Urban sensing: Out of the woods

Communications of the ACM

Computer science & information systems magazine

2008 Journal by Dana Cuff, Mark Hansen and Jerry Kang

Sensing Research

Lab > Natural environment

Shift in emphasis from natural to urban

Urban sensing

Cell phone as a sensor

Embedded networked sensors greatly reduce the technical barrier to visualize data in real space

Number of cellular phone users in north-eastern Rome at different hours of a day. May 2006

Real-time dataGIS dataRaster images

July 09 July 10

AFTERNOON

EVENING

MIDNIGHT

The final match of the World Cup was played on July 9, from 8 to 10 pm approximately. Afterwards, people started celebrating around the Circo Massimo, shown in the image. The following day the Italian winning team arrived in Rome and celebrations continued from the afternoon till morning.

Sensing Systems

Full Centralization

Participatory

Decentralized

Bad Data Processing

Observer Effect “junk data”

Altered human behavior

D-Tower

Spark interaction

Promote a new community feeling

Data Commons

Shared collection

Not just for science but also advocacy, art, play, and politics.

“every sensor in the environment is a question”

Value of Data Commons

Provide answers

Pose new questions

Open new opportunities for public discourse

Building Data Commons

PrivacyCopyright protects creative expressions, not information

InterfaceIncreasingly more critical to gathering information

Public Sphere

Must be available to diverse members

Opportunity for multiple users

Encourage exchange of information

Sirens & Cyclops