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Technology Meets The City

1 October 2007 - 9:00am

The availability of information and technology is creating new opportunities to comprehend the character and dynamics of cities. Wiki City, a current research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's SENSEable City Laboratory, is trying to harness this available information to create interactive systems that enable people to better understand and participate in their cities.

In the SENSEable City Laboratory's "Wiki City Rome", signals from cell phone and Global Positioning System navigational devices were used to create a real-time map of the mobility of people and transit in Rome during a recent all-night street festival, White Night. Wiki City seeks to create an interactive and participatory connection between people and their city, much like the concept of the user-generated online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

We talk with Wiki City Rome team leader Francesco Calabrese about the project and how similar uses of technology can be used by urban planners.

Photo: Wiki City Rome mobility map
The Wiki City Rome mobility map was displayed live during the White Night street festival on September 9, 2007. Cell phone signals are shown in blue dots and bus lines are displayed in yellow. (Photo courtesy of SENSEable City Laboratory).


Photo: Wiki City Rome interface
The interface of the Wiki City Rome mobility map, showing points in the city where events took place on the night of the festival. The SENSEable City Laboratory's website features a video of the map from the festival, showing the patterns of mobility throughout the night. (Photo courtesy of SENSEable City Laboratory).


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