Category: Monthly Webinars

Abstract: This talk identifies and addresses dynamic selection problems that arise in online learning algorithms with endogenous data. In a contextual multi-armed bandit model, we show that a novel bias (self-fulfilling bias) arises because the endogeneity of the data influences the choices of decisions, affecting the distribution of future data to be collected and analysed.… Continue reading Self-fulfilling Bandits: Dynamic Selection in Algorithmic Decision-making

Abstract: Spatial navigation is a complex cognitive process, involving structures in the brain developed over thousands of years of evolution. Yet in urban science we often neglect the role of spatial cognition in shaping mobility behaviour, making simple assumptions about travel choices. In this talk, we explore the growing evidence around human navigation in cities,… Continue reading The Role of Spatial Cognition in Urban Analytics

Abstract: Social media is becoming a crucial communication tool for information generation, dissemination, and consumption. Can evidence drawn from social media enhance public services and inform public policy development? In this talk, we present studies using billions of geotagged social media posts and state-of-the-art natural language processing techniques to provide valuable insights for researchers and… Continue reading Using Social Media Data to Promote Decision-Making

Abstract: From choosing a restaurant for dinner to deciding how to get there, spatial decisions are ubiquitous in human day-to-day lives. Taken together, these choices underlie critical societal phenomena, including the spread of epidemics, the emergence of traffic congestion, and urban segregation. In this talk, Dr. Alessandretti will present recent research that leverages high-resolution large-scale… Continue reading Modelling Individual Mobility Behaviour

Abstract: (Normative) theorists have argued that conversation is the soul of democracy. However, political discussions might not be as ideal as the theorists envisioned. This talk summarizes a series of computational studies using large-scale social media data to examine the structures and consequences of political discussions online. Specifically, this talk discusses both the positive and… Continue reading The Structures and Consequences of Online Political Discussion: Computational Studies Using Social Media Data

Abstract: Mobility is fundamental in the development of countries and their cities, and it is therefore crucial to understand how it evolves in space and time. This talk focuses on mobility networks in cities such as street networks and subways, and also on spatial mobility patterns. In the first part, the main structural features of… Continue reading Mobility Networks in Cities

Abstract: Despite continued popular support for democratic ideals, democratic regimes throughout the world are under threat. Fragmentation of the public sphere, and resource scarcity has hindered governors and publics in their efforts to communicate with one another. Advances in computing now provide opportunities to make sense of the abundance of information available, with the potential… Continue reading Understanding and Improving Democracy through Computational Social Science

Abstract: Inequality and segregation are hurting our societies and specially our cities, where the fact that we live apart from other racial, economical or social groups carries tremendous economical and societal consequences. Not only for the people living in poor neighborhoods, but for the region as a whole. Most studies still describe people’s segregation patterns… Continue reading Inequality (and epidemics) in Cities at High Resolution

Abstract: The “coronavirus pandemic” struck the world in a really distinctive way, leading to an unstable and uncertain situation, affecting individuals, communities and many societies alike. In this context, and with cyberspace being increasingly used to support health-related decision making and to market health products, potentially harmful behaviours have been carried out by individuals propagating… Continue reading Information pollution in pandemic times: some insights from socio-technical research

Abstract: Conventional geographic information systems (GIS), which are conceptually constrained due to its confinement to the concepts of Newtonian absolute space and physical place, have failed to properly consider humans as dynamic and living entities. There is an urgent need of moving beyond the concept of absolute space to support research of human dynamics that… Continue reading Space, Time, and Human Dynamics in GIScience