City of Data

Abstract

The amount of data generated by our daily activities and interactions is constantly increasing, as is the number of digital devices continuously monitored by increasingly complex and accurate satellite instruments. This condition provides information useful for making high-quality choices on multiple aspects of contemporary life. This amount of information has driven numerous researchers and institutions to examine this revolution, starting from the hypothesis that, with the increasing complexity of the metropolis and the contemporary lifestyle, today Data appears to be the most reliable tool for providing an accurate view of both social interactions and the environment that staged those interactions. The various research trajectories, proposed in this issue of Contesti, pursue this hypothesis, trying to provide operational tools and trace future lines of research.