A data scientist from UCL's Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis has created an interactive online map that allows people to play with massive data sets from all over the UK in order to understand more about our cities.
LuminoCity 3D brings together open government data about population, growth, housing, travel behaviour, employment, business location and energy usage. The ultimate aim of this, writes its creator Duncan Smith in a blog post, is to allow for the consistent comparison of different urban areas in the UK, and for a better understanding about the relationship between a city's form and performance. You could use the map to see how London's current housing prices are related to the city's massive population growth, or see where employment density has increased and what other factors correlate with that growth.
Explaining why this data analysis is important and how the visualisation helps to, Smith explains: "Recent urban growth in the UK has further emphasised the role of cities in influencing economic prosperity, quality of life and sustainability. If we are to meet 21st century social and economic challenges then we need to plan and run our cities better. Data analysis can play a useful role in this task by helping understand current patterns and trends, and identifying successful cities for sharing best practice."
Wherever you live in the UK, LuminoCity 3D is likely to tell you things you already know about your hometown, and things you will have no idea about. It will also help you understand more about how your way of life compares to life in other cities -- what you seem to have nailed and what you haven't. It doesn't matter what maps and areas you compare to others -- all of these comparisons offer valuable insights into why cities have evolved and continue to evolve in the way they do.
For data scientists and for local and national governments, these insights could help demonstrate where investment has been successful and where it hasn't, which is obviously valuable knowledge that can inform future decision making. LuminoCity 3D isn't just for pros though. Made from open data, the platform is open to anyone to play with -- but we must warn you, if you have even a passing interest in maps and data, it is a very addictive tool.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
