Networks, Data, and Society (NERDS)

Michael and Ane at CASA UCL Seminar
2022-12-14 16:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Copenhagen)
Bicycle networks: From data quality assessment to computational analysis
Cycling is marginalized despite being a promising solution towards sustainable transport. In parallel, cycling data and cycling research are also marginalized, posing many opportunities for improvement and open questions. Here, we first present our cycling data quality tool which enables intrinsic and extrinsic assessment and reporting of data quality in cycling infrastructure data sets, focusing on the structural network perspective. Then, we explore how such data enable the development of computational methods for automated bicycle network analysis and planning.

NERDS Seminar with Francisco Rowe
2023-02-15 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/Copenhagen) | ITU, 3F07, Kaj Munks Vej 11, Copenhagen, 2300, Denmark
Our NERDS seminars continue on Wednesday Feb 15 with a talk from Francisco Rowe, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool.
Francisco Rowe will introduce the research project ITINERANT: InequaliTies IN Experiencing uRbAn fuNcTion:
ITINERANT aims to understand how different socio-economic groups experience, access and benefit from the wide array of functions cities offer. To this end, ITINERANT uses machine learning and combines a variety of traditional and digital footprint sources to measure urban function and capture how people move through these functional spaces. Understanding of how people use urban spaces is key to develop policies that ensure that benefits in accessibility to urban amenities are shared fairly across society. In the talk, we will describe the key findings of the project. First, we will describe the extent to which people move from urban areas to suburbs and further afield during COVID-19. Second, we will present a novel approach to create a classification of urban function. Third, we will show differences in the patterns of how people from different deprivation areas move across ranging types of urban functions.

NERDS Seminar with Jonas Juul
2023-02-22 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/Copenhagen) | ITU, 3F07, Kaj Munks Vej 11, Copenhagen, 2300, Denmark
On Wednesday Feb 22, Jonas Juul (DTU) will present his talk “Harder, better, faster, stronger cascades – or simply larger?” on the dissemination of online content.
Abstract:
Do some types of online content spread faster or further than others? In recent years, many studies have sought answers to such questions by comparing statistical properties of network paths taken by different kinds of content diffusing online. Here we demonstrate the importance of controlling for correlations in the statistical properties being compared. In particular, we show that previously reported structural differences between diffusion paths of false and true news on Twitter disappear when comparing only cascades of the same size; differences between diffusion paths of images, videos, news, and petitions persist. Paired with a theoretical analysis of diffusion processes, our results suggest that in order to limit the spread of false news it is enough to focus on reducing the mean “infectiousness” of the information. Joint work with Johan Ugander (Stanford University)

NERDS Seminar with Louisa Jane Di Felice
2023-03-01 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/Copenhagen) | ITU, 3F07, Kaj Munks Vej 11, Copenhagen, 2300, Denmark
Talk: The issue of scale in anarchy: an information perspective
Anarchist collectives are self-organized, non-hierarchical and anti-authoritarian. It is often argued that the scope of such collectives is limited, as they cannot grow in size or complexity without requiring some form of delegation or centralized hierarchical control. More generally, the emergence of control hierarchies in societies is viewed as unavoidable by mainstream historians, anthropologists, and theorists of “social complexity”. However, many anarchist collectives operate through networks that can be vast in scale and scope and may provide the blueprint for alternative social configurations. From an information perspective, these groups operate in a decentralized way, exchanging information locally and distributing decision-making across multiple nodes. This research aims to use agent-based modelling (ABM) as a tool for utopia-building. In the first stage, interviews with members of collectives in the neighbourhood of Vallcarca (Barcelona), are used to shape an ABM that abstracts the main information characteristics of their decision-making configurations, building on the theory of multi-scale systems. In the second stage, the model will be used to explore alternative futures and configurations with the same collectives, up-scaling current practices as a means to discuss possible realities outside of the dominant one. Questions of interest include how to deal with global issues (e.g., climate change) without deferring to delegation, how to include randomness in decision-making as a way to dilute power, and how to maintain consensus-based approaches in large-scale collectives.
Bio
Louisa Jane Di Felice is a post-doctoral researcher in the Autonomous Critical and Embedded Systems (ACES) group at Télécom Paris, part of the Computer Science and Networks Department, and in the Political Ecology Lab at the University of Barcelona, in the Department of Economic History and Institutions. She holds a PhD from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where she studied the implications of complexity for energy models at the science-policy interface. Her main research interests include hierarchy theory and theories of multi-scale systems, complexity, sustainability and environmental justice.

Michael at CSH, Vienna
2023-04-04 15:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Copenhagen) | csh, Josefstaedter Strasse 39, Vienna, 1800, Austria
Bicycle infrastructure data and networks: Opportunities and limitations
In this talk, we will explore the opportunities and limitations of bicycle infrastructure data, models and networks. With the increasing popularity of cycling as a mode of transportation, the need for accurate and reliable data on bicycle infrastructure has become crucial for planners, engineers, and policymakers.

CSH Vienna workshop: Sustainable mobility
2023-04-14 09:00 - 12:15 (Europe/Copenhagen)
We are organizing a workhop in Vienna!
Sustainable Mobility: Data, Networks, and Complexity

Why are politicians so reluctant to invest into bicycle infrastructure and pedestrianization given it is the most efficient investment towards sustainable and livable cities? What are the technical and political bottlenecks that keep society in the stranglehold of car dependency, and what are the implications of sustained delay? Which data are we missing, how should we grow network infrastructure, and how to speed up the sluggish political process? The climate crisis demands pressing answers, which we explore here with state-of-the-art insights in Data/Network/Complexity Science and Urban Planning.
This workshop brings together researchers and policymakers from Vienna and Copenhagen who work on understanding the best pathways towards sustainable mobility with focus on cycling, or who are developing tools/methods supporting that aim. Our speakers will cover: Mobility and infrastructure data quality, bicycle network planning, politics & activism, systemic complexity approaches.

Michael at Eurosolar Austria, Vienna
2023-04-20 18:30 - 20:00 (Europe/Copenhagen) | Plutzerbrau, Schrankgasse 2, Vienna, 1070, Austria
Wie man optimale Radweg-Netze plant
Eurosolar Austria

Ane at Velo-City 2023
2023-05-09 11:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Copenhagen)
Examining Bicycle Network Data: A reproducible workflow for evaluating data quality
Session: The potential of open data for better infrastructure

Roberta at Nordic Science of Science workshop, Odense
2023-05-30 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Copenhagen)
Academic mentees succeed in big groups, but thrive in small groups

Luca Aiello at FRCCS 2023
2023-06-01 15:45 - 16:30 (Europe/Copenhagen)
Coloring Social Relationships
Social relationships are the key determinant of crucial societal outcomes, including diffusion of innovation, productivity, happiness, and life expectancy. To better attain such outcomes at scale, it is therefore paramount to have technologies that can effectively capture the type of social relationships from digital data. NLP researchers have tried to do so from conversational text but mostly focusing on sentiment or topic mining, techniques that fall short on either conciseness or exhaustiveness. We propose a theoretical model of 10 dimensions (colors) of social relationships that is backed by decades of research in social sciences and that captures most of the common relationship types. We trained a deep-learning model to accurately classify text along these ten dimensions. By applying this tool on large-scale conversational data, we show that the combination of the predicted dimensions suggests both the types of relationships people entertain and the types of real-world communities they shape. We believe that the ability of capturing interpretable social dimensions from language using AI will help closing the gap between the oversimplified social constructs that existing social network analysis methods can measure and the multifaceted understanding of social dynamics that has been developed by decades of theoretical research.

Roberta at Reykjavik University
2023-06-12 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/Copenhagen)
Quantitative understanding of success and inequality through network science
The unprecedented availability of large-scale datasets on human activities and interactions has enabled us to quantitatively understand how networks shape success and drive inequalities in various fields. In this talk, I will highlight the crucial role of network science in comprehending social phenomena, particularly in the realms of art and science. Specifically, I will present a series of findings on the evolution of careers in the arts, utilizing a random walk model that successfully predicts artists’ success even twenty years into the future. I will then shift my focus to the COVID-19 pandemic and the advent of Large Language models, discussing how they have amplified network inequalities in science. Through these examples, I will demonstrate the importance of network science in measuring, predicting, and designing algorithms for social phenomena.

Michael at Reykjavik University
2023-06-13 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/Copenhagen)
Computational, evidence-based approaches to bicycle network planning

In this talk, I explore the opportunities and limitations of network and data science for bicycle infrastructure planning. With the increasing popularity of cycling as a mode of transportation, and the necessity to invest into sustainable transport, more accurate and reliable data and computational methods on bicycle infrastructure analysis are becoming a crucial support for planners, engineers, and policymakers. In particular, I will introduce our new bicycle infrastructure data and network quality assessment tool BikeDNA, and discuss various graph-based algorithms for assisting in bicycle network analysis and planning.

DataBeers Copenhagen
2023-06-22 19:00 - 23:30 (Europe/Copenhagen) | Station, Howitzvej 30, Frederiksberg, Denmark

Roberta at ICSSI
2023-06-26 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Exploring Gender Bias and Collaborative Dynamics in Science: Lessons from natural and controlled experiments

Anastassia at FOSS4G
2023-06-28 16:00 - 16:30 (Europe/Copenhagen)
https://talks.osgeo.org/foss4g-2023/talk/RPVTPU/
BikeDNA: A tool for Bicycle Infrastructure Data & Network Assessment
2023-06-28, 16:00–16:30 (Europe/Tirane), UBT C / N110 – Second Floor

Access to high-quality data on existing bicycle infrastructure is a requirement for evidence-based bicycle network planning, which can support a green transition of human mobility. However, this requirement is rarely met: Data from governmental agencies or crowdsourced projects like OpenStreetMap often suffer from unknown, heterogeneous, or low quality. Currently available tools for road network data quality assessment often fail to account for network topology, spatial heterogeneity, and bicycle-specific data characteristics.
To fill these gaps, we introduce BikeDNA, an open-source tool for reproducible quality assessment tailored to bicycle infrastructure data. BikeDNA performs either a standalone analysis of one data set or a comparative analysis between OpenStreetMap and a reference data set, including feature matching. Data quality metrics are considered both globally for the entire study area and locally on grid cell, thus exposing spatial variation in data quality with a focus on network structure and connectivity. Interactive maps and HTML/PDF reports are generated to facilitate the visual exploration and communication of results.
BikeDNA is based on open-source python libraries and Jupyter notebooks, requires minimal programming knowledge, and supports data quality assessments for a wide range of applications – from urban planning to OpenStreetMap data improvement or transportation network research. In this talk we will introduce how to use BikeDNA to evaluate and improve local data sets on bicycle infrastructure, examine what BikeDNA can teach us on the current state of data for active mobility, and discuss the importance of local quality assessments to support increased uptake of open and crowd-sourced data.

Roberta at ISSI 2023
2023-07-03 09:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Quantifying biases and inequalities in science
Every day our life is made easier by efficient measures and algorithms that quantify, search, and rank scientific information. Yet, these measures and algorithms have an issue: they are trained on citations, which are ingrained with human biases. Therefore the output is inherently biased too, creating inequalities, raising concerns of discrimination, even harming growth. In this talk, I focus on recent quantitative efforts in science studies to (1) uncover bias mechanisms in science, (2) use this knowledge about biases to uncover inequalities in the scientific enterprise, and (3) create fair metrics and algorithms.
Roberta Sinatra is Professor in Computational Social Science at the University of Copenhagen (KU), and holds visiting positions at IT University of Copenhagen (ITU), ISI Foundation (Turin, Italy) and Complexity Science Hub (Vienna, Austria). She co-founded the NEtwoRks, Data, and Society (NERDS) Research group at ITU, which she led in 2019-2022, and is a co-lead of the pioneer centre for AI in Copenhagen. Her research is at the forefront of network science, data science, and computational social science. Roberta did her BSc, MSc and PhD in Physics at the University of Catania, Italy. Her research has been published in top-tier venues like Nature and Science, and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Economist, The Guardian, The Washington Post, among other major media outlets. Her research has been awarded the Complex Systems Society Junior prize, the DPG Young Scientist Award for Socio- and Econophysics, and a Villum Young Investigator grant.

Anastassia at NetSci 2023
2023-07-12 12:15 - 12:30 (Europe/Copenhagen)
https://easychair.org/smart-program/NetSci2023/2023-07-12.html#talk:224079
Luca Maria Aiello, Sándor Juhász, Anastassia Vybornova, Eszter Bokányi and Michael Szell
Highways are barriers to urban social connections
PRESENTER: Anastassia Vybornova

ABSTRACT. Geographic distances influence social connections inside cities – even in our digital age [1,2]. Both the perception of physical distance and the likelihood of forming social ties across locations are influenced by infrastructural elements, as previous studies showed: public transport increases social connectivity along routes [3]; barriers to physical mobility influence the creation of social connections [4]. To directly investigate the impact of highways on social connections, we analyse how the spatial configurations of a city’s social and infrastructural networks are correlated. We use a highly granular, georeferenced social network of mutual follower relationships between Twitter users in the top 50 US metropolitan areas [5]. For each of these cities, we create a gravity-law inspired configurational null model [6] that reflects the population density and distance distribution of users’ home locations. We then overlay the spatial network of social connections with the network of highways from OpenStreetMap, and measure the average number of highways crossed by social network ties. We find that the probability of an edge crossing at least one highway is significantly lower for real social connections than for the null model, and validate these findings by several multivariate regression models. Our results confirm that urban highways, apart from causing spatial segregation patterns, also have a directly measurable negative correlation with the density of social connections, and unveil the importance of infrastructure to the study of increasing inequalities and social network fragmentation in urban areas.

NERDS talks and posters at IC2S2
2023-07-17 - 2023-07-20 | IC2S2 2023, Blegdamsvej 3B, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
We will present 22 talks/posters. See you in Copenhagen!
Download the PDF of our activities here: nerdsic2s2

Geospatial Data Science Tutorial at IC2S2
2023-07-17 09:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Copenhagen)
We organize the tutorial. See: https://github.com/NERDSITU/gdstutorial

DataBeers Copenhagen
2023-09-20 20:00 - 23:30 (Europe/Copenhagen) | absalon, Sønder Blvd. 73, København V, 1720, Denmark
https://absaloncph.dk/en/events/databeers-x-absalon/

Calling all data and beer enthusiasts!
Get ready for an epic night at the upcoming DataBeers x Absalon. We’re bringing the worlds of data science and beer together, and it’s going to be a blast!
We’ve gathered awesome speakers who will dive into topics that truly matter, like using data to tackle climate change, improving city bike networks, and bridging gender gaps in urban spaces. Plus, we’ll uncover the secrets of everyday data science in big companies – it’s going to be eye-opening!
The format is simple: five short 7-minute talks followed by a 3-minute Q&A. But here’s the best part: We will be providing free beer and non-alcoholic beverages for everyone. So, it’s the perfect opportunity to relax, mingle, and connect with our Copenhagen data-loving community.
Big shoutout to our awesome sponsors: DDSA, DTU, and IT University of Copenhagen.
At DataBeers, we believe the more, the merrier, so bring your friends and spread the word!
We can’t wait to see you there!

Ane at Kortdage
2023-11-01 - 2023-11-02
Kvalitetsanalyser af de danske cykelstidata
Ane Rahbek Vierø

Danmark kaldes ofte for en “cykelnation“, men afspejler det sig også i vores cykeldata? Mange ønsker i dag at arbejde mere strategisk med udbygningen af cykelinfrastruktur – herunder at gøre brug af GIS-analyser af de nuværende cykelforhold – men de tilgængelige data er ofte af varierende eller ukendt kvalitet, hvilket sår tvivl om anvendeligheden af data og analyser.
Indlægget vil præsentere highlights fra en landsdækkende analyse af kvaliteten af cykelinfrastruktur byggende på GeoDanmark- og OpenStreetMap-data. Analysen er baseret på en nyt open-source værktøj udviklet til formålet. I præsentation vil vi give eksempler på, hvordan man kan bruge kvalitetsanalyser til at forstå muligheder og begrænsninger i egne cykeldata, og komme med ideer til, hvordan kvalitetsanalyser kan understøtte anvendelsen af crowdsourcede datasæt.
Godkendte Abstracts

Arianna at Complex Networks 2023
2023-11-28 - 2023-11-30
The 12th International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications, Menton (French Riviera), 28-30 November 2023
Extended abstract 1 (poster): Tell Me Who You Are and I Will Predict Your Vulnerability to Political Persuasion Techniques w. Lucio La Cava and Alessia Antelmi
Given the evolving role of social media in political communication and the strategic use of these platforms by politicians to shape public opinion, research has commonly focused on investigating computational propaganda as a means for automated information diffusion. Focusing on a less explored yet promising line, we aim to assess political persuasion in digital contexts by introducing a computational framework that combines Natural Language Processing and Network Science methods to investigate the linkage between persuasion techniques on social media and personality traits of online political audiences. Our final goal is to enhance public awareness of political tactics and encourage critical thinking in response to the online spread of political information.
Extended abstract 2 (lighting talk, awarded as Best Lightning Talk): Finding Hidden Swingers in the 2022 Italian Elections Twitter Discourse w. Lucio La Cava and Alessia Antelmi
The volume of the Italian online political discourse on social media has recently increased, but the coverage level does not compare with other Countries such as the US. Nonetheless, researchers focused on studying polarization and homophily concerning political debates or investigating the role of populism in online engagement. In this research landscape, the analysis of political preference shifts through social media remains to be explored. We aim to bridge this gap by examining the Twitter discourse during the 2022 Italian general elections, with a specific emphasis on political “swingers”. In particular, our findings indicate a stable political discourse in Italy, yet they also uncover a growing presence of political swingers willing to shift their support to significantly different factions.

Roberta's Keynote at the CHR 2023
2023-12-07 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Copenhagen) | ÉCOLE POUR L’INFORMATIQUE ET LES TECHNIQUES AVANCÉES, Paris, France
Roberta gave a keynote talk at the Computational Humanities Research Conference 2023 (CHR 2023). The conference is held in Paris, 6-8 December 2023. Roberta’s gave an online keynote talk, entitled “Quantifying the dynamics of impact in science and art”.

Arianna at NetSciX24
2024-01-22 - 2024-01-25
NetSciX24, Venice (Italy), 22-25 January 2024 https://netscix2024.netscisociety.org/
Extended abstract (regular talk): The Storm Within: Hurricanes and Socio-Political Leaning in Climate Change Group Behavior w. Luca Maria Aiello
Climate change is a pressing global crisis marked by a surge in extreme weather events, requiring societal responses and mitigation efforts. Focusing on the significant events of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane season, we scrutinize their impact on climate change-related group behavior on Reddit. By investigating topical discussion groups, categorizing them based on socio-political leaning, and analyzing their responses to climate change discourse, our study aims to illuminate how extreme climate events influence engagement across diverse socio-political spectra. This examination contributes valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between climate crises and online discourse, offering a nuanced perspective for effective climate communication and intervention strategies.

NERDS at D3A
2024-02-01 - 2024-02-02
https://d3aconference.dk/program/
SESSION #3 – AN INTERDISCIPLINARY DIVE INTO CLIMATE IT
ROOM: Sal G
The climate emergency is a multidimensional and wicked problem that requires a range of responses at various scales (local, regional, national, and planetary). Whether the issue of concern is renewable energy and carbon reduction, biodiversity loss, transport, agriculture, the circular economy, mitigation and adaptation, or more desirable economies, IT plays a central role. This seminar engages with the intersection between climate and digital technologies from different disciplinary perspectives to highlight how this intersection is multilayered and fraught with tension.
Our first speaker will show how data-driven analysis can help urban planners design better infrastructure for active mobility like cycling. By addressing active mobility infrastructure from a system-wide and strategic angle, data science can identify shortcomings in, for example, cycling accessibility and help build more sustainable cities. In this talk they will present how network science can guide investments in cycling infrastructure, introduce the importance of incorporating subjective perceptions when quantifying bikeability, and finally discuss the limitations and criticism of bicycle network research.
Our second speaker will add to this perspective by looking at applications of spatiotemporal data analysis and forecasting in topics related to sustainability. Connecting to the previous talk, the speaker will give examples of data gaps in last mile logistics and how prediction models can have a positive impact on the efficiency and sustainability of delivery systems. Secondly, she will discuss spatiotemporal data processing in the use case of renewable energy, particularly wind power prediction. The speaker will discuss new machine learning approaches that leverage location information to predict wind power output and the associated costs of running more complex large models.
Finally, the third speaker will present a framing of the overall session by asking ‘what is meant by “Climate IT”?’ And discuss this concept in relation to related discussions of ’twin transition’. The paper will consequently turn to what we legitimately can expect and demand of the role of IT in green transitions and processes of sustainability. After these three short talks, there will be room for discussion with input from the audience.
Overall, the panel aims to explore the tense relations between digital technologies and climate change. On the one hand, it highlights the ways in which these technologies can create the fact-based, large-scale knowledge that can equip us to tackle the very complex problems our societies are faced with. On the other hand, the panel also critically engages with how the revolutionary promises made by digital technologies often make us gloss over their growing climate impact. Together, the different perspectives enable us to gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of how to address arguably the most pressing challenge of our times, the climate emergency.
Format
Seminar with three short talks for questions and discussion.
Theme
The role of digital technologies in addressing societal challenges
Target Audience
The session is meant for anyone with an interest in climate change, both academics from different disciplaines and IT professionals.
There is no maximun number of participants for the session.
Organizers

Ane Rahbeck Vierø, Ph.D. Fellow, Department of Computer Science, IT University of Copenhagen
Maria Sinziiana Astefanoai, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, IT University of Copenhagen
Steffen Dalsgaard, Professor at the Department of Business IT, Head of Center for Climate IT, IT University of Copenhagen

Data Science Seminar with Paul Smaldino
2025-09-24 12:30 - 13:15 (Europe/Copenhagen) | ITU, 3F07, Kaj Munks Vej 11, Copenhagen, 2300, Denmark
Title: Why Use An Evolutionary Perspective To Study Culture?
Abstract: Theodosius Dobzhansky famously wrote in 1973, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution.” Biology is, of course, the study of living things. Humans are living things. Therefore, to study humans is to engage in biology. Yet, despite the prominent of Darwinian theory in the study of non-human animals, there is still widespread resistance to an evolutionary mindset when studying humans. Much of this is understandable. In the 1970s, Darwinian theory had little to say about human behavior and culture. Contributions from “social Darwinism” were racist and misguided, while evolutionary psychology has largely failed to capture the richness of the human experience. I will discuss an expanded view of evolutionary systems, including gene-culture coevolution and modern theories of cultural evolution, that show us why an evolutionary perspective offers much to the study of human cognition, behavior, and culture. I will highlight some of my own work in this area, focusing on formal models of identity, social learning, and collective problem-solving.
Biography
Paul Smaldino is a Professor of Cognitive and Information Science and a member of the Quantitative and Systems Biology graduate group at University of California Merced, and an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Smaldino studies how behaviors emerge and evolve under social, cultural, or ecological pressures, often through the lens of mathematical and numerical modeling of social behavior and complex systems. Smaldino has degrees in physics and psychology and draws on this interdisciplinary background in his research.
Information for non-ITU participants: To enter the building (which is located in DR Byen), meet Jonas Juul here at 12:20 pm. He will let you in. Get in touch by writing Jonas Juul an email (see his website.)
