Topological characterization of cities: a mesoscopic approach

• Grant number: 18/04175-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Luciano da Fontoura Costa
• Grantee: Guilherme Schimidt Domingues
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In this project we intend to continue a study of the topological organization of cities, developed in a previous scientific initiation of the applicant, using representations by networks complex. A framework was developed to recover and analyze the structure of several cities using techniques previously developed by the group to select significant urban region data from the OpenStreetMaps database. The framework developed until then also allows the estimation of several topological measures that, finally, are analyzed using multivariate statistical methods. As preliminary results, a database subset was analyzed and several patterns could be observed, such as the distribution of cities in the PCA (Principal Component Analysis) space according to their continents and also by topological characteristics of their networks. In the continuation of this project new cities with geographical and population sizes not yet studied will be included in the database. The focus, however, should be the study of the topology of cities considering a mesoscopic approach. More specifically, we intend to divide the cities (already used and new) in regions and subregions (center and periphery, for example) to characterize and analyze these regions in terms of topological measures. The purpose of this analysis is to ascertain different regions of the same city are similar or different. It is also study the comparison between respective regions (center / periphery) of several cities of regions and countries of the world. Such developments should contribute to the understanding of how diverse cities of the world are characterized and related in mesoscopic topological terms. (AU)