic of debate. The growing literature demonstrating the multifaceted phenomenon of segregation urges more focus on individuals' spatial and social interactions. We applied an activity space approach and considered ethnic differences in individuals' activity spaces as an indicator of spatial segregation. We used mobile phone and survey datasets in Estonia. We show that place-based segregation indices derived from both datasets indicate similar levels of ethnic segregation. From an activity space perspective, the results show that the main socio-economic factor affecting the extensity of activity spaces is self-estimated social status rather than education and income. Results show that ethnic inequality in spatial behaviour is not straightforward, but rather that it is linked to how individuals position themselves in society. We argue that socio-economic factors need to be controlled to examine ethnic segregation from activity space perspective.Peer reviewe
Network and Psychological Effects in Urban Movement
Correlations are regularly found in space syntax studies between
graph-based configurational measures of street networks, represented as
lines, and observed movement patterns. This suggests that topological
and geometric complexity are critically involved in how people navigate
urban grids. This has caused difficulties with orthodox urban
modelling, since it has always been assumed that insofar as spatial
factors play a role in navigation, it will be on the basis of metric
distance. In spite of much experimental evidence from cognitive science
that geometric and topological factors are involved in navigation, and
that metric distance is unlikely to be the best criterion for
navigational choices, the matter has not been convincingly resolved
since no method has existed for extracting cognitive information from
aggregate flows. Within the space syntax literature it has also
remained unclear how far the correlations that are found with syntactic
variables at the level of aggregate flows are due to cognitive factors
operating at the level of individual movers, or they are simply
mathematically probable network effects, that is emergent statistical
effects from the structure of line networks, independent of the
psychology of navigational choices. Here we suggest how both problems
can be resolved, by showing three things: first, how cognitive
inferences can be made from aggregate urban flow data and distinguished
from network effects; second by showing that urban movement, both
vehicular and pedestrian, are shaped far more by the geometrical and
topological properties of the grid than by its metric properties; and
third by demonstrating that the influence of these factors on movement
is a cognitive, not network, effect
Assessing the Impact of Automatic vs. Controlled Rotations on Spatial Transfer with a Joystick and a Walking Interface in VR
Part 1: Long and Short PapersInternational audienceWe present a user study assessing spatial transfer in a 3D navigation task, with two different motor activities: a minimal (joystick) and an extensive motor activity (walking Interface), with rotations of the viewpoint either controlled by the user, or automatically managed by the system. The task consisted in learning a virtual path of a 3D model of a real city, with either one of these four conditions: Joystick / Treadmill Vs Manual Rotation / Automatic Rotation. We assessed spatial knowledge with six spatial restitution tasks. To assess the interfaces used, we analyzed also the interaction data acquired during the learning path. Our results show that the direct control of rotations has different effects, depending on the motor activity required by the input modality. The quality of spatial representation increases with the Treadmill when rotations are enabled. With the Joystick, controlling the rotations affect spatial representations. We discuss our findings in terms of cognitive, sensorimotor processes and human computer interaction issues
Beyond the senses: perception, the environment, and vision impairment
The âsensory turnâ in anthropology has generated a significant literature on sensory perception and experience. Whilst much of this literature is critical of the compartmentalization of particular âsensesâ, there has been limited exploration of how anthropologists might examine sensory perception beyond âthe sensesâ. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with people who have impaired vision walking the South Downs landscape in England, this article develops such an approach. It suggests that the experiences of seeing in blindness challenge the conceptualization of âvisionâ (and ânonâvisionâ). In place of âvisionâ (as a sense), the article explores âactivities of seeingâ â an approach that contextualizes the visual to examine the biographically constituted and idiosyncratic nature of perception within an environment. Through an ethnography of seeing with anatomical eyes and âseeing in the mind's eyeâ, it articulates an approach that avoids associating perception with anatomy, or compartmentalizing experience into âsensesâ
Applications of behavioural research on spatial problems I: cognition
In this, the first of a two-part sequence, we have first discussed some critical features of early behavioural research in geography, then traced developments following from this early research to the current period. We emphasized the early applied nature of much of this research. We have also shown how progress in the second period of growth (the 1970s) had to emphasize conceptual and theoretical aspects more than the applied. This was because fuzzy concepts, complex experimental designs and measurement methods werc lacking and required discovery and development before more extensive application was possible. This 'marking time' process.accornpanied by immature and poorly designed experiments started rumours of the 'decline' of behavioural research. Once problems of concept definition, model selection and model specification had been solved, behavioural research again exploded. The 1980s has seen abundant evidence of expansion and growth, with applications moving beyond the traditional planning. policy and marketing areas to such realms as developing the spatial competence of retarded and blind populations, to assessing neighbourhood reactions towards selected public facility locations and the modelling of wayfinding by robots. In our opening statement we argued that applied behavioural geography has taken many turns and that we deliberately selected only two of these (spatial cognition and preference and choice behaviour) as the theme for our two-part summary. Of course we could have extended our overview to include the important and well developed areas of adjustment to hazards. emotional response to environments, aesthetic qualities of environment, attitudes towards resource conservation. perceived threat from polIution or hazardous wastes or behavioural reactions to possible nuclear threat. terrorism or other dangers. Such an elaboration would require doubling the size of our papers. and we leave discussion of these areas to other more involved and qualified researchers. In our second paper, however, we do tackle the extensive multidisciplinary literature on spatial preference and spatial choice. We feel that. not only is this perhaps the most rapidly growing behavioural research area. but that it is an area where applications are numerous, obvious and practical. And whereas much of the cognitive-behavioural literature is to be found in North American journals and books. research on preference and choice is much more evenly distributed internationally. with some of the most productive research located in Europe. Thus the interested reader will find Part II of this paper in a later issue of this year's Progress in Human Geography, therein being exposed to detailed summaries of a variety of theories and the mathematical models which facilitate their application in a host of different problem environments
An Orientation Service for Dependent People Based on an Open Service Architecture
This article describes a service architecture for ambient assisted liv ing and in particular an orientation navigation service in open places for persons
with memory problems such as those patients suffering from Alzheimerâs in its
early stages. The service has the following characteristics: one-day system
autonomy; self-adjusting interfaces for simple interaction with patients, based
on behavioural patterns to predict routes and destinations and to detect lost
situations; easy browsing through simple spoken commands and use of photo graphs for reorientation, and independence of GISs (Geographic Information
Systems) to reduce costs and increase accessibility. Initial testing results of the
destination prediction algorithm are very positive. This system is integrated in a
global e-health/e-care home service architecture platform (OSGi) that enables
remote management of services and devices and seamless integration with other
home service domains.Ministerio de EducaciĂłn y Ciencia TSI2006-13390-C02-0
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