Quality of Urban Life Index From Location-Based Social Networks Data

Abstract

Several indicators are developed to support the decision-making processes in public policy for urban planning. Some of them seek to measure the quality of urban life. For example, the city of Belo Horizonte developed and uses an index called Quality of Urban Life Index, which identifies inequalities within the city, and therefore, those areas that need more investment. This index is calculated by measuring the availability of various kinds of services (e.g. education, infrastructure) and their accessibility (based on travel time and mobility data). For that, data from several government sources must be collected and used, which can delay updates of index values. In this chapter, the authors describe how data from Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN) can be used to calculate urban indicators, and hence, how they could be used as an alternative data source for estimating quality of urban life with faster results to support urban planning policies.