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This book investigates novel methods and technologies for the collection, analysis and representation of real-time user-generated data at the urban scale in order to explore potential scenarios for more participatory design, planning and management processes. For this purpose, the authors present a set of experiments conducted in collaboration with urban stakeholders at various levels (including citizens, city administrators, urban planners, local industries and NGOs) in Milan and New York in 2012. It is examined whether geo-tagged and user-generated content can be of value in the creation of meaningful, real-time indicators of urban quality, as it is perceived and communicated by the citizens. The meanings that people attach to places are also explored to discover what such an urban semantic layer looks like and how it unfolds over time. As a conclusion, recommendations are proposed for the exploitation of user-generated content in order to answer hitherto unsolved urban questions. Readers will find in this book a fascinating exploration of techniques for mining the social web that can be applied to procure user-generated content as a means of investigating urban dynamics.

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Introduction.- We Live in Informational Landscapes.- Depicting the Data City.- Methodological Framework.- Working in the Field.- Reflections on Potentialities and Shortcomings of Geo-Located Social Media Analysis.- List of Case Studies Used for Building the Matrix.- Excerpts from Conversations with Accurat, Lust and Mobivery.

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From the book reviews:

"The authors present how social media interactions, like Twitter comments, Pickles reviews, and Foursquare check-ins, can help researchers and urban planners to analyze the urban space. ... There are numerous potentially captivating figures and tables illustrating the presented concepts and case studies. ... This book serves as a handy overview of this interesting emerging field." (D. Spinellis, Computing Reviews, July, 2014)

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Paolo Ciuccarelli is Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano and Chair of the Communication programs. His research activity focuses on the development of data, information and knowledge visualization tools and methods. He is also the founder and director of Density Design Research Lab.Giorgia Lupi is an information designer and researcher at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Her work in information visualization frequently crosses the divide between digital and print, exploring visual models and metaphors to represent dense and rich data-driven stories. She is co-founder and design director at Accurat, an information design company based in Milan and New York.Luca Simeone is a PhD candidate at Malmö University, Sweden. He is the founder of Vianet, an interaction design agency focused on delivering advanced technology and design solutions based on ethnographic research methods.

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