Urban Observation and Social Sensing

Urban Observation and Social Sensing helps readers see cities in a way they have seldom imagined before. Advanced technologies such as satellites in space, near surface drones, or even smartphones, can be used to explain how a city functions, or why certain areas are more populated than others. It examines the science of capturing city images and information gathered from above the ground combined with the information from social media and mobile data on the ground, and how to make sense of it all. From planning better neighborhoods to understanding how city life affects health, this book is a guide to the future of urban living and the technologies that help navigate it.

Features

• Covers a broad spectrum of urban observation methods in one resource to ensure a thorough understanding of diverse data collection methods
• Provides a unique emphasis on social sensing to enable a more holistic and human-centric view of urban landscapes
• Includes practical applications to showcase how the data and methodologies can be used in real-world scenarios
• Explains the current technologies and methodologies but also offers insights into the future trajectory of urban science
• Integrates technological advances with informed urban planning and real-time insights to elucidate a holistic understanding of urban spaces

This is an excellent, insightful resource for researchers, academics, students, and professionals in remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, urban planning and design, data science, geography, earth science, and those interested in the future of urban living and planning.

Dr. Bin Chen is an Associate Professor, Director of Future Urbanity & Sustainable Environment (FUSE) Lab at The University of Hong Kong. He obtained his BSc in Geographical Information Systems from Wuhan University, and his PhD in Global Environmental Change from Beijing Normal University. Before joining the University of Hong Kong in 2021, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Chen’s research leverages geospatial big data, data-model fusion, and advanced interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the interaction loops between environmental change, human activities, and public health. Specifically, his major research includes the remote sensing of built and natural environmental changes; modelling of human-environment spatiotemporal interaction; and impact of environment and human activities on public health. He has published over 80 refereed publications in top academic journals. His achievements have received international recognition, including Geospatial World 50 Rising Stars (2024) and receiving the International Society of Digital Earth Young Scientist Award, American Association of Geographers Early Career Award in Remote Sensing, and HKU-100 Scholars Award and Outstanding Young Researcher Award.

Dr. Fan Zhang is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS, Peking University. Prior to this, he was a Senior Research Fellow at MIT, where he led the Urban Visual AI group at the MIT Senseable City Lab. His research focuses on geographical artificial intelligence and data-driven urban studies, with particular emphasis on developing urban visual intelligence using street-level imagery. Dr. Zhang’s work has been published in renowned academic journals, and he currently serves as an Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member for various journals. He currently serves as an Associate Editor, an Editorial Board Member. His notable honors include the CPGIS Young Scholar Award (2024), the Geospatial World 50 Rising Stars Award (2022), and the Global Young Scientist Award in Frontier Science and Technology from WGDC (2020).