New program wants to improve cities with the power of tweets and Flickr uploads

It’s called Urban Pulse


Urban Pulse, open-source software developed at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, uses data to create a map that visualizes how people move through cities. From Urban Pulse’s interface, you can observe, for example, how tourists navigate Central Park. … In one example given by [NYU Tandon Ph.D. candidate] Fabio Miranda, the lead researcher and developer of Urban Pulse, you can see a clear divide between spots frequented by Spanish-speaking communities and English-speaking communities in Manhattan nightlife. You can identify which areas of the city get less foot traffic, or where people most often catch cabs.

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