Earth observation as a lens for socio-economic urban analysis

Session Title: 

Beyond the surface: Earth Observation as a lens for socio-economic urban analysis

Organized by:

Focus:

Urban remote sensing has traditionally focused on mapping physical surface characteristics. e.g. land cover, building footprints, vegetation, or impervious surfaces. However, cities are fundamentally social and economic systems, and the spatial patterns visible in EO data contain information that extends beyond their physical interpretation.

This session brings together research that bridges Earth Observation and the socio-economic analysis of urban environments. We invite contributions that derive, model, or spatially extrapolate socio-economic variables from EO data, including property and rental values, consumption and resource use patterns, deprivation indices, or indicators of social stratification. We equally welcome studies linking urban morphology to administrative, economic, or political structures, such as electoral voting patterns or patterns of spatial planning. A further focus lies on the intersection of physical and social vulnerability: mapping heat risk for exposed population groups or relating urban form to demographic and health outcomes.

Methodologically, contributions may draw on machine learning and artificial intelligence, spatial statistics, or the integration of EO with census, survey, or volunteered geographic information. The session presents remote sensing not only as a tool for describing what cities look like, but for understanding of their inherent functions and processes.