11.s946: Urban Analytics & Spatial Data Management

This mini-class provides a hands-on, "quick start" look at some of the methods and tools that help urban planners capitalize on the new world of ubiquitous urban sensing and pervasive computing. Translating 'big data' into useful urban analytics and a deeper understanding of activity patterns and sustainability issues is exciting but challenging. The mini-class cannot cram a whole course into a few sessions, but they can provide hands-on experience with 'real world' datasets that can introduce enough of the methods and tools to wet one's appetite and facilitate subsequent self-teaching. We assume students are familiar with at least 11.205 (GIS) and 11.220 (basic statistics) and basic data management using a tool such as MS-Access or MS-Excel (There will not be time in the mini-class to fill in those basics.) We will use R, ArcGIS, QGIS, PostgreSQL, and PostGIS, for model estimation, data management, indicator development, spatial analysis, and visualization. Optional lab sessions (on Fridays) will provide extra help with R, QGIS, and Postgres for those who are eager and able but have limited experience with these tools. For those who would like help to installing and using some of the software and data on their personal machines, there is an additional (optional) lab session on Friday, Oct. 13, prior to the first lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The mini-class is organized as a workshop with two introductory lectures followed by hands-on lab sessions that involve structured lab exercises plus open-ended project work using datasets and tools discussed in the lectures. Prior to the first session, participants read portions of a PhD dissertation authored by a recent Urban Information Systems (UIS) graduate. This thesis, "Sustainable Metropolitan Growth Strategies: Exploring the Role of the Built Environment," is authored by Mi Diao (DUSP PhD, 2010). Currently, Prof. Diao is on the faculty of the Real Estate Department of the National University of Singapore, School of Design and Environment. His dissertation is available on MIT's DSpace: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/62125. The dissertation examines the interactions among indicators of built environment, demographics, land use, housing prices, and vehicle miles traveled using spatially detailed data for metro Boston.

The first two sessions will be a lecture and demonstration of the data, methods, and results of specific empirical analyses in the dissertation that (a) construct indicators of the local built environment for each 250x250m grid cell in metro Boston, (b) estimate annual mileage from millions of safety inspections records for private passenger vehicles geocoded (by place of garaging) to each 250x250m grid cell, and (c) model vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a function of built environment and census-based demographic factors. Subsequent sessions will be hands-on lab exercises using the data and exploring alternative models, hypotheses, indicators, and visualizations. During the fourth week, participants will present their analyses and interpretations of the data, and the final week will introduce further analysis and exploration methods. Participants in the mini-classes will be given access to the data and tools used in this dissertation for the mini-class exercises and for an individual or small group miniproject.

Mini-Class Requirements and Logistics

1. Come to the first session on Oct. 17 at 5:30 pm in Room 9-450: Prior to this session, read (or at least skim!) the first 44 pages of Prof. Diao's dissertation (If you want added help installing and using the software and data, come to the Friday, Oct. 13, optional lab.)
2. Sign up for the miniclass: We will have a signup sheet with a few questions at the first session. If you have not already pre-registered or sent me an email indicating your interest, then send an email to jf@mit.edu indicating your name, Degree program, and MIT email username. Those who have notified me of their interest in advance will have priority on the lab machines if more than 25 people show up.
3. Consider bringing your laptop to the sessions, especially if you already have QGIS and PostgreSQL installed and running (plus some room on disk to install a few more packages). The virtual machine that CRON has made available for DUSP students includes the applications needed for this miniclass.
4. Consider signing up for credit: You may participate in the miniclass without necessarily registering for credit (subject to the availability of computers in the computing lab). But, if you want to earn credit, you should register for 6 units of pass/fail credit. In order to receive credit, you need to attend each of the 8 Tuesday/Thursday sessions, complete the two lab exercises, make a brief presentation of your intermediate project work during the third week, and turn in a short report after the last session.

Yes, it is okay, and can make sense, to attend the miniclass as a listener. It is set up so most of the learning comes from doing the labs and reworking the data and models after reading the dissertation chapters. But, the lectures and lab exercises may be useful without doing all the 'homework.' As it turns out, you willbe able to wait until after at least the first week before deciding whether to sign up for credit.