flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

New web tool from MIT organizes human movement in interactive graphs

BIM and Information Technology

New web tool from MIT organizes human movement in interactive graphs

Users can explore the mobile phone activities in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.


By Adilla Menayang, Assistant Digital Editor | October 19, 2015
New web tool from MIT organizes human movement in interactive graphs

A screenshot of New York City in the web tool, where mobile-phone activity is organized as timelines.

When it comes to the locals and visitors of the world’s major cities, a cellular phone is a staple. With that many people using their phones, a lot of interesting patterns can be observed from analyzing their data and phone usage information.

This is what developers at MIT’s SENSEable City Laboratory created together with Ericsson: ManyCities, a new website that “explores the spatio-temporal patterns of mobile phone activity,” ArchDaily reports. The web tool takes complex data and organizes it so that users can easily visualize the patterns of human movement within the city.

A chat board on the right-hand side allows users to post their observations, creating a forum where urban planners, demographers, and anyone else interested can cross-pollinate and find creative ways of using the data.

So far, the cities available on the web tool are London, New York, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles.

Related Stories

| Jan 12, 2014

5 ways virtual modeling can improve facilities management

Improved space management, streamlined maintenance, and economical retrofits are among the ways building owners and facility managers can benefit from building information modeling.

| Dec 31, 2013

Top 10 blog posts from 2013

BD+C editors and our contributors posted hundreds of blogs in 2013. Here's a recap of the most popular topics. They include valuable lessons from one of the first BIM-related lawsuits and sage advice from AEC legend Arthur Gensler.  

| Dec 31, 2013

BD+C's top 10 stories of 2013

The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com.

| Dec 17, 2013

IBM's five tech-driven innovation predictions for the next five years [infographics]

Smart classrooms, DNA-based medical care, and wired cities are among the technology-related innovations identified by IBM researchers for the company's 5 in 5 report. 

| Dec 16, 2013

Is the metal building industry in a technology shift?

Automation is the future you can’t avoid, though you may try. Even within the metal building industry—which is made up of skilled tradesmen—automation has revolutionized, and will continue revolutionizing, how we work.

| Dec 10, 2013

16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.

| Dec 9, 2013

Does technology help or hinder innovation?

Whether digital technology will help or hinder workplace insights remains a topic of ongoing debate. FastCo.Design features insights from business scholars on both sides of the issue.

| Dec 5, 2013

Translating design intent from across the globe

I recently attended the Bentley User Conference in Vejle, Denmark. I attended the event primarily to get a sense for the challenges our Danish counterparts are experiencing in project delivery and digital communication. One story I heard was from a BIM manager with Henning Larsen Architects in Denmark, who told me about a project she’d recently completed overseas in the Middle East. She outlined two distinct challenges and offered some interesting solutions to those challenges. 

| Dec 3, 2013

‘BIM for all’ platform pays off for contractor

Construction giant JE Dunn is saving millions in cost avoidances by implementing a custom, cloud-based BIM/VDC collaboration platform.

| Nov 27, 2013

Exclusive survey: Revenues increased at nearly half of AEC firms in 2013

Forty-six percent of the respondents to an exclusive BD+C survey of AEC professionals reported that revenues had increased this year compared to 2012, with another 24.2% saying cash flow had stayed the same.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



AEC Tech

Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption

Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI. 


halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021