Guest Lecture: Vassilis Pappas

An alternative model for the distribution of the population

Vassilis Pappas is Professor of Computer sciences at the University of Patras - Greece, invited by the research center ETIS

One of the main challenges in spatial planning process is the relationship between the spatial distribution of the population and the structure of transport networks and especially of road networks. Most of the existing models, on spatial level, assume that the population, and the information/properties associated with it, is mainly distributed to the locations of the settlements (mainly as a point entity or alternatively as a polygon entity) and the patterns of road network follow the previous model: links (roads axes) between nodes (settlements). In practice, however, this is not the case because the population is not allocated to the location of settlements (the centre in case of point topology), due to the phenomenon of urban sprawl, and even more because the distribution of the population, within the settlements, is not taken into account (distribution at the level of building blocks for example). It is also assumed that the use of the road network is one-dimensional: in one segment only the corresponding population is distributed. A fact that does not correspond to the reality because the use of the road network is due to the origin - destination rules and the daily restrictions (availability of parking places, alternative routes, etc.) The presentation explores and presents an alternative model of spatial structure, based on existing networks structure, where the population, and its associated attributes, is distributed to the nodes of the network and not to the settlements or building blocks. Greece is the case study of model and the used technology is based on GIS and large spatial databases, while network analytics' tools will be used. Given the wealth of data associated to population dynamics in cities, the model will allow for better understanding and monitoring of the dynamics over the network. An important set of urban applications can be reevaluated based on this new model. 

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Date: Thursday, May 3, 2018 from 12:30 to 13:45

Venue: Maison internationale de la recherche, Neuville-sur-Oise.