Uploaded on 2018-08-20 by Yufei Dong

The photo is a night view of part of Nanjing taken from a tall building. In it, we can see many buildings, two intersecting roads, and street lights. If we look closer, we may notice traffic and people. If we can gather the data, invisible information can be extracted. For example, the traffic patterns(i.e. the number of vehicles and passengers at different times of the day, heading towards different directions) and the urban functions of this specific area(i.e. the number of people visiting the buildings at different times of the day for different purposes). The traffic pattern can help us better understand the commuting means and citizens' demands, with the analysis of which urban planners can decide whether or not this area needs more roads or public transportation means to enable people to get around more easily or live in a more sustainable way.