di Cinzia Conti, Angela Ferruzza, Daniele Frongia, Paola Patteri

1. XXX Sunbelt Conference Riva del Garda June 29- July 4, 2010
Visualizing networks and territory:
interactive systems and web2.0 technologies
Cinzia Conti, Angela Ferruzza, Daniele Frongia,
Paola Patteri

2. Principal problems and solutions
 A specific subject: migrations
 Data: rich datasets, detailed territorial disaggregations
 The goal: to make easier the access to
(over)information
 Solution (a first step): networks visualizations
resources (Netdraw)
 Costumized solutions: web 2.0

3. Example of origin-destination matrix

5. Network migration
Migration dynamics seem to be deeply determined by the
presence and the functioning of a variety of networks at
different levels of aggregation. Migration networks can be
defined as “groups of social ties formed on the basis of kinship,
friendship and common origin. They link migrants and non-
migrants together in a system of reciprocal obligations and
mutual expectations. They develop rapidly because the act of
migration itself generates network connections; every new
migrant creates a group of friends and relatives with a social tie
to someone with valuable migrant experience. Networks bring
about the cumulative causation of migration because every new
migrant reduces the costs of migration for a group of non-
migrants, thereby inducing some of them to migrate, creating
new network ties to the destination area for another group of
people, some of whom are also induced to migrate, creating
more network ties, and so on” [Massey, 1990].

6. Advantages of network analysis
 To overcome the observation of biunivocal links established
by migratory ties (flows)
 To reach a synthetic description of migratory dynamics in
order to understand also the stock situation (territorial
distribution of foreign population)
 To observe jointly international and national migratory
flows
 To try to individuate the existence of migratory networks in
a strict sense
 To individuate, if they exist, networks constituted by
different territories with specific characteristics linked by
migration flows
 To individuate relations among migratory networks and
other networks (productive net f.i.)

7. Nodes and ties
The relations (ties) are established by migration flows
The nodes are represented by territorial units (provinces,
municipalities, local labour market areas, States….).
In the examples we focus on local labour market areas
Internal and international migrations

8. The Local Labour Market Areas
 A particular territorial reference grid makes it possible
to analyze the economic and social geography in
greater detail than that allowed by traditional
administrative subdivisions (regions and provinces).
 This grid is represented by the Local labour market
areas (LLMAs) are 686 aggregations of contiguous
municipalities (not necessarily belonging to the same
region or province), created according to an analysis
of the daily journeys of commuters (surveyed by
Censuses).
 A local labour market area is a functional region that
is defined as a “self-containing” commuter flow area
and indicates a set of municipalities linked by a high
level of interdependence.

9. ISTAT and network analysis: a brief history (chapter 1)
 Focus on internal migrations
 Specific graphs for foreign citizens
 Problems: distance between nodes, geography, characterization of
the nodes (demographic dimensions), stock and flows
http://www.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20080528_00/
http://www.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20080528_00/volum

10. Network of long-distance changes of residence between Italian Local
labour market areas - average 2002-2005 (weighetd values)

11. Egonets of Milan and Crotone (LLMA)

12. Networks of foreign citizens changes of residence from abroad and between
Italian Local labour market areas – Average- 2002-2005 (weighted values)

13. ISTAT and network analysis: a brief history (chapter 2)
 Focus on foreign citizens
 Network of internal and international migrations
 Problems: internal + international
 Again: Geography, characterization of the nodes
http://www.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20090526_00/volu
me.html/
http://www.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20090526_00/volu
me/capitolo5.pdf

14. Networks of foreign population changes of residence from abroad towards
Italian Local labour market areas by main citizenships, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
India, China – Average 2005-2006 (per 10 000 residents)

15. Networks of Moroccan citizens changes of residence between Italian
Local labour market areas – Average 2005-2006 (absolute values)

16. Networks of Chinese citizens changes of residence between Italian
Local labour market areas – Average 2005-2006 (absolute values)

17. Networks of Moroccan
citizens changes of
residence between Italian
Local labour market areas
– Average 2005-2006
(absolute values)
Source: Istat data

18. Networks of Chinese
citizens changes of
residence between Italian
Local labour market areas
– Average 2005-2006
(absolute values)
Source: Istat data

19. Networks of Chinese citizens changes of residence
from abroad and between Italian Local labour
market areas – 2007 (absolute values)

20. Dynamic representations: advantages
General
Matching network analysis and geography
Representing both flows and stocks data
Considering migration flows (ties)
Taking in account the distance between origin and destination
Comparing different citizenships
Considering both internal and international migrations
Considering the direction of flows
Considering nodes
Characterizing nodes with network analysis measures
Characterizing nodes with rich context information

21. Stargame
 A system developed in Istat to support the statistical
process of data production
 Interactivity, flexibility
 It is based on SVG technologies

28. Web2.0 dynamic representation
New sites have been launched to allow all web users to upload
and integrate data, share and visualize them, and talk about their
use with other people. Among them IBM Manyeyes and Swivel,
online services already used by some international governmental
organizations.
The development of web specialized environments, able to
integrate statistical information at various levels of structure

29. WEB 2.0 OPPORTUNITIES: MASHUP
 Unfortunately there are not web application which enable
users to create and visualize graphs (that is what we need
to represent flows) based on online interactive maps.
 That's why we need to "create" such a service, that's why
we have to spend a slide on Mash-up.
 In Web development, a mashup is a Web page or application that
uses and combines data, presentation or functionality from two or
more sources to create new services.
 The term implies easy, fast integration, frequently using open APIs
and data sources to produce enriched results that were not
necessarily the original reason for producing the raw source data
(Wikipedia)

30. Goglearth
 UNHCR Internally Displaced Persons, Somalia
 This geographical representation enables you to explore the
refugee crisis affecting Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu. Using
lines to show the paths people have taken and polygons to
represent numbers, this file offers a much richer and more
detailed understanding of one of Africa's most pressing current
problems.

32. Google maps
 Google Maps “…Google Maps is a free web mapping service
application and technology provided by Google…”
 Google Maps is, in fact, an innovative web-based service
for territorial location and mapping that a wide number of
users are already familiar with and use. Available online at
the following address maps.google.it, not only does it
enable a specific location to be identified and visualised
through maps and satellite images, but combined with Geo
CMS technology, it enables companies and government
agencies to design new solutions to offer final users the
opportunity to access new applications

33. GeoCMS

GeoCMS is a Web Content Management System to mush-
up Enterprise geocoded information over Google Maps and
other geographic devices.
From Wikipedia:
Web Content Management System:
“ …is a software system used for content management with
additional features to ease the tasks required to publish
web content…”
 GeoCMS is the solution developed by Scube NewMedia,
based on the cartographic service provided by Google
Maps/Earth, to locate and map territories, able to
associate proprietary data and information to geographic
maps and satellite images.

36. Three key words for next steps
 Interactivity
 Customizing
 Net for the net