The course introduces theoretical and methodological aspects of spatial mobility and its relation to information and communication technologies (ICTs). Lectures and seminars concentrate on mobility studies and mobile data used in geography, tourism and urban studies. Ethical issues in the use of ICT-based big data and differences arising from culture and context are addressed.
The course consists of 7 lectures (2x45 min), 2 practical sessions (2x45 min), five assignments and 5 seminars. Each lecture and seminar has an additional text or slide material available in the Moodle.
Outcome:
By the end of the course the student
- understands terminology and concepts of spatial mobility;
- is aware how spatial mobility, social mobility and activities of individuals are interrelated;
- is aware of the impacts of information and communication technologies (ICT) on spatial mobility;
- knows the data collection methods of spatial mobility;
- has an overview of passive mobile positioning data;
- has an overview of active positioning methods and smartphone based data;
- is able to measure individuals' spatial mobility with mobile positioning;
- is able to critically analyse the data and highlight the shortcomings of its use;
- understands the concepts of information society and Smart City;
- has an overview of social media data and research applications;
- is able to use mobile phone and social media based information sources for urban studies and planning;
- is aware of the ethical issues related to the use of big data;
- understands how culture and context affect the availability and use of data;
- has an overview of international initiatives in the use of big data;
- has the ability to work in a group and clearly present the results of the assignments.
