Your future in Applied Urban Science and Informatics SMART MINDS + SMART CITIES Your future in applied urban science and informatics. 1
6.2 1.9 million 143 million Your future in Applied Urban Science and Informatics data points are collected every day. Big Data is set to create 1.9M IT jobs in U.S. by 2015. printed pages of digital data NYC generates daily. 5.1 350 247 What is Urban Informatics? Urban informatics is a relatively new field that uses data to better Google searches made per day globally. text messages sent worldwide monthly. email messages sent each day. understand how cities work. This understanding can remedy a wide range of issues affecting the everyday lives of citizens and the long-term health and efficiency of cities from morning commutes to 80 percent 20 million 350 emergency preparedness to air quality. New York University's Center for Urban Science and Progress aims to be the world s leading authority on the emerging field of urban informatics, with New York City as its laboratory and classroom. The urban issues CUSP takes on will be New York s. The solutions it creates will make cities around the world more productive, livable, equitable and resilient. Read on to learn more. Up to 80% of the emails sent each day are spam. calls made to NYC s 311 system yearly. Annual meter readings analyzed by IBM Big Data. 240 400 million $ 500 million photos uploaded to Facebook so far. tweets sent every day worldwide. in venture capital has been invested in Big Data. 1
Center for Urban Science + Progress 01 How does Urban Informatics work? The practice of urban informatics is a multi-step process that integrates the accumulation, analysis, reporting and acting upon of data generated in an urban setting. Urban informatics practitioners: 1. collect data from a variety of sources public and private databases, sensors, camera feeds, commuter data etc.; 2. integrate and manage the data, using advanced systems and best practices to empower insight, build connections and protect privacy; 3. analyze and interpret the data through powerful methods such as machine learning, data mining, and agent-based modeling and simulation; 4. develop recommendations and implement solutions that can help cities to be more livable and efficient; and 05 02 5. monitor and evaluate outcomes for immediate and long-term benefits including opportunties for optimzation. 04 03 2
Your future in Applied Urban Science and Informatics Why Urban Informatics now? With urban informatics, large-scale datasets and analytics can be used to address fundamental challenges of city operations, planning and development problems that left unchecked will only grow as cities grow. Two phenomena make urban informatics possible and necessary for our times: 1. Global urbanization For the first time in history, more than half the world s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 it is predicted that 64.1% of people in the developing world will live in urban areas and 85.9% of the developed world s inhabitants will call urban areas their home. 2. The digital revolution Our ability to collect, store and process data has steadily, and in recent years, rapidly increased since the dawn of the digital age in the 1950s. The Internet s rise sparked an explosion of digital data, and the spread of mobile technologies has turned much of the world s population into individual data factories. Now, with 90% of the world s data having been created in the last two years alone, we stand at a pivotal moment in the history of the digital revolution. 3
Center for Urban Science + Progress The application of Urban Informatics Urban informatics can turn data into solutions for the toughest problems faced by cities. Solutions are being explored in many application areas including: 1. Mass transit Overcrowded subways aren t just a morning hassle. They have a real impact on the livability of the city and the well-being of its citizens. Utilizing big data, urban scientists can maximize efficiencies, overcrowding and cut operating costs. Education Social Programs Urban Planning 2. Air quality Air pollution is one of the most significant environmental threats facing the city. It contributes to approximately 6% of annual deaths in New York City each year. Utilizing thermal imaging, buildings can be analyzed for energy efficiency and pollution, helping to cut greenhouse gases and dangerous emissions. Healthcare Environment Government 3. Aging buildings While many of New York s buildings excel in beauty, they lack the brains of newer, smarter construction that uses resources more efficiently and attracts the commercial tenants vital to the city s economy. New standards are being developed to make buildings as smart as they are good looking. 4. Noise pollution The incessant horn honking of taxis, the rattle of trucks and the ear-splitting sirens of emergency vehicles at all hours of the day and night create the soundscape of urban environments around the world. Utilizing networked sensors and sophisticated sonic analysis, CUSP researchers are exploring ways to bring down the volume. 4 Public Safety Energy & Water Transportation
Master of Science in Applied Urban Science & Informatics Advanced Certificate in Applied Urban Science & Informatics Full-time (1 yr.) Part-time (2 yrs.) Project or Course-Based Your future in Applied Urban Science and Informatics Graduate Education at CUSP With the importance of urban informatics clearly established, it begs the question of where tomorrow's skilled practitioners will come from. To address this need, NYU CUSP has launched several education programs including a M.S. in Applied Urban Science and Informatics. The goal of these programs is to provide students with the ability to use large-scale data, from a variety of sources, to understand and address real-world challenges in the urban context. Graduates will learn and gain knowledge and skills in a variety of critical areas including: 1. The ability to identify, define, collect, analyze and communicate relevant data from diverse sources (tabular, web, sensors, etc.). Executive Education in Urban Data & City Analytics 3 Day Intensives 2. A depth of knowledge in a particular urban domain, such as energy, buildings, transportation, etc., and in a discipline, including visualization, decision models and optimization, simulation and computational methods. 3. An understanding of urban informatics and its relationship to the operation and development of cities. 4. The capacity to identify and assess problems, evaluate data needs and analytical approaches to problem-solving, and develop solutions in real-world, multiple-constraint contexts. Ph.D. in Urban Science Coming in 2015 5. Direct, hands-on experience working in high-intensity, real-world environments with industry and agency partners, along with gaining leadership skills for their chosen career path in an entrepreneurial venture or existing organization. 5
Center for Urban Science + Progress Partnerships NYU CUSP draws its research strength from an extraordinary consortium leading institutions of higher learning, leaders in the tech industry and leaders in public service that individually rank among the most prominent in their sectors, but together form an unsurpassed whole. CUSP observes, analyzes, and models cities. Partnerships enable participants in the master's program to apply their knowledge immediately to solving problems in an urban context. 6
Your future in Applied Urban Science and Informatics Urban Informatics research As you might expect, the principal scope of NYU CUSP s research is urban informatics. To have impact on the city and commercial partners, and to give students real-world experience, CUSP s research program contains projects with goals and deliverables that develop or integrate technologies to specific ends (for example, understand and improve congestion and emergency response). CUSP also has core activities that foster the expertise required to execute projects, and that inform its educational curriculum. CUSP is using data to make cities efficient, livable, equitable and resilient. Our research is centered on an organizational structure based on disciplines, domains and projects. We expect our graduate students to be active participants and indeed co-creators in our research endeavors. CUSP is urban informatics. 7
Center for Urban Science + Progress The Urban Informatics opportunity With the volume and variety of statistics now generated by businesses, consumers and governments, data science and analytics have quickly become a vital component of daily operations at enterprises worldwide. In fact, according to McKinsey Global Institute, 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytic skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts will be needed by 2018 to fill jobs in Big Data. This factor and others portend an enormous opportunity for individuals with the skills and knowledge to apply big data, particularly in the urban domain. 3.5 people are moving to cities over the next 50 years (NY Times) $20 trillion in infrastructure will be needed to handle this urban growth. It s either a big problem or an opportunity. (NY Times) 75% of companies say they will increase investments in Big Data within the next year (Avanade) $3.2 was spent by companies on Big Data in 2010; it is predicted companies will spend $16.9 on big data by 2015 (CIO) $500 million in venture capital funds have gone into Big Data technologies, startups and vendors in recent years (CIO) 8
ARE YOU READY? Discover your future in Urban Informatics. Learn more and apply to the Master of Science in Applied Urban Science and Informatics. Make a difference in the world and an extraordinary career for yourself. Fall 2014 priority application deadline February 15, 2014 Apply now at cusp.nyu.edu/education