IGDATA: Geospatial analysis of big data based on fractal geometry and power law statistics

Emerging geospatial big data harvested from the location-based social media (e.g. Twitter), the Internet (e.g. OpenStreeMap), and massive GPS traces based on the idea of citizens as sensors has become a new instrument for studying geographic forms and processes, or urban structure and dynamics in particular, to do with spatial planning and decision making activities towards sustainable development.

Geospatial information, traditionally maintained by national mapping agencies, needs to be enriched from the crowdsourcing information. In collaboration with Lantmäteriets Innovations lab, this project will seek to conduct geospatial analysis of big data based on power law statistics and fractal geometry in order to develop new insights on how cities (or geographic forms in general) are structured spatially, and how they change over time. These analytical insights, for example living structure (with far more small things than large ones) and nonlinear dynamics, will add further implications and applications to geospatial information, in order to keep it updated and further enriched from multiple sources and multiple representations.

More information about the project