Computers, Cities & Data
š Geographic Data Science@University of Liverpool
šļø Urban Analytics@The Alan Turing Institute
š (Co-)Editor@Environment & Planning B & JRSS-A
#GeographicDataScience #UrbanAnalytics #OpenScience
| š | https://darribas.org |
| š | Liverpool mostly, Houston sometimes, Zaragoza always |
| š | https://geographicdata.science/book |
| š°ļø | https://urbangrammarai.xyz |
Our online course on Spatial Data Science in Python has opened registrations once again. This time, we're teaching during May 2026.
10 lessons during May, covering everything from introduction to spatial data to #geoAI using Python open-source stack, part of which I've been actively developing for quite a while. Spatial graphs, autocorrelation, interpolation, point patterns, regression and spatial ML, all covered!
See the details at https://martinfleischmann.net/sds/micro/
New episode of the one and only #GLaDpodcast. For this one, @rsfrankl, Levi and yours truly dust off our oracles to speculate what 2026 (whatever is left of it anyway) has in store for Geography, Life, Geography Life, and Data! Come for the hot takes, stay for Polymarket-style futures contracts!
Happy new year!!! We know, we know, weāve been in 2026 for a while already (already too long?). But this is the first episode we recorded this year, the first one with Levi as a dad (yay!), and one where the āyearā itself will somewhat feature. So we find it apt to start with a cheerful approach. The reason behind this episode is that Iām such a sucker for ābest ofā¦ā and āwhatāll happen inā¦ā compilations. Like the best sci-fi, they tell you a lot more about the present, its hopes and anxieties, than about the year they either review or speculate on. And thatās always interesting to me. So Dani spent most of December listening to āhot takesā from all sorts of podcastsā¦ And here at GLaD HQ, weāre all made of the āhot takeā stuff. So, possibly several weeks ālateā (in time is overrated!), here it is: our hot takes for 2026.
Yesterday, we (the Imago team) gave a workshop on satellite embeddings for a room with about 50 people from different corners of the UK Government. It was fantastic in every respect. Itās so exciting to see these ideas and technology move at the speed of light from state of the art research to Government. Anything we can do at Imago to facilitate that transfer, weāre here for that!
If youāre curious, materials are available at:
A bit late to post about (though not to publish!), @rsfrankl, Levi and I have a new episode of the #GLaDpodcast out. If nothing else, be enticed by the title (the oldest profession in Geography?!?!?!); if something else, delight in Anthony Robinsonās views on maps, AI, and microwave ovens!
Come for the catchy episode title, stay for the wide-reaching discussion about spatial data, visualization, and cartography. We're joined this time by Anthony Robinson, from Pennsylvania State University, for a conversation about what cartographers do, what cartography looks like in the 21st century, what makes a map, and the challenges of "personal cartography." We've even got some requisite hot takes on spatial analysis and data (...and cartography!).
I enjoyed the last Glad #Podcast (https://gladpodcast.podbean.com/e/episode-29-the/) on cartography!
It was great since I always forget that cartography is also a lot about generalization!
The Slop/miccrowave was fun but I am not using much mine and do not pay any subscription for it.
In some way I think geographers should also start to deal with those identity issues :)
cc @darribas
Come for the catchy episode title, stay for the wide-reaching discussion about spatial data, visualization, and cartography. We're joined this time by Anthony Robinson, from Pennsylvania State University, for a conversation about what cartographers do, what cartography looks like in the 21st century, what makes a map, and the challenges of "personal cartography." We've even got some requisite hot takes on spatial analysis and data (...and cartography!).
Just in time before the yearās out, I managed to collate all the reads that made a mark on me this year. As I say at the end: if you(āve) read any of the above, remember next time you see me one of the few things I like more than reading is _talking_ about reading. If there are others I should read, hit me up with recommendations. Lifeās too short to fill it with mediocre reads.
Why "Science-as-a-Service" Doesn't Work for Earth (or social!) Science
https://me.darribas.org/2025/12/18/why-scienceasaservice-doesnt-work-for.html
Just in time for a cozy listen this coming break, a new #GLaDpodcast episode! This time, @rsfrankl, Levi and I welcome the one and only @sergerey to talk all things open, open source, and academia! Come for the code, stay for the stories of lives changed!
https://gladpodcast.podbean.com/e/opening-the-academic-source-with-serge-rey/
Today, weāre joined by a close friend of the podcast (someone some of us personally credit with changing my life forever!), Serge Rey, to talk all things open, open source, and academia. Serge is Professor for Geography at San Diego State University and BDFL for the PySAL project. Heās been one of the most outspoken voices advocating for closer adoption of the open source ethos in academia, so we thought who better to unpack the open conundrum.
Just back from this year's Human Planet Forum, organised by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). I had to summarise the whole event in ten minutes, so I decided to write it up also:
https://me.darribas.org/2025/11/24/dispatch-from-the-human-planet.html
The JRC team did a truly stellar job at putting the event together, thank you so much!!!
I have an entry today at the GDSLās #30DayMapChallenge with an attempt at āDimensionsā. Itās a story of 64 dimensions, mapped in two, with a bit of an extra dimension.
https://me.darribas.org/2025/11/06/entry-for-daymapchallenge.html
Martin Fleischmann
Olivier Leroy