Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Data Analysis and Spatial Modelling. - Problems and Possibilities -

This article is the position paper for the ESF-GISDATA Specialist Meeting on GIS & Spatial Analysis, Amsterdam, 1-5December1993. The focus here is on the two major themes of the meeting: Spatial Data Analysis and Spatial Modelling. Special emphasis is laid on specific problems and possibilities for interfacing spatial analysis tools (i.e. spatial data analysis techniques and spatial models) and GIS. Both GIS application fields, the environmental sciences and the social sciences, are taken into consideration. (authors' abstract)Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScienc

Exploring the land market in the province of Noord-Holland using a spatial explanatory regression model

This paper focuses on rural land prices. Different actors and factors influence land prices. Buurman (2003) has analysed, categorised, and used them to explain spatial differences in transaction prices of parcels using a GIS-based linear regression model. The model distinguishes parcel and transaction characteristics and uses principles of hedonic price and bid-rent theory to explain differences in land prices. Some theoretical aspects regarding the model are discussed. The regression model, estimated on a land transaction dataset covering the province of Noord-Brabant in the southern part of the Netherlands, is re-applied on a dataset covering the province of Noord-Holland. Insight is gained into actors and factors playing a role on the rural land market in this province. It seems that rural land that is included in building plans or located very close to areas for which building plans exist has a land price far higher than average. In most of these transactions, the city council is the buyer. Compared to other buyers, they pay the highest price for land in Noord-Holland. Keywords: land market, hedonic price theory, regression analysis, Noord-Holland

Geodesign the multi-layered water safety

This paper aims to frame the multi-layered water safety concept in the context of a systematic, thorough, multidisciplinary and collaborative methodology for complex problems solving, i.e. geodesign. Multi-layered safety is an integrated flood risk management (FRM) concept based not only on flood probability reduction through prevention (layer 1), but also on consequences’ minimization in the case of a flood through spatial solutions (layer 2) and crisis management (layer 3). It has been introduced in the Netherlands in 2009 following the European Flood Risk Directive adopted in 2007. In this study, the multi-layered safety is qualitatively assessed, demonstrating that it rather resembles a parallel system, and that collaboration is required to decide about the most desirable safety measures, which should not only be based on their economic efficiency but also on their social acceptability. In the light of these factors, we attempt to methodologically systematize the multi-layered safety concept by following the geodesign framework. The latter means that, through its implementation, understanding of the current situation of a particular area of interest, which in turn it may support, the allocation of weights regarding the three layers of the multi-tier safety concept is facilitated. Furthermore, the geodesign of the multi-layered safety shows that participation and interaction of the safety policy makers, as well as iterations for achieving maximum consensus between them concerning the more balanced safety measures, taking into account their economic efficiency, their impact on the environment, the local circumstances and the values of the people at place, are methodologically enabled

Mobile phone data from GSM networks for traffic parameter and urban spatial pattern assessment: a review of applications and opportunities

n/

Mobile Phone Data from GSM Networks for Traffic Parameter and Urban Spatial Pattern Assessment - A Review of Applications and Opportunities

The use of wireless location technology and mobile phone data appears to offer a broad range of new opportunities for sophisticated applications in traffic management and monitoring, particularly in the field of incident management. Indeed, due to the high market penetration of mobile phones, it allows the use of very detailed spatial data at lower costs than traditional data collection techniques. Albeit recent, the literature in the field is wide-ranging, although not adequately structured. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic overview of the main studies and projects addressing the use of data derived from mobile phone networks to obtain location and traffic estimations of individuals, as a starting point for further research on incident and traffic management. The advantages and limitations of the process of retrieving location information and transportation parameters from cellular phones are also highlighted. The issues are presented by providing a description of the current background and data types retrievable from the GSM network. In addition to a literature review, the main findings on the so-called Current City project are presented. This is a test system in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) for the extraction of mobile phone data and for the analysis of the spatial network activity patterns. The main purpose of this project is to provide a full picture of the mobility and area consequences of an incident in near real time to create situation awareness. The first results from this project on how telecom data can be utilized for understanding individual presence and mobility in regular situations and during non-recurrent events where regular flows of people are disrupted by an incident are presented. Furthermore, various interesting studies and projects carried out so far in the field are analyzed, leading to the identification of important research issues related to the use of mobile phone data in transportation applications. Relevant issues concern, on the one hand, factors that influence accuracy, reliability, data quality and techniques used for validation, and on the other hand, the specific role of private mobile companies and transportation agencies.JRC.H.6-Digital Earth and Reference Dat

Modelling the fragmentation of open space. A framework for assessing the impact of land use change on open space

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and urban functions are constantly claiming more space. This continuing urbanisation has lead to a growing concern for the preservation of open space. A loss of open space does not only mean a fragmentation of ecosystems or (potential) animal habitat but also affects the geographical, historical and cultural qualities of the landscape. The preservation of open space is an important theme in the spatial planning of the Netherlands. The Dutch government strives to keep the total volume of open space at a reasonable high level and tries to avoid the fragmentation of open space. The present research deals with the modelling of future land use and will focus more specifically on the fragmentation of open space. A GIS-oriented land use model will be used to study this subject. Assessing the impact of land use change on open space calls for a thorough definition of open space that takes into account the shape and size characteristics of various land use functions. This definition is strongly related to the policy context that introduces the concept of open space. In the Dutch, anthropocentric practice open space does not necessarily refer to large natural areas with high ecological values, but it rather relates to large areas with relatively few buildings. This might for example exclude wooded areas that do not offer panoramic views. Single objects (high voltage or television masts) can also severely affect the individual experience of open space. GIS-technology allows for a quantitative implementation of the concept of open space. It furthermore facilitates the spatial analysis of the impact of land use changes. Different simulations from land use models will be assessed both in terms of a total loss in the volume of open space and the localised impact in terms of fragmentation. To study the latter impact a methodology will be developed that will adopt experiences from spatial ecological research on habitat fragmentation.

DigiTranScope autumn institute 2020: governance of digitally transformed societies

DigiTranScope is a research project of the JRC (Joint Research Centre), Centre for Advanced Studies at the European Commission, focusing on the governance of digitally transformed human societies. The project aims to provide a deeper understanding of key aspects of digital transformation to help policy-makers address the challenges facing European society over the next decades. Core Topics of the Autumn Institute: Data Governance: This is a key battleground to find a European way to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Transformation. We need to find new ways of sharing data between the public sector, commercial sector, and civil society so that the value created out of data analytics and new algorithms is redistributed more equitably across all stakeholders to the benefit of European society. New Forms of Policy Design, Policy Learning: This is a topic exploring how we can develop new forms of more participative policy design, monitoring, feedback/assessment, learning loops that exploit the characteristics of digital transformation including, smart cities, gaming, digital twins, and personalisation. Digital Empowerment and Social Inequalities: How can we develop/design/foster a new path exploiting the benefits of digital transformation so that it is aimed at reducing existing social, economic, and spatial inequalities rather than exacerbating them? What is the role of local data ecosystems and co-operatives, and in general more geographically diversified policy measures, in tapping into the intrinsic characteristics of European regions and cities

DigiTranScope: the governance of digitally-transformed society

This volume presents the key outcomes and research findings of the Digitranscope research project of the European Commission Joint Research Centre. The project set out to explore during the period 2017-2020 the challenges and opportunities that the digital transformation is posing to the governance of society. We focused our attention on the governance of data as a key aspect to understand and shape the governance of society. Data is a key resource in the digital economy, and control over the way it is generated, collected, aggregated, and value is extracted and distributed in society is crucial. We have explored the increasing awareness about the strategic importance of data and emerging governance models to distribute the value generated more equitably in society. These findings have contributed to the new policy orientation in Europe on technological and data sovereignty and the sharing of data for the public interest. The digital transformation, the rise of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things offer also new opportunities for new forms of policy design, implementation, and assessment providing more personalised support to those who need it and being more participative throughout the policy cycle. The use of digital twins, gaming, simulation, and synthetic data are just at their beginning but promise to change radically the relationships among all the stakeholders in governance of our society

DigiTranScope: some key findings

Digitranscope originated from the JRC Strategy 20301. The strategy identified ten strategic topics on which the JRC should concentrate to anticipate future policy requests. One of these topics was ‘Data and Digital Transformation’, to which the JRC set up two initiatives: the first being a transversal project on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation’, the second being a CAS research project on digital transformation, which was to be more exploratory in nature. The CAS project originally proposed to address two key issues: i) how the information glut triggered by digital transformation reverses the cognitive balance between humans and machines, and ii) the impact of digital information technology on the rules and institutions that guide modern societies. This proposal therefore led to the establishment of two projects in 2017: ‘Human behaviour and machine intelligence’ (HUMAINT)2 and our project, ‘Digital transformation and the governance of human society’ (Digitranscope)

DigiTranScope: some key findings

Digitranscope originated from the JRC Strategy 20301. The strategy identified ten strategic topics on which the JRC should concentrate to anticipate future policy requests. One of these topics was ‘Data and Digital Transformation’, to which the JRC set up two initiatives: the first being a transversal project on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation’, the second being a CAS research project on digital transformation, which was to be more exploratory in nature. The CAS project originally proposed to address two key issues: i) how the information glut triggered by digital transformation reverses the cognitive balance between humans and machines, and ii) the impact of digital information technology on the rules and institutions that guide modern societies. This proposal therefore led to the establishment of two projects in 2017: ‘Human behaviour and machine intelligence’ (HUMAINT)2 and our project, ‘Digital transformation and the governance of human society’ (Digitranscope)